*Note: This is a first impressions piece based on playing the EA Access ten hour trial of Star Wars Battlefront and is not a review of the full game*
We are just one week away from the release of Star Wars Battlefront and thanks to EA Access, Xbox One subscribers to the service have granted early access to the full game with a ten hour trial. After playing the Beta last month, I felt that developer DICE succeeded in making Battlefront feel like a true Star Wars experience and not a reskinned Battlefield.
But the Beta had some issues with weapon balance, spawning points and a perceived heavy advantage for Imperial forces over the Rebels with greater range of vehicles. I was very keen to not only try out the other modes and features ahead of release but also to see if the issues raised after the beta had been addressed. So here are my first impressions of what I managed to try out in the ten hour trial and again, this is not a review of the full game.
The benefit of this EA Access trial is that subscribers get to play the full game a week early. Achievements can be collected and progress will carry over into the main game when purchased on release. The first thing the game suggests to the player to do first is the tutorial section. I found this to be an excellent introduction to the various playing styles in Battlefront. Five tutorials will teach the player the basics to the game such as how to play as a ground soldier, how to pilot an X-Wing in the legendary Beggars Canyon, how to control an Imperial Walker, ride a speederbike on Endor and learn how to play as Hero characters with Darth Vader and the Emperor. What I felt was a nice touch was the final training mission which teaches players how to fly an Airspeeder and take down imperial walkers and AT-AT’s with a Grapple Line. Completing these training tutorials will prepare players for Battlefront and we’ll worth completing even if you participated in the beta.
There are two gameplay options for Battlefront with Multiplayer modes and Single Player or co-op Missions. The Missions side has Battles and Survival modes. Battles will have the player or the player and a co-op partner take on AI enemy as either the Rebel or Imperial sides. The winner is the first side to collect 100 tokens which are dropped when killing an enemy. You can retrieve tokens dropped by fallen teammates to prevent the other side collecting them and scoring. The player can choose a higher difficulty and complete side challenges to earn greater rewards. Completion times are saved and compared to your friends times for that competitive edge. You can also play a Hero version of each Battle where the player will pick a hero character to play as.
Survival mode which was in the beta, is basically a horde mode where the player takes on waves of enemy with increasing tougher enemies. Again scores are recorded to compare with friends. Both modes have maps on each of the iconic Star Wars locations of Hoth, Endor, Tatooine and Sullust. These are really fun modes for the Star Wars fans not wanting to jump into the Multiplayer side straight away.
The bread and butter of Battlefront is of course the Multiplayer and it delights in having various modes to enjoy. Traditional FPS modes are given the Star Wars twist and there is something for everyone:
• Blast – Team Death Match mode
• Cargo – Capture the Flag style mode
• Drop Zone – Secure Pods first and defend
• Droid Run – Three Droids active on map, first side to claim all Droids win
• Hero Hunt – Defeat the hero to become the hero
• Heroes vs Villains – First side to defeat enemy team’s heroes win
• Walker Assault
• Supremacy
• Fighter Squadron
Whilst trying these modes out I was left in awe of the maps they were played on. One of the strong elements that grabbed during the beta was just how Battlefront captured the very essence and wonder that makes Star Wars so special. Just as I was in awe of the Hoth location, experiencing Endor’s Forrest as a ground trooper was especially amazing as a lifelong fan of Star Wars. Every map features such details that combined with the sound effects and music, really bring the locations of Hoth, Tatooine, Sullust and Endor just come to life in this game.
The variety in the MP modes was a surprise and all of them were enjoyable, more so when you join friends in the action and can share the experience. I had criticised the lack of space battles in the game but can honestly say that the Fighter Squadron mode does make up for it. Dog fighting in the skies in star fighters from either side really is a dream come true for this game. Players will take on AI enemy fighters as well as player controlled ones in a race to score 200 kills to win. Much like ground battles, hero power ups can be picked up which will switch the player to either the Millennium Falcon or Boba Fett’s Slave I ship. Switching to cockpit view and the huge grin on my face said it all.
The modes range from small team skirmishes to big battles with 20 vs 20 match ups. The one sided advantage players who took part in the beta felt that the Imperial sides had feels less so seeing the range of anti vehicle weapons that can be unlocked with credits earned from gameplay. Blast and Cargo stood out more for me and Droid Run was a nice change of pace. Supremacy is a big battle objective mode where the goal is to capture and hold 5 control points. With such diversity in gameplay modes and so many items, weapons and customisation options, Battlefront has a huge amount of content for an FPS title and for Star Wars fans this will provide more than enough fanboy moments to relish.
Sadly some issues highlighted in the beta I found still to be a problem in the full game. Spawning can be rather frustrating with the player either being spawned far away from the action or spawning smack down where the enemy team are. Weapon hit markers are still incredibly floaty where one kill your weapon will be highly effective and the next the shots will not register. Not withstanding how intricately the maps have been designed for visual impact, I found that depending on the mode type, they hold many camping spots for one side over the other. Whilst playing Cargo, the Imperial Hanger map positioned the Imperial side where they could easily control the high vantage points above our Rebel spawn area. With the full game obviously players can take their time to learn the maps far better than a ten hour trial permits, but the above niggles added frustration despite the player feedback from the beta highlighting them. Hopefully they will be addressed post release.
Overall my time with this early access trial has made me more excited for the potential Battlefront has for players. It delivers a Star Wars experience that can be enjoyed solo but enhanced greatly when shared with friends. I enjoyed it so much that my heart sank as my trial timer counted down to the final minutes and made me want to carry on immediately and explore the game fully on its release next week. Giving fans and subscribers to EA Access an early glimpse at the full game was a generous and clever way to both promote Battlefront and EA Access as a service.
The Force is certainly strong with Star Wars Battlefront!
Star Wars Battlefront will release on November 19th in the UK for Xbox One,PlayStation 4 and Origin on PC
