Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond from Respawn Entertainment includes 90 minutes of short documentary films exploring stories from eight World War II survivors and veterans. This particular entry in Electronic Arts' oft-forgotten war series is nothing like its predecessors, though. With Above and Beyond, Respawn crafted a virtual reality experience, one that it says does its best to circumvent the typically manufactured or romanticized air that pervades many a battlefield-set game.
EA published the latest Medal of Honor installment last week. At its core, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond boasts an immersive single-player campaign, alongside a few multiplayer modes. Every aspect of the experience takes place in war-torn Europe during the Second World War, taking players along for a ride unlike any other. While Above and Beyond hasn't reviewed particularly well, it seems there's still a case to be made for why it may be worth giving a chance. That case rests heavily on the captivating interviews that sets this shooter apart from others on the market this holiday season.
In an interview with Game Informer, game director Peter Hirschmann explained Above and Beyond's Gallery, an in-game feature that allows player to unlock upwards of 90 minutes of documentary-like footage. The shorts feature interviews with real World War II survivors and veterans, some of whom Respawn and the organization Honor Flight took back to WWII sites they hadn't visited since the war ended several decades ago. Hirschmann noted the youngest surviving combat veteran is in his 90s. As such, what remains of that period in history is continuously becoming more distant. Upon hearing the story of a veteran named Gil, Hirschmann says the Respawn crew knew they could provide players with an educational experience.
One such story sees a veteran visit the grave of a deceased friend and fellow soldier whose body rests in the Netherlands. The vet placed a picture of his friend's family on the gravestone, a moment of closure that players will get to take a small part in by viewing Above and Beyond's Gallery. It would seem, then, that Respawn did indeed go above and beyond.
The studio's newest shooter isn't competing with the likes of Call of Duty. As of now, the two franchises are no longer providing the same kind of experience. There's still fun to be had in Medal of Honor, sure. But when all is said and done, Above and Beyond has taken a path quite unlike any other in the genre as of late. Whether or not the crew at Respawn succeeded on this front can be left up to the players who get to explore the VR game for themselves.
Most interesting about this endeavor is Medal of Honor's revival. Hardly anyone could have imagined EA revisiting its classic shooter franchise in such a manner. Of course, it doesn't count as the only beloved series to recently return with a VR offering in tow. Valve's Half-Life: Alyx recently explore similar territory with great success.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is available now on the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Oculus Quest with a Link cable.
Source: Game Informer