Summary
TheBattlefieldgames might be very well known for their massive multiplayer experiences, but the series has also proven on more than a few occasions that it can deliver a captivating and enjoyable single-player mode, too. Rather than having only one way to play single-player though,Battlefield 5actually copies its predecessor and instead offers several War Stories for the player to enjoy, with each one covering a different period of the second World War.
Each mode also tells its story through the eyes of a different nation, granting the player multiple different perspectives on the conflict, which makes them all unique and interesting. There are only5 War Storiesfeatured in the game, which are each a few hours long, so it’s definitely worth playing through all of them, but it does need to be said that some are a lot more enjoyable and engaging when it comes to their levels, gameplay, and stories.
5Nordlys
The Endless Amount Of Stealth Missions Make This War Story A Little Repetitive
The Nordlys campaign takes a much morepersonal and intimate angle with its storythat focuses on a Norwegian resistance fighter who must do all she can to save her people and her family from being killed. There’s a lot to learn about Norway’s experiences during the war in this story and how its soldiers and civilians learned to survive amidst the conflict, but what lets this down is the War Story’s extremely slow and rather uninteresting stealth sections.
Battlefieldhas never been a series that stood out for its stealth gameplay, and despite it being pretty mediocre inBattlefield 5, DICE still decided to throw in a tremendous amount of them for this War Story, whichreally harms the pacing. The snowy environments do at least look amazing thanks to the exceptional graphics, but it’s just not enough to excuse the very lackluster gameplay sections.
4Prologue
It’s A Shame That The Stunning Prologue Of Battlefield 5 Is Only A Few Minutes Long
Despite being much shorter than all the other War Stories,the Prologue that greets first-time playersofBattlefield 5is still a thrilling experience that switches between multiple different countries, making it incredibly captivating and a ton of fun to play through. While players will start off charging towards the enemy under the Northern Lights in Norway, the scene quickly changes gears to Libya, where they will be put in charge of a tank that steamrolls across the rocky sand plains to reach the enemy on the other side.
It’s not long before it moves toa sniper’s point of viewin Tunisia, where the player will be tasked with picking off a few enemies situated at a crucial checkpoint. The beautiful narration in the background, paired with the instant switching between environments makes this a truly memorable way to kick off the game; it’s just a shame that it lasts for no longer than a few minutes.
3Under No Flag
Under No Flag Provides An Intriguing Story Along With A Decent Gameplay Experience
Rather than jumping into the boots ofa highly trained soldieror a resistance fighter, Under No Flag actually puts players in the shoes of Billy Bridger, a man who has not long been released from London jail to earn himself a second chance by showing his determination on the battlefield. The premise is extremely interesting, and there’s actually plenty of dialogue sprinkled throughout that gives players an insight into how criminals were treated during wartime and the whole background of the Special Boat Section unit in general.
While there is, again, a bit too much focus on stealth in this story, there’s luckily not too much of it to the point where it becomes an annoyance, and there’s actually a lot of player freedom to decide on one’s own plan of action.The North African settingis also absolutely stunning from a visual standpoint, especially when the sun is shining at its brightest in the final mission. There’s a real sense of comradery shared between the characters, and the final moment of the reinforcements arriving just as the characters thought they had met their early demise is a real heartfelt way to finish off the story.
2Tirailleur
Tirailleur’s Memorable Cast Of Characters And Variations In Its Gameplay Make It A Real Stand-Out
Being able to witness the true nature of war through the eyes of an inexperienced and naive young soldier adds so much extra weight to this emotional War Story. Tirailleur places a lot of focus on how colonial fighters of France and Britain felt about the war effort, which grants a fascinating insight into the men and women who aren’t usually represented in the media covering this period. There are alsoplenty of twists and turnsthroughout the story that make it very unpredictable from beginning to end, with the stakes always being set quite high.
The gameplay is also top-notch, specifically because of how much action and intense gunfights are involved. One moment, the player will need to hunker down and defend an area fromendless waves of soldiers, while the next, they will be using devastating explosives to wipe out gigantic AA guns to clear out an area for reinforcements. There’s plenty of variety in the gameplay to enjoy here alongside the amazing story, and it all comes together to create one of the most memorable experiences inBattlefieldhistory, which would undoubtedly be the best in the game if not for one other War Story.
1The Last Tiger
This Tank-Based War Story Really Drives Home The Emotional And Gritty Reality Of War From A Unique Perspective
The Last Tiger actually wasn’t released along withBattlefield 5and instead came a few months after, but saying that this hotly anticipated story was worth the wait would be a massive understatement. The Last Tiger feels incredibly unique in the story it’s telling, with it being based on a singleGerman Tiger tankcrew during the last few days of the war. Rather than every mission feeling like a courageous push to victory, Last Tiger constantly feels like a fight for survival, which really drives home the terrifying aspect of war and how drastically different it can seem from the lens of different countries.
Luckily, the crew still has its mighty Tiger Tank, which is more than capable of clearing out hordes of enemies when it needs to, but even this feels like it could break down at any second. There are also some extremely memorable conversations that take place throughout the story between the amazing cast of characters, with Peter being a particular stand-out as someone whose faith in his leaders has completely crumbled after witnessing the true reality of war. There’s a reason why so many fans claim that Last Tiger could become its own movie, and it’s because of how perfectly it manages to capture the horrifying nature of war, yet it still manages to keep the gameplay fun and enjoyable throughout despite the bigger emphasis on the story.
