1. S T A R T
Battalion 1944 is a first-person
shooter that aims to recapture classic
World War II competitive multiplayer
experiences. The developers at
Bulkhead Interactive draw their game
and level design inspirations from
growing up playing Medal of Honour
and Call of Duty 2. Consisting of
former AAA developers, modders,
and esports professionals, they are
designing the game with both the
hardcore competitive and modding
communities in mind.
There is a great sense of
authenticity in Battalion 1944’s
weapon design. Unlike other military
shooters, Battalion 1944 is exclusively
infantry-based. Weapons have a
sluggish and heavy feel to them,
reminiscent of WWII weaponry. From
the hollow sound of your Thompson
submachine gun running out of
ammunition to the numbing boom of
exploding grenades nearby, everything
about Battalion feels real.
Map design stresses an emphasis
on player skill over casual fun.
Environments are based on real
WWII locations and have a rich level
of authentic detail. The developers
travelled on-site to various famous
warfronts and cities significantly
affected by conflict. Maps are
designed for competitive play, too,
and take advantage of the infantry
gameplay with environments used
as cover. Fans of modern European
history will appreciate the rich
attention to detail.
Motion capture and DirectX 12
allow for richer environments, as well.
Despite the historic map design, the
game’s modern graphics distance it
from earlier choppy WWII multiplayer
experiences. The few framerate
issues and texture-popping is easy
to overlook when compared to
the breathtakingly realistic foliage
and particle effects that bring
environments to life. An emphasis on
vibrant colour and lighting further sets
it apart as a more visually expressive
WWII shooter.
The global Battle Rank system also
encourages team-based competitions.
Joining a battalion-styled clan, you
fight for your team in multiplayer
matches. You can compete in seasonal
matches fighting for your battalion,
and later be rewarded with experience
points that can be used to unlock new
costumes and emblems. Other regular
seasonal challenges such as capture
the flag, and getting the most knife
kills in 24 hours, give objective-based
matches an interesting dynamism, too.
To keep the game balanced and fair,
there’s no weapon unlocking system
in Battalion 1944. Rather, you use your
experience points to unlock cosmetic
changes for your character, allowing
you to engrave your gun or customise
and embroider your clan insignia. In
this way, you can not only personalise
your equipment but do so in a way
that doesn’t give you or other players
a competitive advantage, ensuring you
rely on skill instead of add-on gear.
Battalion 1944 feels like a call back
to classic WWII shooters but plays
with all the advanced technology
us modern gamers have come to
appreciate. Like most competitive
games, winning requires skill, practice
and an understanding of each map
and their respective strategies. With
dedicated servers, anti-cheat software,
balanced weapons and asymmetric
map design, Battalion 1944 has
the potential to make it big in the
esports scene, bringing the classic
military shooter genre back into the
competitive scene once and for all.
Julian
Rizzo-
Smith will
see you on
the beach
Battalion 1944
CATEGORY First-Person WWII Shooter
DEVELOPER Bulkhead Interactive
PUBLISHER Bulkhead Interactive
PLATFORM PC, PS4, Xbox One
DUE 2017
24