The problem with these hero moments are that not only do they fall flat but also that they provide little context to where these characters were at right before you take control of them. It has relevance to the overall story (as Kylo Ren will discover in the final chapter) but just feels like a missed opportunity. Luke’s level is easily the weakest, a majority of which is spent defending a member of Iden’s squad from violent bugs. Luke, Leia, Lando, Han and Kylo Ren are all playable in the campaign at some point and the quality of their levels are equally as dubious as Iden’s. Other times, you’ll be randomly thrown into the shoes of some more recognisable characters. Things pick up a little bit towards the end for Iden, where the setpieces, while flat, have a greater sense of scale. In Battlefront II, I never felt that tension because I knew Iden couldn’t die in a cinematic.
Games like Call of Duty and Uncharted aren’t afraid to let grandiose moments happen in real-time through the eyes of the player character. Between missions, all the cooler and more epic moments happen in pre-rendered cinematics which really take you out of the moment. The campaign feels flat and for a while I couldn’t work out why, but then it became obvious. The drone provides a cool way to take care of enemies you’re not directly aiming at, but otherwise you’ll just be clearing areas of enemies, moving to a waypoint and repeating ad nauseum. Unsurprisingly, Iden’s segments are probably the least interesting of the campaign, especially in the first half. When you’re playing as her, you’ll be controlling both her and her support droid through a combination of sneaking, shooting and piloting various spacecraft. Iden herself is a likeable character if not slightly generic. Those looking for some interesting insight into what it would be like to live and breathe the Empire’s dogma will be sorely disappointed. Iden begins the campaign as a ruthless leader but within the first few chapters falls victim to cheap stereotypes.
Instead, unfortunately, Battlefront II falls into the rather disappointing trap of portraying both sides of the war as black and white with very little grey. Or at least that’s what the writers thought we’d see. She’s an esteemed commander for the empire, giving players an insight into the other side of the war we never really get to see.
Rather than solely focus on the characters we know and love, Battlefront II introduces us to Iden Versio. Such a period seems rife for some interesting stories to be told given how long it is and where the characters end up between then and now. Star Wars Battlefront II’s campaign takes place between Return of the Jedi and presumably ends at some point between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Toby flew to San Francisco for the multiplayer review event as a guest of EA. EDITOR’S NOTE: This review contains words by James (Single Player) and Toby (Multiplayer).
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