Battlefield 6 Review (PS5) – I consider myself to be a lapsed Battlefield fan, even though I have played every Battlefield game that has released since Battlefield 3, none have been able to keep me around for as long as that third iteration did.
Battlefield 4 reeled me in for a while, but the others were merely a few multiplayer sessions before I bounced off of them. Alongside the wandering FPS fans looking for a place to call home, I feel as though I am exactly the kind of player they’re trying to appeal to with Battlefield 6.
It’s hard to shake the feeling that this is EA’s and Battlefield Studio’s big roll of the dice when it comes to this franchise, and you would be hard-pressed to argue that it doesn’t show.
Battlefield 6 Review (PS5) – Battlefield Is Back
Conquest Is King
During the review period, I got to experience multiplayer in specific windows, where I would play against a combination of other players and bots. Sometimes, one more than the other. It’s important to preface this review with that, as my experience might differ from the average player’s own, come launch.
With that being said, I did get to experience all the modes available, of which there are plenty, albeit similar overall, however, they do vary in scale. Most focus around holding, taking, and defending objectives during the throes of conflict.
Most notably, as hardened fans of the series would agree, Conquest has largely become the premier mode for the franchise, and it is no different here. It is quickly apparent this is the mode. While balancing feels good all around, it feels particularly good in Conquest.
The visceral and epic nature of Battlefield is best demonstrated here, not to mention the sheer scale. It immediately reminds you how layered it is depending on your role. Your experience predominantly piloting jets and helicopters in any given round will be wildly different to the support class soldier trying desperately to keep his team alive while battling for the most contested objective on a map.
That’s without all the other roles you can take on; such as operating an armored vehicle or utilizing the other classes available such as recon and assault. It is distinctly battlefield, and it is wonderfully epic in the most intense way.
The Best Of The Rest
When it comes to other game modes, I have to say I couldn’t really get into Breakthrough which sees one team attack a series of objectives, pushing from one to the other, as the opposing team attempts to defend them. I feel it lacks the gameplay diversity of Conquest while equally missing the advantages of the more infantry focused, smaller game modes such as team death match and domination.
My second favorite would have to be another classic in Rush, where you’re either defending or attacking an objective in order to arm and detonate it. It just has a sense of urgency and tension that the other modes can’t always replicate. I will note that while I have my favored game types, the multiplayer suite is solid at its worst and really quite epic at its best.
Across all modes, it feels like the game really shines on the more urban-warfare focused maps, with streets, narrow alleys, and multistory destructible buildings as opposed to the more trench focused, thematically rural alternatives. I think maps like the Siege of Cairo, or New York will quickly become fan favorites.
Battlefield 6’s smaller maps shine more this year as a direct result of a smoother, more responsive gameplay experience. With tighter controls, moving around the smaller maps is much more enjoyable than it has been in the past. With Battlefield Studios taking a more critical approach to the modern movement tech we see across other FPS games, I think they could really cultivate to an audience that wants a more traditional FPS experience.
As it is known, there are four different classes available. All of which have their place, whether that be within each individual game, or for each mode. All classes come with their own strengths, and rather than having weapons locked to a particular class, they’ve opted to simply have those classes specialize in a certain weapon type, offering a passive buff. For example, the engineer class are more adept at using SMGs. I wasn’t sure on this at first, perhaps being too much of a purist, but I’ve definitely come around to it.
All Out War
While it is, of course, impossible to capture the reality of war in any capacity within a video game, Battlefield 6 certainly captures war as a cinematic experience. Between its premier modes, and jaw-dropping presentation it is an absolute visual tour de force.
Combining all that with its sound design makes for an incredibly intense multiplayer experience. The visceral sounds of missiles, choppers, and explosions around you, while you’re trying to navigate Battlefield 6 as a video game can indeed be overwhelming, but it is also grand and epic in a way that I’ve not come across before.
Beyond all the chaos, I could still make out the footsteps of approaching enemies, which if you’ve played any FPS game online, that’s about the highest compliment I can give it. The sounds of different firearms not only being identifiably distinct, but using it as a means of communicating the feel of that weapon.
In fact, if I could praise one thing and one thing only when it comes to Battlefield 6, it would be its sound design. Its audio is such a cut above its competition, that I feel there’s not even a fair comparison to be made between them.
Of course, destruction being a defining characteristic of Battlefield is still alive and well, and bringing down a building on somebody is still as satisfying as it ever was. It certainly feels more organic than it ever has. Seeing a crane come down on a particular map had me watching in awe, as I asked myself “Is that whole thing going to come down?” and sure enough, it did! Overall, Battlefield 6 is an audiovisual treat, and without a doubt, best in class.
Playing The Hits
I found Battlefield 6’s campaign to be a real mixed bag. In the beginning it was all rather familiar, where it felt like we were hitting all the familiar beats of a traditional FPS campaign, be that breaching a room in slow motion, or stealthily taking down the enemy in tandem with your squad.
However, the premise sets up for a really interesting story where NATO is at war with a private military company known as Pax Armata. Unfortunately, it never really goes anywhere with that, and too often engages with that premise in a mundane and overly familiar manner.
At times, it really feels like it’s going to say something, but then pulls back and shies away from it, which I found to be quite disappointing. What could have been interesting commentary, especially from the games antagonist, instead is played quite safe, while the protagonists offer up the typical jingoism of a military commercial.
With that being said, there are certainly some truly cinematic moments, and fun missions to engage with. The last two missions are high notes in particular, and as the story opens up with different moving parts, with the CIA, and the nature of Pax Armata, it does threaten a good time, that could benefit by simply being braver with its storytelling.
While my experience with Battlefield 6 was very smooth, they do have a history of fumbling the launch of their games with a host of network issues, which I hope they have figured out a way to manage on this occasion.
It really seems like Battlefield Studios are swinging for the fences with Battlefield 6, and it is certainly felt in the multiplayer portion. As a lapsed fan, I can see myself sticking around to play this post launch, but it will all come down to that launch, with Black Ops 7 breathing down their neck, after having a successful beta, Battlefield 6 really needs to stick the landing.
Battlefield 6 is now available On PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.