Now Playing: Battlefield 6

Following the disaster that was the Battlefield 2042 release, Battlefield 6 is undoubtedly a return to form for the series. Or perhaps ‘form’ is a little too generous – a return to ‘competence’ might be more appropriate. Because Battlefield 6 is undoubtedly a competently designed game, but it’s also a deeply unambitious one.

And I get why. After 2042 there needed to be a return to basics. A ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach to design. Tried and tested. Keep it simple and give the fans what they were asking for. And we can’t say it didn’t work – with over 7 million sales in its first three days of release, Battlefield 6 is a smash hit.

I’m writing this review with over 50 hours now clocked (including my Campaign time) and I feel confident in saying that I think Battlefield 6 is a good game – but not a great one. I’ve already shared my rather negative impressions of the single player campaign here, but allow me to summarise:

The campaign is disappointing and weak, serving as a poor tutorial for the MP (classes / gadgets / vehicles) and despite the opportunity afforded by a scripted experience, features little in the way of the large scale battlefield action that fans of this series might expect. It also fails to deliver any exciting set-piece moments that really push the destruction physics in a way only a scripted campaign could, and the enemy AI is absolutely terrible.

And, in many ways, it sadly reflects the overall MP experience too – because like the campaign, the MP aspect of BF6 rarely delivers on the large scale, combined arms ‘Battlefield experience’ that fans of this series crave, and it doesn’t push the destruction physics in ways that truly transform the experience.

I really loved the destruction in Battlefield 5 because it really did transform the ‘flow’ of maps over the course of a battle. Combined with the fortifications system (which has been removed in BF6) maps would become almost unrecognisable by the end of a match. The way you approached attacking or defending objectives shifted significantly based on the level of destruction or the fortifications players had constructed amidst the ruins.

In BF6, the destruction, whilst visually impressive, rarely if ever transforms a map or the flow of the fight. It’s far more cosmetic in nature than in BF5 and as a result, the maps never really evolve in the way they did in BF5. From beginning to end, the battle ‘flow’ remains the same.

Also in BF5, I felt like those Battlefield ‘moments’ were a regular feature of every match I played. In BF6, however, I can probably count them on one hand in 50 hours of play. By ‘moments’ I mean those thrilling, unscripted sequences of events as all the chaotic elements of a Battlefield match combine to create a spectacular scene that’s crafted totally by player action.

I’m talking about one match where I was advancing on foot alongside a dozen other soldiers as two friendly tanks pushed on enemy positions. Overhead, a helicopter passed low, ejecting flares to avoid a missile lock. As the tanks began to fire on the enemy position, the helicopter, taking another pass, gets hit and spirals in the air before crashing to the ground nearby in a fiery explosion.

Totally unscripted moments like that – moments driven entirely by player action – are what make Battlefield special. An experience you really can’t get anywhere else. But in BF6, those moments are far too rare because of the really big problem BF6 has – the maps.

The maps in BF6 aren’t bad. They’re okay. But even the ‘big’ maps feel small. They still feel designed to channel players into tiny little zones. There’s so many maps that don’t feature air vehicles at all, and even the ones that do don’t feel large enough for them to be utilised effectively. The one time I did manage to jump into a jet on what is supposed to be the largest map in the game, I was being locked onto by anti-air before I’d even taken off!

Most maps that do feature vehicles are ground based only, and even then, things like jeeps are usually just used to race to the first objective, but useless after that. Tanks or IFVs can be useful, but require the constant attention of a dedicated engineer or two if they want to survive more direct action, otherwise they have to resort to long range tank sniping. Too many maps force vehicles into tiny, narrow streets that are either littered with a ridiculous number of mines, or make it too easy for infantry to ambush them.

Most matches in BF6 are just infantry versus infantry in close quarters fighting on relatively small maps – and that’s NOT where the strength of Battlefield as a series lies. The good news, however, is that they’ve really nailed the general movement and shooting. The moment to moment action of BF6 feels great. I also think they’ve got a solid selection of weapons and gadgets and a genuinely transformative weapon customisation system.

BF6 feels really good to play, despite the small maps and the lack of the big Battlefield ‘moments’ that sets this series apart. And that’s good news because it means the foundation is solid. What the game desperately needs is better maps, bigger maps, and more emphasis on large scale, combined arms warfare and more meaningful destruction. Once it gets those – if it gets those – then it will go from being a very safe, unambitious but solid title, into something truly special.

I’d also welcome some tweaks to the challenges system which is a little too much of a grind right now, especially for unlocking weapon mods, and fixes for the challenges that don’t seem to track properly which can be very frustrating. I also think the mode selection and UI presentation leaves a lot to be desired. I’m all for new modes, but you can also have too many that split the player base too much - it’s a delicate balance to get right.

My big concern for BF6 is the rather quick introduction of the Battle Royale mode so soon after release and all the associated ‘battle pass’ stuff that comes with it. As someone not very interested in the BR mode, I am worried that its popularity and revenue potential might make it the priority with regard to updates and new content at the expense of the base game. But, I guess we’ll see, eh?

Overall, Battlefield 6 is a solid and very enjoyable multiplayer experience that serves as a solid foundation to potentially transformative new content. They got the basics right. They stuck to the tried and tested and it paid off. But now it’s a question of can they move forward, and make this a game that truly delivers the intense Battlefield experience fans crave.

7/10