The narrative universe of Star Wars has always been founded on the search for a balance between two extremes. Between the Light Side and the Dark Side, the passions of the Sith and the inner peace of the Jedi, the wisdom of the masters and the impulsiveness of the students.
“Only a Sith lives of absolutes,” Obi-Wan would say, and indeed the biggest challenge of Star Wars Battlefront II is to find that balance that can satisfy an increasingly demanding and heterogeneous community. The 2015 Battlefront had its flaws, missing parts, some element out of place, but like the Millennium Falcon it was a cluster of scrap metal capable of bringing you into another galaxy in a few moments.
Starting from that base, the developers of DICE, Motive and Criterion have made a more entertaining following in the gameplay and more complete in terms of content, whose experience starts from an unprecedented single-player campaign.
THE EMPIRE IN PIECES
There is a brief moment in the Star Wars Battlefront II campaign where you are walking among pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters and scum from every corner of the galaxy. If you stretch your ear, you can eavesdrop on the conversations of some of those present: some speak of the Black Sun, whispering so as not to be heard, and those discussing the independence of the planet Ryloth with the tone of one who has already drunk some too much drink.
In writing a story set between the events of The Return of the Jedi and those of The Awakening of the Force, the boys of Motive have indulged with cameo and references to the current Star Wars.You can relive battles told in the novel Star Wars: Aftermath, discover the background just mentioned in the comic Shattered Empire, and there is even a few blinks to the TV series Star Wars Rebels.
For the most irreducible enthusiasts of the franchise it is therefore a four to five hour journey between already known planets and completely new environments.
Unfortunately, four to five hours do not seem to be sufficient to deepen facts and characters, and the result is a fragmented, confused story, which seems to start on the right foot and then hasten events and leave several issues pending. If you’ve only seen films in Star Wars, you’ll struggle to fully understand some of the events, and on several occasions history assumes that you’ve read (or read) novels and comics.
Once the references have been removed, what remains is a simple and too predictable arc. The developers had promised a different point of view, an original story told from the perspective of the imperial, a story that would dig deep into the inner conflicts of the characters and their ideas on the war between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Unfortunately, as an ordinary imperial assaulter, the Battlefront II campaign misses the target: Iden Versio never deepens the ideals, nor his relationship with his father or his comrades of the Hell Squad, so much so that it is difficult to understand and justify many of his decisions (and this even after reading the novel Inferno Squad by Christie Golden).
During the different missions, the interaction with the companions is reduced to the bone, and you never feel part of an elite team, you never feel the bond that, in theory, should unite the different members of the Hell Squad . The performance of Janina Gavankar struggled to shine just because of a character that appears too two-dimensional, and the fact that Iden is the protagonist of a s
hooter should not be an excuse: after all, with Republic Commando, LucasArts managed to make us passionate to a wretch group of faceless clones. It’s a wasted opportunity, because all in all the Battlefront II campaign has its spectacular moments, a fast pace, a huge dose of fan service and a production level never before achieved by another Star Wars game. Like the previous chapter,
the shooter of DICE is technically sumptuous both on PC and on console: undoubtedly the most detailed representation of the universe of Star Wars, also strong of an exceptional sound design and a soundtrack that alternates unpublished musical themes with the most famous songs of the saga film. Along with the challenges of the Arcade mode (which replaces the Missions option of the old Battlefront),
the campaign is in any case a sort of flamboyant tutorial to prepare for multiplayer, without a doubt the main dish of the game. strong also of an exceptional sound design and a soundtrack that alternates unpublished musical themes with the most famous pieces of the film saga. Along with the challenges of the Arcade mode (which replaces the Missions option of the old Battlefront),
the campaign is in any case a sort of flamboyant tutorial to prepare for multiplayer, without a doubt the main dish of the game. strong also of an exceptional sound design and a soundtrack that alternates unpublished musical themes with the most famous pieces of the film saga.
Along with the challenges of the Arcade mode (which replaces the Missions option of the old Battlefront), the campaign is in any case a sort of flamboyant tutorial to prepare for multiplayer, without a doubt the main dish of the game.
