However, more recent installments to the Battlefield franchise have possessed much more compartmentalized approached to single-player content, much to the detriment of memorability and fan attachment to any involved characters. For any future installments, Battlefield campaigns should look toward their most successful predecessors, namely the campaigns of the fan-favorite Bad Company games, and the likable characters within them.
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Recent Campaigns Within Battlefield
As opposed to traditional long-form campaigns that follow a consistent and developing narrative, Battlefield campaigns have recently taken a completely different route. For example, the recent titles of Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 5, which are set in World War 1 and World War 2 respectively, had single-player modes that took the form of “War Stories.” These are a series of individual missions that tell different tales about the many different fronts on which these wars were fought, and while doing lots in the way of representing a more comprehensive view of these conflicts, these War Stories do not allow for much character development.
With the characters of each mission changing completely between each story, this new Battlefield campaign formula is much more focused on storytelling through setting as opposed to character interaction and progression. To make matters worse, the franchise recently deviated from its older narrative norms even further by not including any form of single-player in the massive release of Battlefield 2042. Given the negative publicity surrounding this latest title, it is clear that Battlefield is not having much success with its new approach to single-player experiences, and thus must look back to the games that put the franchise on the map.
The Magic of Battlefield: Bad Company
While only being comprised of two games in total, the Battlefield: Bad Company series is one of the most iconic staples of the entire franchise, being fondly remembered by many long-term fans. Not only did the two Bad Company games have comprehensive and well-balanced multiplayer modes, but both games crucially included compelling and character-driven campaigns, which appeared to take precedence over the other modes that the titles boasted.
Telling the story of a small but highly-efficient squad of battle hardened soldiers, the Bad Company campaigns had the benefit of utilizing the same characters across both titles, allowing for a much-needed sense of narrative consistency to be established. The soldiers who made up this squad were unique from one another, yet had formed an undeniable bond through combat that shone through into core gameplay and beyond.
With only four soldiers making up the titular Bad Company, one being the protagonist, the player is intimately involved with the interactions between these characters in the series of high-stakes situations that they find themselves in, upping the ante and involvement that a player feels in the core narrative of the two games. The newer Battlefield titles’ lack of extended narrative and the resultant lack of depth that it affords the characters is clearly working to the detriment of the reception to the recent campaigns, and is something that seemingly needs to be remedied in future releases. Considering the consistently vocal community that exists around the Bad Company games and their narratively consistent campaigns, it is clear that future Battlefield installments should take inspiration from the character dynamics within them.
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