Battlefield V (PC) Review

Battlefield’s back everyone! Did you know? Maybe not actually, because it was probably overshadowed by the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and its new battle-royale mode. Well it’s here, and it’s brought World War II with it, complete with Panzer tanks and Thompson machine guns. No M1 Garand though which is odd. DLC anyone?

Old wars were hectic, fighting face to face rather than having the ability to fire missiles across the Earth from range. Battlefield V has captured that chaos beautifully with moments inside the multiplayer arena, especially when playing a 64-man Conquest game can get nuts. You’ll often find bullets flying at you from all directions, in which you have to avoid. Most of the time though you probably won’t, highlighting even more how crazy it was for the soldiers who fought in reality back then.

It’s All About The Multiplayer

There are a couple of standout maps for me, of which I find myself server hunting towards until I find a game that’s just starting on one of them. The first if Twisted Steel, which is a blatant resemblance to Operation Market Garden and how that’s usually portrayed in video games. You fight across a swampy marshland with a huge bridge in the to navigate. Its very open, and can get quite messy. The second map is Arras, a country-side town filled with luscious corn fields and a small village filled with tight streets and a lot of buildings to hide in. There’s also a bell tower in the church which is perfect for snipers.

One thing I am a little surprised by with Battlefield V is the fact that they’ve not really concentrated on any kind of game areas that we’ve seen before in previous WWII games. There’s no Omaha Beach, no Carentan, no Wake Island which was a classic back in the days of BF 1942 and no Battle of the Bulge although the snowy mountain map Fjell 652 and its gorgeous scenery is breathtaking at maximum PC graphic settings. This is where I think DLC will start shining through though, by adding those sought out places.

The new squad mechanics work wonders, when your squad actually want to work together, and there are times online where you are stuck wondering if you’re actually fighting the enemy with an army at your side or you’re just Rambo-ing your way through the battlefield. The first and new entry to squad perks is the buddy revival system. Anyone in your squad could revive you when you’re downed. It’s slow, but proves invaluable to keep your team score above the opposition. Medics can revive much faster. The second is earning squad points. They give the captain a chance to call in airstrikes or awesome powerful tanks to aid your efforts. However, if you’re squads in-game don’t work together, there’s no doubt you’ll lose against a team who have their heads screwed on.

Even the Support class gets some love with the new ability to build armaments like sandbag walls, tank traps and trenches for your troops to traverse safely. The only issue though is the fact that these can only be built on set areas on the map which are displayed as transparent hammer icons. You can’t freehand build a sand bag wall to your liking unfortunately.

Customisation options is where in my opinion, Battlefield has fallen down in the past, but has seeming had a massive overhaul for Battlefield V. The guns level up on a sort of tech tree, investing points into each level as you go whether this be reload faster, larger ammo clips or aim down sights faster. The path you choose is yours, and the choices you make aren’t big enough to turn the tides of war. See what I did there? Tides of War is a game mode that’s not currently available. Neither is Firestorm, their version of a battle-royale. Be patient though, they’re on the way.

There are no pay-to-win loot boxes, but micro transactions have remained for those wanting to invest real cash into outfits and accessories, but none are game changing. Hell, you can even unlock a hell of a lot of options just by playing and levelling up and completing the various assignments that you’re given like kill 50 enemies with this gun or heal 10 soldiers during a single match. To level up your gear you will need to earn in-game currency to unlock them. Not too hard, you just need to play the game.

EA have learned a tough lesson with a couple of previous titles *cough* Battlefront II *cough*. But it’s good, because they’ve addressed these issues and have rectified them for Battlefield V. The game is unbelievably polished, albeit a few minor glitches where soldiers legs disappear into the terrain, but still, the gameplay is very solid and equal. That’s  the biggest thing this time round, is the fact that all players are on an equal playing field, and not dominated by one or two who have deep pockets, or who get a chuck of pocket money from their parents. We played the game through Origin on PC, so check that out for up to date pricing.

 

*Editor’s Note*

Please be aware that this is a Battlefield V multiplayer review, as we haven’t really played the single player campaign. Although there is one available to those wanting to dive deep into story, Battlefield for me has always been about the multiplayer gameplay, from the humble beginnings of Battlefield 1942 right up until today with Battlefield V.