The time has come: Battlefield V, DICE’s newest World War II shooter, has a brand new trailer and release date (set for October 19), along with specs for which edition will get gamers into the action the earliest. The return to WWII this time around looks to be more intense than ever, with a two-minute trailer that even features an unexpected shift, teasing potential aspects of the game’s HUD in a breathless first-person transition amidst the carnage.
DICE’s military shooter series has explored a few different time periods in its run thus far, including the present-day law enforcement-themed Battlefield Hardline and even the high-tech future in Battlefield 2142. And yet, most fans know them best for their cinematically charged, historically-minded games, with 2016’s Battlefield 1 depicting World War I with unprecedented realism and a creative narrative approach, not to mention the plenty of modern-day shooters. But now, it seems they are heading back to their roots.
Related: Battlefield V Teaser Trailer Reveals A Few Gameplay Details
In the new Battlefield V trailer (below), viewers follow a squad of Allied forces through a firefight, then into and through a house before it’s reduced to rubble by an Axis tank. Of all the characters in the trailer, the most recognizable has to be the prominently featured female soldier with a prosthetic arm, an interesting point of focus when gamers consider that women were added to the Battlefield 1 roster in a DLC expansion last year.
Members of the squad are able to make it out in one piece, but they’re eventually left with no choice but to fight. One crashed jeep later and the camera jumps to a first-person view, pulling HUD elements that contextualize the quality of the trailer. While it would normally be risky to expect that this is actual gameplay footage, it seems DICE is going all-out in giving fans a taste at what the Battlefield V gameplay will be like with this story trailer, as well as a possible hint at the kind of chaos DICE has planned.
An aspect of the trailer that sets it apart from previous ones in the Battlefield series is the colorful environment. The aforementioned house-smashing tank is coated in what looks like natural camouflage, and the belt-fed machinegun picked up and loaded halfway through is threaded with green vines. The hills surrounding the Allies are verdant — or, at least, they were, prior to the shelling. These are all part of Battlefield V's many, many customization options.
The Battlefield V trailer seems bursting with little details like these, with key spots of life and color amidst the violence, and even an iconic and brutal-looking cricket bat wrapped with barbed wire; this particular weapon better be in the full game, because everyone is going to want one. Furthermore, small details, like a player calling for help or a character jumping through a window are actual animations that will be available to players in-game exactly as how they see it. Really, pay attention to the small details; those will matter.
As for the release date, the Battlefield V Deluxe Edition will allow big spenders to play the game on October 16, while the Standard Edition grants players access on October 19. Speaking of access, a “play first” trial kicks off on October 11, roundly beating Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s own official release by a single day.
More: Battlefield V - Everything You Need To Know
Source: DICE