Battalion 1944 early access Review - Fps of the old leather

nehashetty (58)in #gaming • 7 years ago (edited)

317,281 pounds, with that amount Battalion 1944 closed his Kickstarter two years ago. The idea of a complete skill-based fps that took place during the Second World War was apparently appreciated. After a closed beta for the Kickstarter backers last year, the game is now publicly available in early access on PC. We checks whether this early version of the game can already fulfill the promise of an old-fashioned WW2 fps.

Technical defects

Early access games are generally rarely free of technical problems, and Battalion 1944 is by no means an exception to this. To start the game you first have to go through a launcher where you choose a region. Then it takes a long minute before the game is actually started up, where dozens of seconds are added to find a game and load the folder.

The second technical problem that beginning players encounter is the relatively mediocre graphics. They are not exceptionally ugly and certainly do not make the game unplayable, but the maps look very bare and the animations are actually just too wooden and limited to not annoy you. Just like the loading times it is not an insurmountable problem, but it is a big annoyance that hopefully will be solved in the future.

Heavy exhaustion battle

The developers at Bulkhead Entertainment have themselves inspired by the first four Call of Duty games, with an emphasis on number two from the series. The influence of these (by today's standards) simple games is noticeable: there are no hero's, no attachments, no kill streaks and no abilities: only the weapons, knowledge of the map and your rough skills matter.

Just like many other modern fps, Battalion 1944 has two ways to play: competitive and arcade. Arcade is where novice players can find a solution in low-threshold jars that switch between Capture the Flag and Domination, without restrictions on which class you can choose. When competitive and its training mode, unranked, it is a different story: there is only a limited number of 'lives' available for each class.

Battalion 1944 has five special and one standard class (or Cards, as the game calls them): Rifleman, Pathfinder, Heavy, Marksman and Operator. At the beginning of each round, all players can choose a Card and then receive the weapon corresponding to this Card, such as an M1 Garand / K98k for the Rifleman or a BAR / StG44 with the Heavy. As mentioned, the stock of these Cards is not infinite: if you die with one of the special Cards, you will drop them in the form of a tag that can be picked up.

If your teammates pick up your tag there is nothing wrong and that Card can be used in the next round for you and your team. If it is the case that the opponents are earlier with the tag and pick it up, they may use it in the next round. Because every team at the beginning of a game gets three of each Card, it is possible that after three rounds you are all assigned to the standard class.

The standard class is not particularly bad, but is undoubtedly subordinate to, for example, the Rifleman or Marksman. That makes a comeback a lot less likely than at CS: GO, where even an ever-losing team still gets money to buy weapons. Jars in Battalion 1944 are often an intense attrition battle, where you have to ensure that as many people as possible in your team can choose a special card.

Move or aim

Not only the setting draws inspiration from the old Call of Duty's, the gameplay is also very similar to that from Call of Duty 2 and 4: almost all weapons provide quick kills, you move relatively fast and the maps are without exception compactly arranged. Because you are not actually punished for shooting shortly after sprinting or during a jump, you are in Battalion 1944 quickly in favor. So you can simply jump into combat with as much speed as possible, hoping to surprise your opponent with a well-placed salvo.

In addition, because there are quite a few weapons that can cause a kill with one shot in the torso or head, the almost perfect accuracy of the weapons during a jump feels somewhat overpowered. On the other hand, the ability to shoot in the air or just after a sprint encourages creative positions and movements. For example, on many maps it is possible to climb on roofs, lampposts and walls with some practice.

In spite of this, the gunplay of Battalion 1944 seems at first glance one-dimensional and even realistic. But after a few games of play, it is clear that being able to make use of the movement system is at least as important as your ability to hit an enemy. The possibilities to control this system make Battalion 1944 a game that has a frustratingly steep learning curve, but where the rewards are extra satisfying.

Revenue model

The most modern side of Battalion 1944 can be found in his earnings model. The game does not have a single player or a chance to play with bots, so you are 100% assigned to the presence of other players. To ensure that the game does not die a slow death due to lack of players, the developers have committed to regularly release free dlc with new maps, cards and cosmetic content, in the hope that this will attract new players.

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In order to finance all the dlc and any future esports events, the game does have a loot box system for weapon skins. These loot boxes you get every time you go up a level, but are also for sale in the in-game store for 1.42 euro each. These skins can be traded via the Steam Marketplace, just like with CS: GO. Moreover, Battalion 1944 serves a similar 'quality' for every skin: War Torn, Battle Hardened and Flawless. The lower the quality, the more damaged the paint will look.

Conclusion

The technical limitations and poor finishing are at the moment the biggest barriers to step into Battalion 1944. Even when these problems are solved - something that is very likely at the current pace of development - the gameplay still feels very rough and moderately balanced. However, if you crave the fps games of yesteryear and have no objection to the loot boxes, go for Battalion 1944. The game can be fetched for fifteen euros as long as it is in early access, and twenty euros as soon as the game is officially released.

Thanks for reading.