Like many long-running game series Battlefield seemed to suffer from an identity crisis for some time, unable to offer a package that would satisfy its demanding audience. The difficult task of getting Battlefield back on track was taken on by legendary game developer Vince Zampella who had already demonstrated his game design skills by creating or participating in the creation of legendary games such as Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Titanfall, and Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. Unfortunately Vince recently lost his life in a tragic car accident, leaving behind a rich legacy in gaming and one more success as his swan song, the excellent Battlefield 6.
The first thing I want to mention while writing down my impressions of Battlefield 6 is something that many developers in the so-called (and debatable) "AAA" gaming sector do not prioritize, often with disappointing results: optimization. Especially in this era of expensive hardware which has forced many gamers to stick with their older systems until prices eventually drop, it is absolutely essential that all developers understand that an unoptimized game will pay a heavy price in reduced sales if it is released with bugs, glitches, and, above all, poor performance. Battlefield itself has faced this problem several times in the past, with some launches going down in history as examples to avoid (Battlefield 4, 2042). So I was very happy and relieved to see that Battlefield 6 combines great visuals with equally good performance, even on PCs that are now considered midrange if not outdated. To prove my point, I played on a laptop with an AMD octa-core processor with turbo mode disabled, 16 GB of RAM and a mobile RTX 3060 with just 6 GB of VRAM. With the exception of 1-2 intense moments in the campaign where I noticed frame drops, the game ran smoothly at 1080p with moderate upscaling and medium-high settings. Impressive graphics and very good performance, kudos to the developers and EA for a truly polished experience.
It goes without saying that the mode that interests most potential Battlefield 6 buyers is multiplayer but the game also offers a single-player campaign for fans of this type of mode. I wouldn't say that the campaign is of the highest quality; it serves more as an introduction to the world of Battlefield 6 and won't leave a lasting impression once you've finished it, but it's sufficient as a secondary mode if you want to escape the intensity and competition of multiplayer for a while. However, I would definitely not recommend purchasing it if you are only interested in singleplayer. In that case, the best solution would be to wait until Battlefield 6 is added to EA Play and "clean up" the campaigns of the latest Battlefields within the 30 days that your subscription gives you. Before we move on to the multiplayer modes that interest most people it's worth mentioning that Battlefield 6 also has a Battle Royale mode called REDSEC which is free to play, so you can play it without having to buy the full game. I won't go into any more detail since we're talking about a free game, but in the 3-4 sessions I played it seemed competent and interesting.
Let's finally move on to the main course, the multiplayer modes that traditionally attract players to Battlefield. If you are one of those weirdos that buy Battlefield to play free for all or team deathmatch, the game has those too but the focus is naturally on the large maps where combined arms battles take place. APCs, tanks, helicopters, aircrafts and other vehicles traverse the maps at speed and impose their power on the battlefield with their presence, while the infantry tries to use the points on the maps that offer cover to safely approach the next objective. In the midst of a competitive 64-player session, with all kinds of gunfire flying left and right and the screen filled with smoke, explosions, and debris, Battlefield 6 offers a cinematic experience of chaos in the midst of an armed conflict that no other game on the market can compete with. Some of the most intense moments in gaming that I experienced this year were in precisely such situations, crawling on the floor as an enemy helicopter strafes the building or running through multiple lines of fire toward the objective to capture it before time runs out and the match is lost. An authentic Battlefield experience, just as we fell in love with it so many years ago.
In addition to the very large maps there are also smaller ones intended for either infantry combat or infantry plus smaller vehicles (trucks, jeeps, and one tank) but always with objective-based gameplay (usually capturing specific points or attacking/defending certain hotspots). The quality of the maps is a topic of discussion in the community, as there seems to be a clear preference for certain maps and... not much appreciation for others. Personally, I agree that the quality of the maps has its ups and downs. There also seems to be quite a bit of discussion about the quality of battle passes and the tight time limits for completing them. I don't have a personal opinion as I haven't purchased a battle pass. All kinds of premium content in multiplayer games has become the norm and we can't avoid it, it is what it is. The available classes have rich progression in weapons, equipment and perks so you will always be motivated to play in order to unlock better equipment and improve your survivability on the battlefield, while the various challenges offer daily opportunities for faster leveling up.
I think you can tell from the context that I really liked Battlefield 6. Unfortunately the barrage of releases in recent months prevented us from publishing a review in time but I wanted to write something to share my opinion on the game and encourage fans of the series who may have been disappointed by the latest games to give it a chance. Practically the only complaint I have about Battlefield 6 concerns the main menu which is overloaded with options and somewhat difficult to use. If I had one suggestion to make to the developers it would be to add a quick play option to the main menu so that players can jump right into the action with a single click. I was almost completely satisfied with the gameplay, graphics, optimization and available modes, with the only minor exceptions being the mediocre campaign and the not that great quality of some maps. Battlefield 6 is truly a return to form for the series and I hope that both the developers and the publisher will learn from its great commercial success so that they can avoid the mistakes that led to the previous crisis. Thank you Vince, one last time. Rest in peace.
