Battlefield 5 for PC behaves possibly much like real war does, with moments of horrendously soul-crushing death followed by ridiculous moments of lethal levity – death by cricket bat, anyone? The first-person shooter is set in the middle of WWII, albeit with some (rather a lot of) historical inaccuracies, not least of which is the inclusion of female soldiers.
About the Game
The core game follows three basic stories, one of which the player chooses in order to follow that character’s path through the war. Cosmetic items and weapons upgrades can be purchased using in game currency which can be earned through completing missions, or bought if you are in a hurry to progress through the levels.
Battle Royale
Join in a battle to the death in a restricted campaign called Firestorm. The name comes from the unique feature designed to keep the slaughter ground contained to a relatively small area of the open world format. A literal storm of fire sweeps over and around the battleground killing any who stray into its path – however, nevertheless, this campaign features the biggest game map yet on any Battlefield game. Up to sixty-four players can play the Battle Royale at any one time, and they are organised into battalions of sixteen players initially, with an emphasis on co-operative team play.
Ways to Play
Choose one of the game paths which will take you from safety into the midst and battle and, hopefully, safely home again! These stories are based on real life campaigns from WWII although with some added drama and exaggerations to make the game play even more compulsive. The game is set in the bombed out ruins of Rotterdam, and boasts some wonderful visual treats, such as the wounded Spitfire grazing an already wounded wing against a bell-tower before losing height as it stumbles over the horizon leaving a trail of smoke and dust.
It is not all death and destruction though, in certain areas of the map you can build shelters and erect sandbags as a defence against attack. Do look sharp, though, working on your constructions can leave you vulnerable to snipers or ambush from others, so keep a wary eye out while you wait for your progress bar to tick over to complete. You can play over much of Europe, with many areas in France offering evocative and stunningly depicted locations to battle through and explore.
There are several multiplayer modes, most of which lay out a brief backstory to give you your incentives. You battle it out with and against many others, in continuous battle modes, working your way through the Grand Operations which simulates real battle campaigns. Towards the end of the session, players are reduced to single weapons with no respawn capability – this feature is called ‘Final Stand’ and marks an exciting and breath-taking culmination of all your combat hours.
Team up with three other players to work cooperatively to achieve the aims of the mission. These missions are dynamic and responsive so you are guaranteed a different experience each time you play.
Whichever way you choose to play, you will exult in the game’s stated core pillars of: destruction, team play and vehicles – a glorious mass of shooting, fighting and winning your laurels during the war that displaced ‘The Great War’ as the worst conflict of modern times.