A few days ago, EA games released the open beta to the public with early access to players who pre-ordered the game and was made free for the last two days for everyone else. If I could describe this new Battlefield 2042 experience in a word it would be: phenomenal. Battlefield 2042 is aiming to bring back the series into the futuristic/ modern war setting and Dice has done a phenomenal job executing that vision. The mechanics stay true to their roots in addition to the new visuals that have fleshed out the world and really elevated the experience into an immersive war story with each respawn.
New Playing Field
This kind of immersive war gameplay is nothing new for the Battlefield franchise however this new title is looking to step things up with all the smaller details. First and foremost, the map design is probably one of the most impressive in the series up to this point. The beta only featured one large scale conquest map and my goodness, this thing could literally be divided into 4 or 5 fully playable small to mid sized maps. Across the level you can get a little of everything, from the beautiful beaches on the edges all the way to lush jungle/ forest areas in the center, all the way to buildings, hangars, and industrial areas with smaller sections in between. Everything flows together in a well connected and organic way which makes the map feel breathable and realistic. Another new addition to the gameplay is the inclusion of these superstorms that cause absolute havoc on the map. During my playtime I could not determine if the storm was random or a triggered event by either team, but at any point once it begins, anyone can be pulled into one if you’re too close. Quite frankly being pulled into the massive tornado was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a video game in a long.
Combat / Vehicle Warfare
To match incredible map design, the combat featured in Battlefield 2042 is solid and grounded. Your soldier runs with weight as though they are actually carrying weapons and gear. Gunplay still features those slower shooting mechanics like gun sway and accurate bullet drops which force you to increase your accuracy. An amazing new addition to the game is the weapon customization menu. With the press of a button (L1 on PS5) you gain access to the quick swapping attachments option. Here you can change sights, muzzles, magazines, and other attachments on the fly without having to respawn. To enhance all this awesome action: enter in the unparalleled sound design. From the popping of the hand held weapons to the thumping of a 50. caliber mounted machine gun, everything feels powerful in your hands. I did struggle with a few issues regarding the gunplay such as inaccuracies with hit detection, disappearing enemies, and screen blinking when lots of explosions or action was onscreen at once. At times I would lay down shots at targets up close and they would still not go down, so I figured it could just be heavy lag. As usual, this is just a beta test so these things are to be expected.
Vehicle combat is a staple to the Battlefield franchise and they have done well to make sure it’s all here and balanced out. As always you have your assault vehicles and transport vehicles both airborne and on the ground. Everything from the classic tanks and helicopters to jets are all here and they each have a unique feel and learning curve. I found the best experiences happen when you have a squad that’s focused on a particular target and all guns on the vehicles are manned, the following unstoppable action is the stuff of legends. The experience of being under attack from a chopper, surviving, and being able to return fire with a handheld rocket or a tank cannon is nothing short of exhilarating, and it is the stuff Battlefield games are made of. Another sweet addition I noticed was the classy jazz music coming from a few of the vehicles while driving towards one of the objectives. It was a cool little detail but I appreciated having something to listen to while mentally preparing for the carnage ahead.
Final Thoughts
Games like Battlefield 2042 that allow you to create moments like these are rare, and when you can play with a group of friends, you can create these amazing action war stories that seem to bond you together. Surviving a skirmish makes you feel like you’ve been through hell and back with your team and it’s all held together by the cohesive immersion that is happening between all systems in the game. The sound design merged with the level destruction, the vehicles combined with spectacular weather affects and any number of threats at any given time always has you at the edge of your seat. As it stands Battlefield 2042 is looking to dominate the FPS online multiplayer space with a truly well balanced war experience and I cannot wait to get my hands on the final game.
Please bear with me on this post with all the short clips. I had a ton of content I recorded I had to condense as much as I could into bite sized clips to save time on editing since I wanted to get this one done by Sunday for a chill read. As always if you’ve made it this far thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the post and all the clips I got to fit in. Have a great day!
Inside A Gamer's Life 