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Battlefield 1

View The Great War Through Many Different Lenses
by Michael Leri on Sep 27, 2016 at 09:35 AM
Platform PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher Electronic Arts
Developer DICE
Release
Rating Rating Pending

DICE's last two Battlefield campaigns have played very similarly: linear mission design coupled with one main protagonist. For Battlefield 1, DICE is reworking both of those aspects.

Missions will no longer require loud gunplay, nor will they only consist of mandatory objectives. Instead, you can choose to sneak around and use melee kills in some instances instead of gunning down everyone in sight. This varied approach also helps the more open mission structure since you'll be able to choose the finer points of most objectives. For example, you can blow up a big turret that stands in your way, or you can hijack it for your own personal use. DICE's newfound campaign philosophy stemmed from their multiplayer philosophy rooted in improvisation. By tearing off some of the restrictions, DICE wants to make the single-player campaign more like the "high-agency game that it is [online]."

But the mission framework isn't the only thing changing in the campaign. DICE is opting to go for an anthology format that revolves around a swath of different people, all with unique backgrounds and skills. Variety was a key point in World War I and DICE said they wanted to embrace that diversity, which led them to this format over the traditional one-protagonist narrative. Cultures range from Arab to British, and this assortment of viewpoints fills out more than the one side we usually see in games about real-life war.

DICE's single-player campaigns never pulled their weight when compared to their multiplayer offerings, but with these big changes, the Swedish developer might finally churn out a narrative worth playing through.

Battlefield 1 is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 21. EA Access users on Xbox One get access to the game on October 13, and those who buy a deluxe edition get to start playing on October 18.

If you want to see what's in Battlefield 1's Premium Pass, check it out here. To see how Battlefield 1's multiplayer is different than the other Battlefield games, click here.

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Battlefield 1cover

Battlefield 1

Platform:
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: