Where is the time single player and multiplayer shooter? Doom, it still is, but of course that fits in with the old school vibe of that game. Battlefield is old, but it doesn’t have any old school ambitions…or she…er. Anyway, just like “other shooter” (rhymes with “balls or loot”) you can now also get three games for the price of one with Battlefield 2042. There’s all-out war, featuring classic conquests (dominance) and hack (attackers defeat defenders). There’s the danger zone, which claims loudly that it’s not a battle royal. And there’s the Portal, which is the block square in which everyone can create their own Battlefield experience using the building blocks from Battlefield 1942 (which is pretty old school), Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3. So it’s not really a 3-in-1, but a 1+1+ No final. And for completeness: There is no single player mode.

Battlefield veterans will likely find the Conquest and Breakthrough modes of the All Out War section the best point of comparison for testing out new gameplay and gameplay mechanics. First, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, there are the massive maps that push the number of players to 64vs64. However, this is more impressive on paper than in practice. Unless you’re into something that’s flying — or when you’re standing up high — that volume is going down a little bit with every hour.

For example, an infantryman or a tank gunner on the ground experiences the modern setup in the near future as a much bigger difference than previous versions, compared to the player multiplier. Another difference, which I didn’t notice until after a while, is that house smashing and other environmental elements, a real thing in Battelfield, seem less present. Just like settlement events or hurricanes. Although I totally agree with the fact that they don’t show up in every game.

According to the developer, this larger map will give you more options to find the types of gameplay that suit you best. This is only half the case. Because especially on these large maps, a lot of players will be looking closely at their squad, if only by using them as a spawn beacon. On the other hand, the motivation to go for a real team experience is slightly less due to the loss of Order Points, which gave you rewards in the previous parts. For lone wolves, this is not a problem, but a problem for team players. This shows the whole game. One player will laugh at some criticism, but it will be decisive for the other’s opinion. The same goes for the points I’m most excited about.

Battlefield 2042 looks very familiar despite all the hype and storms in the glasses of water that were already anticipated. This game was made for those millions of Battlefield fans who have been clamoring for their BF3-bis since BF4. And they got it, sort of. Because there is now no juggling with classes but with “roles” and specialists: flexible characters with certain tools.

I don’t care about this as some early reviewers do, because the impact on Battelfield’s overall gameplay is often exaggerated. I think the system works, even if there’s been quite a bit of polishing and grain in the first few months. This is not a criticism, but a standard procedure for a new online shooter. Definitely one with a lot of interacting parts. For example, Dice should improve the sound as quickly as possible, with the sound of footsteps at the top of the priority list!

In any case, I am convinced that in addition to a unique specialized skill or tool, you can choose the rest of the gear yourself. Attachments can change quickly and can be translated to every shooter by default on my part. And while I’ve never had to get used to playing with firearms in any of the previous Battlefields, each match makes me want more. Although I miss the opportunity to lean on or cross obstacles. It’s like they’re trying to absorb the size and sometimes emptiness of the maps with a higher pace of play, and they see the tendency to slow down.

Into the danger zone, drop your team of four into smaller versions of the All Out War maps. Your task: collect as many data discs as possible and then escape again in one of the two evacuation moments. The only obstacle in front of you: the enemy’s AI and half a dozen other player teams. The danger zone, its makers emphasize, is not a battle royal. It shares some traits with the genre, but plays less like Warzone and more like Hunt: Showdown or The Division’s Dark Zones.

Each drop is also not a real match but a round of max 10 minutes. Then, with the credits you earn, you can buy new equipment in the style of Counter-Strike… or not. The danger zone is difficult and requires a balanced team composition and clear communication and thus stands or falls with the size of the audience that wants to embrace the situation for a long time. There is still a lot of tweaking to do, but I loved it so far. With any luck, they’ll get out of an esports competition here…or they’ll be one of those very specialized audiences.

Then there’s Portal, a.k.a. “Set up your own battlefield.” For many players, it’s probably the best – and perhaps the most dangerous – part of this entire game. Know that you have to consider the huge built-in multiplication or error factor. Players and the developer themselves will create unique Battlefield experiences with Portal anyway. This is very deep. deep adjustment. Great for those who want to create some kind of “Greatest Songs” compilation from their favorite parts from previous games. But in what you see the greatest songs, I might see Frankenstein.

For example, we saw the developer create Free For All in 3 minutes where players could only attack each other with rocket launchers, and after each shot they had to jump five times to get a new missile. It is interesting to see how the rules of the game can be modified, it is not at all interesting to play for longer than the same three minutes. You would think that the makers of Battlefield would come up with something more exciting than the Quake-light experience, the game that the original Battlefield challenged. Another locally made game is about protecting VIPs and pitting the Battlefield 3 Spetznaz against American soldiers from Battlefield 1942. It was a lot more fun, but no one thought to let us stop after 20 minutes.