2015 was one of the most important years in Star Wars‘ history. Disney had shockingly acquired Lucasfilm and the massive franchise back in 2012, but that new age wasn’t realized until three years later, when The Force Awakens took over cinemas worldwide. And alongside the cinematic refresh came a new Star Wars Battlefront game, this time developed by EA’s DICE, best known for the Battlefield series.
There were no Clone Wars battles to jump into (Disney and Lucasfilm were all about bringing the ‘old Star Wars magic back’ in the early days of their reign) but the rebooted Battlefront presented a level of audio-visual fidelity we hadn’t experienced before, and with the return of Star Wars to the big screen looming near and DICE’s extensive Battlefield expertise being used, the hype was through the roof.
“Do, or do not. There is no try.”
Long-time Star Wars game fans will remember Battlefront’s initial announcement as a dream come true. After a third entry in the original series was cancelled, players’ hopes of taking to the galactic battlegrounds once more faded away. But with Disney’s acquisition came a new hope, and despite LucasArts being shut down, a triumphant return to AAA gaming with a cutting-edge Battlefront made total sense.
EA’s DICE studio was a no-brainer pick; its teams were (and still are) renowned for the tight shooter action, massive scale, and excellent presentation of the Battlefield series. It was a dream scenario, and a decision that quickly looked to have paid off when we got our first look at what the studio had been cooking:
Battlefront looked like it was ripped straight out of the original trilogy, and the key to this was a technique known as photogrammetry, which essentially allows developers to scan real-life props, terrain, vegetation, and all sorts of details that would be harder to recreate convincingly from scratch. Human artists and all sorts of wizardry go into turning the scans and information into usable game assets, but capturing real details under natural lighting conditions has given studios like DICE excellent baselines for the overall look and visual consistency of video games chasing more photorealistic visuals.
By being allowed into Lucasfilm’s vast vault of old Star Wars props, figures, and trinkets used in the original movies, DICE was able to capture the gritty, textured look of the Galactic Civil War as seen in live-action. The result was a fantastic recreation of planets like Tatooine, Hoth, and Sullust, or the Forest Moon of Endor, and all the weapons, outfits, droids, and vehicles we knew received the same treatment.
Fans have even wondered why it still looks better than its more advanced sequel, and that might have to do with the more restrained use of artificial post-processing and sharpening effects, once again proving that sometimes less is more.
“Chewie, we’re home.”
We love a good lightsaber, but Star Wars: Battlefront is a boots-on-the-ground action series first and foremost, and DICE remembered that when it came to creating the 2015 reboot. Just look at the ‘Walker Assault’ demo set on Hoth; it was all about speeders and starfighters roaring over expendable Rebel and Imperial soldiers with no access to the Force. AT-AT walkers dwarf everyone and everything else in the battlefields, too, and the combination of photogrammetry and booming sound FX for the footsteps made their presence more terrifying than ever before.
Heroes and villains like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader do feature in the games, and they cut through the frontlines with ease, but Battlefront shines when you’re just trying not to get stepped on by an AT-ST, firing away with your perfect recreation of a T-21 heavy blaster.
And sure, John Williams’ iconic soundtrack helps sell the illusion of being inside the actual Battle of Hoth, but it’s the artistry behind every weathered asset, sharp sound, or lighting choice that makes even the gonk droids walking around feel so perfectly ‘Star Wars’.
Star Wars: Battlefront (2015) might not be among the best Star Wars games of all time — there wasn’t a lot of depth behind the stunning visuals — but it still has a special place in the hearts of ‘Star Wars’ fans thanks to a level of immersion that hadn’t been displayed before, and arguably hasn’t been beaten since.
We love Pandemic’s OG classics, and Battlefront II was an improvement on the game design and content front to be sure, but still, we often catch ourselves yearning for that simpler approach of DICE’s first attempt.
Maybe it wasn’t the best Battlefront game to play, but if you want to feel like you’re in ‘Star Wars’, it’s got it where it counts, kid.
<em>Star Wars: Battlefront is currently available for purchase on PC (Steam, EA App & Epic Games Store), PS4, and Xbox consoles; it works on all current-gen machines. The base game is included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC subs through the EA Play extra.