The reveal trailer for Battlefield V’s Firestorm mode was cool and all, but you can’t beat regular old gameplay. Today, the folks behind Firestorm and Battlefield YouTubers are delivering on that front. Here’s our first look at Firestorm gameplay.
A couple of things stand out.
First, the Firestorm itself looks crazy. Every Battle Royale game has some mechanism for pushing players together. But most of these damaging circles only have the most basic visual effect accompanying them. Battlefield V takes it to another level by fusing a ring of fire with Battlefield V’s destruction. While buildings crumble instantly to the wave of fire, we won’t. We’ll still have a chance to make our way to the next safe zone.
Second, the vehicles don’t look overpowered. The devs have always focused on balancing vehicle/infantry combat in Battlefield V. You can’t sit around shelling an area with a tank like you could in Battlefield 4 in Battlefield V. But vehicles are getting an added layer of balancing with the introduction of fuel. You can see it right above the armor ‘bar’ in the gameplay trailer. JackFrags also talks about it in his impressions video.
He also mentions refueling your vehicle takes a little bit and leaves you exposed. Plus, there also seems to be plenty of anti-tank stuff littered across the map to keep fights as balanced as possible.
Third, helicopters look so good. I’ll never shut up about helicopters. It’s why Battlefield 4 will always sit above Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V for me. Watching a squadmate take out a vehicle with a rocket launcher while flying 30 feet above the water is as ‘Battlefield’ as it gets.
There’s a lot to like in all the gameplay footage released today. We also see glimpses of strongboxes and other ways the devs are pushing the action towards critical hotspots. EA could have a second winner on their hands here with Battle Royale. Too bad, Firestorm requires a Battlefield V purchase to get it. Hell, it almost feels like the entire genre should be free-to-play. It’s hard to make a dent with a paid option when all the best are free. Hopefully, EA looks at free weekends as an option and soon.
Battlefield V: Firestorm launches on March 25 for everyone with a copy of the base game. Solo and squad matches are coming day one with duos hitting in April.