14 DAY TRIAL // Battlefield: Hardline is set to get an open beta on February 3, and the development team at Visceral Games says that the new title in the long-running first-person shooter is set to offer a unique mix of classic experiences and innovation, allowing the community to experience some of the most intense moments offered by the genre.
In a new official post the studio explains that the historic legacy of the franchise will be honored by the new entry despite the fact that it is moving away from the military theme in order to focus on the conflict between criminal cartels and law enforcement.
Visceral Games explains that the new game modes in Battlefield: Hardline have all been iterated on for a long time, which guarantees their quality.
The studio adds, "The more times we can iterate on a multiplayer mode, the better it becomes. Of course this gets tricky to manage when there are 7 modes - some of which support 64 players - and 9 maps. That’s a ton of playtime and iteration. We’ve worked hard to ensure that we’ve got the best fit for each mode on each map, though."
In Battlefield: Hardline the new modes are Hotwire and Heists, one of them focused on the high speed action that vehicles can deliver and another that wants to recreate the feeling of a classic action move.
Maps sizes are important for long-term Battlefield: Hardline’s success
The open beta will be used by the team to tweak some of the elements of the shooter, although the core mechanics are at the moment nailed down.
Visceral admits that Battlefield: Hardline will have smaller maps than the series has traditionally delivered.
They claim that "This is intentional – it reduces travel time, it’s easier to iterate on, and it’s a good way to focus the conflict and provide more focus for the firefights. We have also reduced the presence and impact of armored, tank-like vehicles in direct response to player feedback – this helps solidify the theme, and makes the space requirement for the maps slightly lower."
They also want a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the gameplay, which can be seen in the presence of vehicles that can perform stunts and of ziplines that allow for faster-than-normal movement.
Battlefield: Hardline will be out on March 17 in North America and March 19 in Europe on the PC, the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and last-gen consoles.
