It’s no secret that EA’s biggest shooter franchise has had a rough time recently.Apex Legendshas done surprisingly well, but that’s mostly because it was designed by Respawn Entertainment, without EA’s proprietary Frostbite engine. No shame to Frostbite, as some of the capabilities of the engine forBattlefieldgames are incredible. But in recent years,Battlefieldhas seen somewhat of a decline from the mainstream shooter it used to be.Battlefield 6is said to be the very next entry, and it needs to make a comeback.
There are some key aspects throughoutBattlefield’s history that have contributed to the franchise becoming a bit mediocre. Defining features like destruction are no longer emphasized in a functional manner, while single-player is consistently forced into the experience, despite often being an afterthought for players who loveBattlefield’s signature multiplayer.Battlefieldis having an identity crisis, one that’s not easily solved.Battlefieldneeds to hone in on what made the series so special in the first place and emphasize that.
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A Story Mode Obligation
One area in particular thatBattlefielddefinitely doesn’t need to focus on is the single player content. In fact, the franchise would frankly do better without it entirely. Arguably,the last goodBattlefieldsingle player story wasBattlefield 1, and even then, the campaign took a back seat to multiplayer just like every other modernBattlefieldgame that preceded it. ClassicBattlefieldtitles are fondly remembered for their multiplayer experiences, and even though games in the past have had endearing characters like inBad Company, they just haven’t been exceptional. Multiplayer should beBattlefield’s primary directive, improving trademark modes like Conquest whilst implementing something new as well.
Consider 2017’sBattlefront 2, aStar Warsproperty that borrows many of the same gameplay elements fromBattlefield. There was an undeniablydedicated amount of work put into the singleplayer story ofBattlefront 2, and yet it was one of the lesser portions of that game. TheStar Warsfranchise is (more or less) known for engaging storytelling, but for a main IP likeStar Wars’Battlefrontto have a story mode that’s largely ignored or glossed over, it shows that EA’s shooter gameplay carries itself over an engrossing storyline.Battlefielddoesn’t even have an established ethos or universe to draw from likeStar Wars, so another story campaign inBattlefieldlikely won’t do well unless it’s revolutionary.
Pointless Battlefield Destruction
One of the defining aspects ofBattlefieldsince the beginning has always been destruction. The mechanics have iterated and changed over the years, but in more recent titles in the franchise, destruction seems to have unintentionally become less important.Games likeBad CompanyandBattlefield 3used to employ destructionin a functionally relevant manner, making the mechanic an integral part of the environment design. Playing Rush inBad Company 2generally meant blowing holes into M-COM stations to breach and set a charge, or even take the whole building down if that’s more viable.
Nowadays similar functionality is available in newerBattlefieldgames, but it feels more like an add-on than a prominent gameplay mechanic. Sure, you may still make holes in walls with your favorite explosive ordinance, but it’s generally in service to just converting a wall into a doorway. There’s no morepurposeful destruction like in previousBattlefieldtitles. A prime example would beBad Company 2’s Arica Harbor map, which has a city section densely populated with buildings. On the second attack wave of Rush, the attacking team largely has no proper sightlines without damaging or taking down most of the buildings. The game literally encourages the attacking team to utilize destruction to open up the map more and force an advantage over the defending team.
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Battlefield’s Identity Crisis
Perhaps the worst thing now isBattlefieldis dealing with an identity crisis. Being the gritty simulatory modern combat experienceBattlefieldis known for just isn’t enough.Call of Duty: Modern Warfaredoes that, but also backs that with the characters like Captain Price who make the experience more memorable. Not only that, butModern Warfare’s version of Ground War essentially became a version of Conquest fromBattlefield, minus the destruction. A lot ofwhat madeBattlefieldspecial,Call of Dutyis now doing even better.
Battlefieldneeds to reinvent its image, and that could be as simple as looking to the past to inspire the future. TheBad Companygames in particular would be a good start, as these games never truly took themselves seriously. Even thoughBad Company 2eschewed a lot of the silliness from the first game, multiplayer inBattlefield: Bad Company 2was the right balance of simulation vs. fun factor.Battlefieldcould definitely use a dose of that nowadays, especially afterBattlefield 5.
Battlefield 6is currently slated to launch in the 2022 fiscal year (October 2021-September 2022) for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
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