I’ve always been a fan of the Battlefield series and appreciate the more grounded approach compared to recent Call of Duty titles. But unfortunately, I have to admit that Battlefield 2042 didn’t hold my attention for very long.
As a result of the game’s lackluster critical and commercial success, the team at Battlefield Studios decided to return to a more modern and traditional setting, which, while not perfect, was a much better experience overall.
With the simple addition of a campaign mode, new multiplayer features, and the return of Battlefield Portal, there’s plenty to love no matter what era of Battlefield fans you are. This review is a little later than expected as I didn’t have access to the Portal feature before launch, but I’m going to do this a little differently.
Our review is divided into three parts, covering the campaign, multiplayer, and finally Portal. So let’s dive in.
campaign
When reviewing Battlefield 6 as a whole, the campaign is unfortunately the weakest part. It’s not terrible, so to speak, but it ultimately feels too predictable and oddly convoluted at times.
The campaign is set in the near future and tells the story of NATO fighting against a fictional private military company, Pax Armata. Players take the reins of 1-3 Dagger units and control a small number of characters depending on the mission and location. As Pax Armata attempts to peacefully take over Georgia, the protagonists fight to push Pax Armata back, delving into the roots of the political climate and internal decisions that caused the tension in the first place, as the United States soon finds itself on the brink of war.
The real problem here is that it takes 5-6 hours to run. The campaign can’t decide if it wants to throw you into chaotic situations to bring out the best in combat and destruction in the game, and it’s tempting at times. But it also tries to build emotional moments between the characters, but they don’t really stick because we don’t really spend much time actually caring about them. There are a few moments towards the end that try to tug at your heartstrings, but most of those sequences missed the point as you couldn’t differentiate between these main characters in terms of personality traits.
The campaign also seems intended to pull users out of the action at certain points and begin sequences that unfold in first person. But as I watched my character hide in the shadows and watch jets fly overhead, I wondered why I couldn’t do this myself. I understand the conventions with dialogue and cinematically well-chosen sequences, but they felt unnecessary.
However, I would say that some of the missions in this campaign do a decent job of creating a blockbuster-like experience where every mission feels like a showdown of sorts. The action is loud and consistent, and you’ll get to grips with all kinds of weapons, equipment, vehicles, and environmental destruction, and you’ll even be able to order your squadmates to attack enemies, throw grenades, and destroy parts of the level.
The story itself is a bit nonsensical, but as far as the overall gameplay is concerned, it’s never boring. Thankfully, it’s not very long and doesn’t tie into the rest of the experience in any meaningful way.
multiplayer
Before we dive into Battlefield 6’s multiplayer features, it’s worth taking a moment to explain how everything plays. That’s amazing. Time to kill is quick and gunfire is responsive and nimble, but the guns feel heavy and, thanks to some amazing sound design, they also sound incredibly sneaky and loud.
Thankfully, the multiplayer is really fun and I can only imagine players will be spending most of their time there. With a variety of maps and modes available, I think everyone will quickly find something they like. There are nine maps at launch, most of which offer some sense of size and scale depending on the mode you choose.
You’ll be fighting across multiple countries, and each map will have its own unique look. I’m a fan of almost all maps. Liberation Peak, Empire State, and Iberian Offensive all lend themselves perfectly to something like Conquest in terms of their sense of scale and verticality. Siege of Cairo, on the other hand, is larger but has narrow streets and small courtyards, making it suitable for something like team deathmatch.
All the standard modes are from previous Battlefield titles, and I’m a particular fan of Conquest, but I’d also recommend giving it Breakthrough mode for a more direct approach and tighter pace. Players can enjoy Conquest, Breakthrough, Escalation, and Rush modes on medium to large maps for up to 64 players, and Squad Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Domination on small maps for up to 16 players.
The game’s four classes (consisting of Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon) naturally have plenty of weapons to try out, and each has their own unique gear and abilities. All of these classes can now wield different types of weapons, but we highly recommend finding and mastering your own playstyle to have the best chance in combat.
For example, the Assault class typically pushes and attacks, while the Engineer might be more about running around repairing surrounding vehicles or taking out larger enemy vehicles such as tanks. The scout class will probably hang around and snipe while sneaking around to set C4 traps on vehicles. Finally, support classes will typically have to follow their allies while out and about, but will focus on throwing out healing and medical kits for everyone to use. There are also subclasses here that give each class new types of equipment, but these don’t affect anyone’s experience.
The gunfights are great, although I will admit that some of the assault rifles feel very similar and are a bit overpowering in both melee and ranged combat situations. I’ve already noticed a few people using only assault rifles and shotguns on most maps, which can limit synergy between classes.
Finally, the sense of destruction and chaos is on full display in almost every mode or map. Buildings can be destroyed in a variety of ways, and certain maps even have certain destruction-based events that can be triggered at any time. It’s certainly a sight to behold, but we’ve already seen players heading straight to these areas to get the party started. If you’ve seen the cranes in Miraak Valley, you’ll know where I’m coming from.
It all looks great, runs really well, and I’m super excited to play more with friends, but it feels as if their approach of bringing things back to a modern setting has finally given them the solid foundation and stable footing they’ve needed for so long.
portal
Battlefield Portal was released with Battlefield 2042, but now feels distinctly different. Unfortunately, we didn’t have access to this feature before release, but I’m personally happy that my experience along with this review helped me understand how important the community is to this feature.
Portals in Battlefield 2042 are more basic map and mode builders that carry around assets in the form of blocks. It was functional, but a little bland. Players can now change the map’s elevation for even more creative options to create modes and invite players to join the fun. The UI is also customizable, and there’s actually a lot you can do with it, which is a good thing, although I can understand why it might feel a little confusing and scary for some people.
But at the end of the day, it’s great to see people’s ideas going as far as recreating Call of Duty’s iconic Shipment Map. You’re really limited here, and you’ll need to jump online on another device like your phone or PC to access these features, but we encourage you to give it a try, or at least explore what the broader community has to offer.
final thoughts
Overall, Battlefield 6 feels like a big return to form, thanks in large part to its great multiplayer experience and the unique opportunities made possible by Portal Builder. This campaign takes the whole package down a notch, but thankfully it’s not a required aspect, so you won’t actually spend all that much time on it if you decide to check it out.
Either way, it’s great to see the franchise get back on its feet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be hanging around for the long haul this time around.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Satisfying gunfights. Powerful multiplayer. Portals provide depth over time
Highlights: Lackluster campaign
Developer: Battlefield Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: Currently
Review was conducted on a PlayStation 5 Pro using a code provided by the publisher.
A featured header image is also provided by the publisher.
