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Preview: Battlecry

I walked into Battlecry expecting very little, and as a result, I was quite surprised.

Developed by the newly formed Battlecry Studios, its talent has worked on titles like Dishonored, Half-Life 2, Call of Duty and more. The game itself is placed in an alternate universe where treaties have been signed that disallow the use of gunpowder. Moreover, after devastating world wars, countries have agreed to establish designated warzones around the world – protected regions where countries can duke it out for power and territory.

Warzones themselves are highly-stylised, almost cel-shaded environments that look out of place amidst the horrors of battle. That was precisely the idea, our Battlecry Studios developers said.

battlecryenvironment

Inside the warzones, you’ll take control of a class-based player belonging to one of three factions, fighting it out in a third-person view. Think of team-based shooters, only without the guns, or Paradox’s War of the Vikings.

While there will be three factions in the game, only two were announced at E3: The Royal Marines, representing the majesty and discipline of the British Empire, and the Cossack Empire, representing aggression, honour and rage.

You can switch from class to class in game, but I tended to stick with the Tech Archer, for ranged attacks, and the tank-like Enforcer during my hands-on session. Each class has three abilities, all on cooldown, MOBA-style, and attacks largely depend on the type of character you’re using. Most everything you bring to a game can be customised, and most everything you do will earn adrenaline power for the match and iron to continue upgrades.

battlecryfight1

Free-to-play, iron can only be obtained through skill exerted in matches, while gold can be purchased for real life money. At the moment, Gold appears to only change your on-screen appearance rather than give you an edge in battle.

Adrenaline can be used in short bursts to evade an enemy or speed into a battle, or held in reserve to be used all at once in a fiery spectacle of power.

Maps are fast, vertical and very fun, full of corners to surprise opponents and grapple spots that can be accessed by a magnetic gun which all characters possess. Sneaking up behind a character and pummelling them works well, as does finding a quiet spot with great views to snipe from with the Tech Archer’s crossbow.

battlecryfight2

At the end of a game, Battlecry will show player stats and award those with the most kills, least deaths and more. Those accolades will be shown above a player’s head, still in the same map that was just played. The idea there is that, after the game, players can run around to others and see how they did. If someone did something worthy of rewarding, players can give one another salutes, which help to earn more valuable iron.

With Battlecry just announced before E3, there is still a lot we don’t know about the game. For instance, a mode called “The War Effort” will see gamers fighting in something akin to a Risk-type map. Each win for a grouping of gamers will see them take more territory on the worldwide, in-game globe.

Battlecry beta is expected in 2015.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.