After the turbulent premiere of Battlefield 2042, EA gathered its branches (DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Motive), creating a united front with Battlefield Studios. Fortunately, a veteran task force immediately got to work on Battlefield 6, restoring proven series traditions such as the operatorless role system, the acceptable 64-player limit, and the original single-player campaign. Most maps are dazzling sandboxes just waiting to be leveled, firearms have impressive power with detectable recoil patterns, and a series of challenging progression challenges keep the grinding loop fresh. But as with most hard-fought victories, not every war decision produces a winning outcome.
Battlefield 6 pushes the boundaries of cinematic sensory overload to great effect, even in multiplayer. After narrowly avoiding detection by an enemy squad, I sneak into the sniper’s vantage point and slam him into the ground with my hammer. Rifle covered in blood, I look out a nearby window and meet the business end of a tank gun. I dive in even though it’s too overdue; The rocket pierces the slim walls of the building and the floor collapses beneath me. Suddenly, a brave medic pulls my body from the rubble to tend to me, and bullets fly past us and shatter on the pavement. Adrenaline-pumping war stories like mine are commonplace, making thrilling shootouts and daring escapes even more personalized and unforgettable.
As a globe-trotting soldier, you’ll fight in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, under the blazing sun of Cairo, amidst the ever-burning oil fields of Iran, among other places. For the most part, these locations are awe-inspiring and full of destructible, multi-story structures, from city museums to remote construction sites. As a New Yorker, I was blown away by the views of the East River from the attack helicopter as Dumbo’s ritual tenements crumbled to dust. On the other hand, Liberation Peak, with its mountainside villages and military installations, and the Iberian Offensive, a war-torn district of Gibraltar, failed to impress, offering dreary, gray environments and unremarkable points of interest such as parking lots and rocky outcroppings.
But you’ll be hard-pressed to find a moment of solace to even take in such sights because the action is so satisfyingly frenetic. Battlefield Studios’ newly implemented “Kinesthetic Combat System” intelligently enhances mobility and gunplay. When I missed a chance to respawn in a tank early in the match, I clung to its backplate, avoiding the early-game marathon that previous entries in the series were eminent for. Needing to pounce on an unsuspecting enemy from an elevated vantage point, I recklessly jumped off the ledge and with a perfectly timed button press, I rolled as I hit the ground, limiting my fall damage and closing the distance to a melee knockdown in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, peeking/leaning as well as mounting the weapon on virtually any surface allowed me to make smarter rotations and prioritize optimal field of view. I enjoyed tackling the mental gymnastics of mindlessly taking corners or rushing through bottlenecks, giving each tactical decision weight.
Classic modes like Conquest, Onslaught, and Breakthrough make a welcome return, offering the same high-octane, comprehensive war experiences that drew fans to the Battlefield IP many moons ago. These amazing playlists remain essentially unchanged, and for good reason: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. However, Battlefield 6 introduces a fresh way to play Escalation, a territorial tug-of-war in which two teams fight for control of several points on the map until the number of possible targets decreases. Escalation skillfully redefines the rules of Conquest, propelling players into an epic final battle. As the match drew to a close, there was an electrifying mixture of desperation and excitement.
Team Deathmatch, Domination, and King of the Hill offer small-scale options for soldiers who prefer intimate clashes, especially with shotguns and submachine guns. Saints Quarter, an infantry-only map created for these modes, could be another great melee arena similar to Battlefield 3’s spectacular Noshahr Canals, but uneven spawn points are still the cause of inexpensive direct deaths. At least the return of Portal aims to allay my concerns about these less attractive peripherals with detailed scripting tools through which players can upload everything from custom horde modes to crazy obstacle courses that are still astoundingly rewarding in terms of experience. As with the upcoming Battle Royale mode, I haven’t had any hands-on experience with the latest version of Portal, so it’s solid to judge whether it will be successful in this version, but providing the community with the ability to edit games is always an ambitious, innovative choice.
Teamwork remains key to progression, as best exemplified by the revamped class system in Battlefield 6. Each role – Stormtrooper, Engineer, Support, and Recon – has its own distinctive trait (passive), weapon, gadget (tactical ability), and lively ability (ultimatum) that level the playing field. I appreciated the improved aiming speed with LMGs when playing in support, but Assault’s access to extendable ladders added newfound levels of verticality, which led to more eliminations and, consequently, significant changes in handling. Training paths (specializations) also make it easier to choose a role. The Engineer’s anti-tank path increased my missile count by two, allowing me to easily turn armored convoys into scrap, and when I opted for the cool killer approach in Recon mode, I took advantage of the Sniper path, which encouraged headshots on landing since victims couldn’t be revived. I loved experimenting with each class, tinkering with gadgets and paths that helped catalyze much-needed momentum shifts.
Daily, weekly and career challenges allow you to unlock rewards, including numerous attachments, dog tags, badges and more. Even though Battlefield 6 touts long progression systems, the array of XP bonuses and available tasks, such as uncomplicated online assists or long-distance travel, are nicely balanced by legendary tasks, such as nailing a clip-worthy “rendezook” (destroying an enemy plane with an unguided missile while exiting and re-entering your own). A fresh assortment of vertical grips, amulets, and player cards should compensate for battle scars, but don’t expect to look fancy while running and gunning. The cosmetics for weapons, vehicles, and characters are shockingly uninspired, with some of them being basic camouflage designs. At first glance, as many as 30 forest skins may seem tempting until you realize the minimal differences between them. I know war is hell, but after many hours of exemplary service, I should look good fighting it.
The weakest link in Battlefield 6 is the narrative. With a hardened Marine crew overseen by a mysterious CIA liaison, I reluctantly took up the fight against the private military company Pax Armata after it brutally overthrew NATO. During one mission, I jumped out of a cargo plane and the broad clouds gave way to piercingly stunning afternoon sunshine. However, the dazzling spectacle was short-lived as I tried and failed to remember why I was there in the first place. The main themes of survivor’s guilt, taking leadership, and purposefulness are buried beneath frail dialogue, wooden cutscenes that often left me out of control during the most stimulating action sequences, and a frustratingly tedious villain. Other than completing the challenges, there aren’t enough reasons to survive the story. Having a curated single-player offering should broaden the overall package, but this particular element only goes deep.
There is nothing better than traversing slippery muddy fields, through metropolitan streets and passing eroded craters as shells destroy abandoned farms, burning away the last traces of greenery. The latest installment in the Battlefield series is a combination of captivating moments like this one. I just wish some of the post-war rewards could match my many acts of valor and that the campaign reflected the brutality of its multiplayer counterpart. Despite a few military missteps, Battlefield 6 successfully turned things around.
