Battlefield 1
Ready for the big screen
In their lives, everyone has that one relationship that never came to be. That one person with whom you imagined a wonderful future together and sometimes think back wistfully on the experiences you missed out on ... the one that got away. Applying this existential principle to the video game genre may seem a bit exaggerated, but when I hear the praise for Battlefield 1 nine years after its release and how much better it is supposed to be compared to its successor, Battlefield V (which I played) I feel a little sad that I missed out on this part.
I don't even remember exactly why I skipped it. Although, actually, I do: Overwatch. The game that would satisfy my multiplayer shooter cravings for years to come. So Battlefield 1 fell by the wayside. The 1 doesn't stand for the order of release, because as we all know, Battlefield 1942 was the first entry in this historic series. Rather, it was an indicator that the game took first place in the historical context, as it transported the gigantic multiplayer battles to World War I, putting it chronologically before all the other parts.
Even today, the scenario is refreshingly original compared to the well-worn Second World War, even though games like Valiant Hearts and more simulation-heavy shooters like Verdun have already made themselves at home in the trenches. For this reason (and because it was offered for free on Origins at some point), I caught up on it a few years ago and at least played through the single-player mode.
As a connoisseur of Battlefield V parallels immediately became apparent, such as the separately playable war stories that send us racing from location to location. For example, as Brit Danny Edwards, we experience the land battles of the Western Front aboard a tank, while as American Clyde Blackburn, we fight the war from the air as part of the Royal Flying Corps. Other locations include the Italian Alps and Gallipoli, as well as a detour to Egypt, where we assist the real Lawrence of Arabia as the warrior Zara Ghufran.
Battlefield 1 didn't just want to serve up a new setting, it wanted to depict it as comprehensively as possible – and it succeeds! The campaign was entertaining, educational and, despite the predictable war pathos, touching enough to make you think a little. I ignored the multiplayer mode, however, even though it was particularly celebrated by fans.
Another aspect that is likely to evoke nostalgia in many players is the overall quality of the game: the graphics, storytelling, atmosphere, and especially the sound are considered milestones in the series and the shooter genre as a whole – which I can confirm. The immersion I experienced in Battlefield 1 is remarkable. And even though it's “just” a shooter, I was able to understand the horrors of World War I better than in almost any other game.
The score
The reason for this, apart from the sound design, is the music, which is what we're going to talk about now. Once again, a new duo has taken on the task, consisting of Swedish film composers Johan Söderqvist (the only Söder on this page) and Patrik Andrén. Their penchant for theatricality can be heard in every corner of the OST, which is pleasantly extensive with 25 tracks and a length of over an hour.
The two musicians rely on the keyboard of classic war dramas: emotional strings, powerful percussion, and tempo changes chase pieces like Steel on SteelJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén into the no man's land of big popcorn cinema and give the dramatic events of the campaign the necessary depth... or rather height. We often have the impression that we are accompanying the events from a bird's eye view, far away from the hustle and bustle. This feeling reflects the magnitude of the conflict, before pieces like The RunnerJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén pull us back down to earth.
In general, the musical similarity to an Arte documentary quickly becomes apparent, which sounds more negative than it is meant to be. The soundtrack puts us in exactly the right mood for this type of game. Nothing sounds out of place here; all the pieces fit together perfectly. The SwindleJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén, which runs throughout the story of reluctant hero Clyde Blackburn, who cheats his way into the Royal Air Force in order to escape the law in an airplane, is light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek. It gets a little stereotypically Middle Eastern with the female vocals in Nothing Is WrittenJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén or the desert flute in Sinai Desert Johan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén... But it fits.
Then there are pieces like Prologue „We Push…“Johan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén, whose unyielding war pathos in the form of brass instruments not only calls for a heroic final assault, but also varies the leitmotif of the game. That's right, there is a motif! Although it doesn't correspond to the Battlefield-theme, it works well and thankfully gives the soundtrack an identity. It appears in the Main Theme Battlefield OneJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén and is sprinkled throughout as a renewer and motivator. An example of this is the soulful piano piece The Flight of the PigeonJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén, which accompanies (spoiler alert) the flight of a carrier pigeon bearing the order for artillery fire on our own position – the ultimate sacrifice of our tank crew.
Conversely, we hear the classic “Dada dat da dat dat” in combination with the Battlefield 1-theme in Battlefield Classic Theme / Mayhem ViewJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén, as a heroic variation in Flight School Johan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrénand Something Big Is ComingJohan Söderqvist, Patrik Andrén. That sounds great too, even if it's not earth-shattering. Still, I think the score is awesome! What can I say? I just like classical orchestration: violins, brass, percussion, piano, and a bunch of other instruments that I would probably name incorrectly. That's exactly what we get with Battlefield 1. Music of the highest quality that neither advances nor revolutionizes the genre, but is described as “legendary” in some forums, thus achieving exactly what it sets out to do: entertain.
