I’ll be honest, Star Wars Battlefront II wasn’t a game that was on my radar in any meaningful way. I tend not to be a big multiplayer guy, and since that was the primary focus of the first game, I didn’t really pay attention when part 2 was announced. When I realized there was a single-player campaign this time around, I was slightly curious, but still not moved. Then, all of the ugly stuff started making the rounds. The entire lootbox/microtransaction stuff has been discussed to death over the past week or two now, and I honestly don’t think there’s too much I could bring to the table. It’s unfortunate, gross, greed-fueled, predatory, and that’s all I really have to say on the topic. I’ll be spending my time here focused on the actual game, because that’s what we’re all supposed to be talking about, right?
The single player portion of Star Wars Battlefront II focuses on the series of events following Return of the Jedi that eventually leads into The Force Awakens. Battlefront II is mostly played from the perspective of Iden Versio, leader of the Empire’s Inferno Squad. With her world crumbling down around her in the wake of the second Death Star’s destruction, Iden’s story is one of doubt and finding her place in a new world. The story occasionally jumps to other Star Wars favorites (pretty much everyone you could think of) but sticks with her for the duration. The campaign is built to showcase all of Battlefront II ‘s different modes and does so with mixed results.
First, let’s talk about the good. Having Battlefront II’s story bridge the gap between the first trilogy and the new trilogy is a great idea in theory if not in execution. You see what the team was going for with the campaign, and there are bits and moments contained within that are really great. Watching the Death Star blow up while on the forest moon is a great moment, as is seeing a younger Han Solo stroll through Maz’ cantina. The final set-piece of the game provides interesting insight regarding a huge backstory element within Force Awakens. There’s so much within the campaign that, under better circumstances, could have been truly memorable and made for one of the strongest Star Wars games of all time.
Unfortunately, that’s not what we ended up with. What Battlefront II ends up delivering is tons of potential crammed into a final product that never lives up to any of it. Missions are repetitive, often frustrating, and completely devoid of compelling game play design. Despite the world around you, and the legacy of Star Wars, you never really feel like you’re doing anything more than what you have to in order to progress the plot. Playing the game feels like a FPS experience, as opposed to a Star Wars experience. I feel there’s an important distinction in there. This is a shame, given how cool some of the ideas in the campaign are.
Moving on to the other half of the game, multiplayer offers everything you’d expect from the Battlefield brand. There are several different classes to choose from, including the hero class, and while all have their pros and cons, the officer tends to be the best option when working with a team. The various classes can be upgraded through a card-based perk system, but the problem is it’s hard to coordinate with others on your team to keep from doubling-down on similar abilities, or picking abilities that clash with others.
The battle point system is a smart addition that I wouldn’t be surprised to see copied in other multiplayer-focused games down the line. It’s a smart way to keep everyone working together and advancing towards the goal. For what it’s worth, all of the various maps included look gorgeous and offer huge terrains to play through. This mostly applies to the character models as well, but there are times where Luke and the others just seem a bit… off. Not so much that it ruins the experience of playing as them, but still.
Star Wars Battlefront II is the unfortunate textbook example of greed strangling art. If the game wasn’t rushed through production, loaded down with questionable in-game purchases, and was given the attention that a brand like Star Wars deserves, we could be having a very different conversation right now. As it stands, it is a game that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. For huge lore fans, there are interesting moments in the single player campaign. For multiplayer fans, there’s more of what you enjoyed from the first game. None of that, however, is enough to recommend this game at full price. If you must check it out, I’d highly suggest waiting for a sale, as the game can only be considered half-good.
