Capping off its series of teasers for the Battlefield 1 single-player campaign – a campaign that will be divided into five different “War Stories” with locations ranging from Britain, the Ottoman Empire, France and the icy peaks of the Alps – DICE has pumped out a new, 30-second snippet designed to showcase the chapter titled “The Runner.”
Unlike “Friends in High Places” and the gruelling “Through Mud and Blood,” this vignette in particular finds players staging a naval assault on the Ottoman homeland and is, much like everything else coming out of Battlefield 1, an assault on the senses in the best possible way.
Part and parcel of DICE’s decision to split up its story is to allow players to experience The Great War through the eyes of multiple protagonists, be they combat pilots scrapping the blackened skies or a Bedouin warrior working under the great Lawrence of Arabia. It has all the makings of a tour de force, but until we discover how the studio weaves all of these stories together, we’ll reserve judgement.
In case you missed it, here’s a more through overview of the “War Stories” underpinning Battlefield 1:
Friends in High Places
The allies are losing the war in the air. Britain struggles to compete with the German aces and the average lifetime of a combat pilot is 17 days. You must face these bleak odds and take to the skies for a noble fight over the western front. Intense dogfights, unexpected encounters, and a story of friendship await you.
Nothing is Written
In the Middle East deserts, Arab tribes rebel against the oppression of the Ottoman Empire. The Empire’s devastating artillery engage rebel forces wielding rifles from horseback. As a Bedouin warrior working alongside the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, you must find a way to take on the technologically superior enemy and destroy a deadly railgun.
Through Blood and Mud
In the autumn of 1918, British forces prepare for a mass assault on the town of Cambrai, France. With tank support, Allied Command believes a breakthrough is a certainty. But the Mark V tank has one major flaw: it is not reliable. Join a dysfunctional tank crew who battle their way behind enemy lines as they learn to work together.
Avanti Savoia
Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are deadlocked among the Alps. Braced by snow-capped mountains, neither side can find a way to dislodge their enemy. Meanwhile, the Italian mountaineer regiment Arditi prepares an unorthodox assault. Don your Arditi armor and head up a mountainside as Italian and Austrian forces clash over a strategic fort.
The Runner
The British Empire intends to open a new front to the war with an unprecedented naval invasion of the Ottoman homeland. The ships gathered for the Gallipoli Landings — the D-Day of World War 1 — carry over half a million men. As an Anzac runner you’ll witness the heat of epic bombardments and a beach landing, as well as covert deliveries of urgent life-or-death messages across the frontline.
Battlefield 1 will thrust players into the throes of The Great War when DICE and EA’s period shooter deploys for duty on October 21. If it’s a more comprehensive look at the single-player campaign you’re after, look no further than the YouTube video below, which spotlights BF1‘s prologue.