The original “Star Wars Battlefront” from DICE was gorgeous eye candy but the effort was flimsy when it came to content. For all the cutting-edge graphics and accessible gameplay involved, the game’s selection of maps and modes were lacking.
“Star Wars Battlefront II” seemingly fixes all that. The sequel to the 2015 shooter features a selection of battles from original trilogy, prequels and the current films. Everyone from Darth Maul to Rey will make an appearance in the game. But the difference-maker for the sequel is the single-player campaign. It’s a work that is considered canon and takes place between “Return of the Jedi” and “Force Awakens.”
Players take on the role of Cmdr. Iden Versio, an ace pilot and soldier in the Imperial army who is played by Janina Gavankar. Emperor Palpatine has just died, but he lives on in a way. Robotic messengers with his face have landed on major ships and they announce that Operation Cinder has been triggered because of his demise. It appears to be a doomsday response aimed at striking down the Rebellion.
At the Fondor Imperial shipyards, Iden hears about the operation when Rebels launch a surprise assault, and that’s when players get their first taste of action. This time around, DICE tweaks the control of the ships by letting players perform their own barrel rolls by tilting the left stick, which also controls the speed of the TIE Fighter. It takes time to adjust to it, but the accessible flight controls still hold up. Iden has a speed boost, proton torpedoes and overload special ability that she employs to take down a rebel frigate.
Experienced players will have no problem with this part of the campaign as Iren has to save her comrade by going inside a ship and taking out X-Wings tailing her wingman. For novices, it will be somewhat frustrating. It may take a few tries but completing this scenario opens up the more impressive part of the fight. Iden takes her TIE Fighter inside a rebel battleship and causes havoc with her by blowing up X-Wings and A-Wings before she lands.
That’s where the campaign picks up as the first-person shooter aspect takes over. The single-player campaign lets DICE create gameplay and levels specific to “Star Wars.” Iden has control of a special ID9 Seeker droid that looks like a tinier version of the Imperial probe. With it, she can hack into computer systems and heal herself amid firefights. The most notable ID9 ability is an electrocution move that has a chain-lightning effect that can take out groups of foes.
Design director Steven Masters said the droid will have additional abilities that players unlock in the campaign. They can mix and match ID9’s powers, creating a load out built for different levels. The DICE team said not all the stages will take place on the confined hallways of spaceship, but even then, the team showed off the their design chops.
The ship had multiple pathways. Iden could Rambo her way, shooting down rebel after rebel. But there’s a moment she can duck into a room, hack a console and unlock an alternate route. From there, stealth plays a role as she sneaks behind the rebel lines as she tries to take out the vessel’s ion cannons. Players can see the rebels anticipating her arrival at the door with guns ready. Going stealth, I knocked out a person with Iden’s baton. I moved on and used the droid to electrocute the waiting crowd.
One of the rebels spotted the bodies and that broke stealth. From there, the fight was chaotic as I was holed up waiting for the droid to slice the computers and unlock the ion cannon cores. The artificial intelligence of enemies were smart as two held my focus while the others snuck to the side for ambush. I had to use my thermal grenades to off them. As I roamed the room, I fired at the door panels, which permanently closed a door, and locked out reinforcements. Later on, I was overwhelmed and I fired at the exposed ion cannon core to send a jolt of electricity through the room.
Those uses of the environment are special to the campaign, but it shows how DICE takes advantage of universe to create gameplay opportunities special to “Star Wars Battlefront II.”
I was able to play some multiplayer. I fought as the Trade Federation droid army in a battle on Theed, the capital of Naboo. I had to escort a hovering vehicle through the city. The urban combat is a change of pace from the previous “Battlefront.” Fighting takes place on the main road and in the back alleys. The droid troopers had a distinct class set. In a lot of ways, it felt more like “Battlefield 1” than the previous game, and that’s a definite improvement.
“Star Wars Battlefront II” is scheduled for release Nov. 17.
