Battlefield V
Battlefield V
13.10.2025
Glory and splendor
After the Battlefield-series had fought its way through all the major conflicts of modern times and potential future conflicts, the action was recently shifted to World War I with Battlefield 1 . The game's framework was solid: it looked good, the sound was phenomenal, and the immersion was fantastic. But instead of returning to the madness and turmoil of the Great War, Battlefield V followed its roots back to World War II. So instead of clunky landing ships, biplanes, and cavalry charges, we got the usual package of Nazis versus Allies.
So the developer studio DICE couldn't expect to win any innovation awards. Nevertheless, I found the game to be very entertaining, with EA's pricing policy being its biggest problem in my opinion. After all, it was 2018 when the first Tiger tanks rolled across the screen again, and that meant one thing: Battleplass. I remember clearly that I deliberately avoided MMORPGs in my youth because they wanted to impose a monthly fee on me for gaming.
Even though it seems unimaginable to today's generation of gamers, there was a time when you bought a game and owned it – forever. You could play whenever and however you wanted. Nowadays, the mere thought of starting an entertainment product and actually finishing it at some point causes publishers to hyperventilate. And so, for years, we've been dangled the shiny carrot of loot in front of our noses, all under the guise of exclusivity and limited availability. If you don't play or even quit, you're missing out. And on top of that, you have to pay for it regularly.
But Battlefield V had other problems and was hated by the community for a variety of reasons: poor performance at release, a confusing user interface, and poorly balanced weapons and maps are just a few of the criticisms that were raised. Probably the biggest, however, was the feared convergence with the modern Call of Duty-series, which, with its skin extravaganzas, had long since abandoned the path of “realistic” military settings and had soldiers in duck costumes shooting at Seth Rogen.
For example, there was a scene in the Battlefield V-trailer featuring a female soldier with a mechanical prosthetic arm, which didn't really fit in with the time period. Of course, the BF-series has always featured exquisite weapons and prototypes that would never have seen actual use on the front lines, but a woman on the front lines? With steampunk-like equipment? These and other decisions on EA's part were too much for the patience of the realism-spoiled strategy shooter fan community.
Personally, it didn't really bother me, as I've always seen Battlefield like most games of its kind, as a compromise between fact and fiction. In real life, respawning without the right religious beliefs and a full karma account is also quite difficult. And since DICE made appropriate changes, adjustments, and improvements based on player feedback, I was able to confidently ignore the whole controversy when I later joined the game (who plays games on release day anyway?).
Before we get to the music, I would like to highlight something positive: the campaign. As in the previous game, the short chapters, referred to as “war stories,” tell the familiar World War II narrative with individual stories from the Allied side and even a Norwegian resistance fighter. The last chapter, however, turned the whole thing around and let us play on the side of the Axis powers: "The Last Tiger" shows the fate of the crew of a Tiger tank in Cologne during the last days of the war, whose fanatical loyalty continues to waver during the events.
This short story is exactly what I want from a campaign: a different perspective. And no, I'm not talking about trivialization or even sympathy, but about theatrical storytelling. This already worked in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts and is refreshingly different here as well. Because while the Western powers can always trumpet their moral superiority with pathos and national pride, authors have to take a more nuanced approach when switching sides – and that's something I like.
Well, enough about that, now on to the music. As usual for the series, the musical accompaniment was also carried over from the previous game, which is why Johan Söderqvist and Patrik Andrén are once again treating us to their acoustic delights. Thankfully, we have now entered the age of OSTs, which is why the music from Battlefield V has also been compiled into one. With 16 tracks, it's pleasantly extensive. In addition, EA released an EP with seven tracks before the release of the actual OST, four of which already appear on the OST. Be that as it may, that brings us to a total of 19 original tracks... Or does it?
Not quite! Because in June 2019, the Firestorm game mode was launched, which finally, finally expanded Battlefield to include the long-awaited and beloved Battle Royale mode. Because, as everyone knows, all games are equally suited to being forced into the corset of a hyped genre. Of course, the resources used for this could have been invested in refining the actual game, but what do I know?
The result was a game mode that was hardly played shortly after its release, consistently neglected due to the player's response, and eventually forgotten. But at least it came with a five-track EP, although Electro War had already appeared on the Battlefield V EP . The bottom line is that we have 23 tracks, and now we finally come to the actual review.
Here, I can basically say that the quality of the Battlefield 1 score was built upon. So anyone who enjoyed that will be delighted again here – just like me! In addition, this time there is a dose of nostalgia mixed in, which is why there are some pieces that rank high on my rating scale.
As a logical successor to Battlefield 1, its motif has also been taken up and expanded. We hear it in the usual high quality right in the first track, Tirailleur, as a heroically swelling orchestral piece. In general, the cinematic background of the two composers remains noticeable, which should please movie fans, whereas those who are tired of the genre might have wished for a little more creativity. One such person is Jan Szafraniec, whose highly recommended review can be found on the gamemusic.net website.
The heroic opening is followed by Under No Flag, whose wistful flute reminiscent of Howard Shore's work for The Lord of the Rings, but also conveys the melancholy of classic war films. Cliché? Pathetic? Beautiful. Meanwhile, the booming brass in French Fog evokes memories of War Machines from the later score for the 2022 film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front.
The classic Battlefield-theme celebrates its return in Battlefield V Legacy Theme in the best The Dark Knight-style. Combined with the Battlefield 1-theme, it sounds fantastic again and even gets a minor key note towards the end for the first time, which seems unusual but not inappropriate. Pride & Honour then returns to cathartic heroism, while Triumph seems less conciliatory with its brutal introduction, before the fanfare heralds victory.
I also really like Spitfires. Szafraniec describes this track aptly (in my opinion):
Spitfires is a better example of rearrangement as it livens up BF1's Knight’s of the Sky , giving it more action-heroism while taking away some of the seriousness – a notion that regards the entire game.
Jan Szafraniec, Gamemusic.net
Interestingly, Norway builds on Spitfires and transforms the piece into an oppressively melodramatic string ensemble – the hidden struggle for freedom. The score also strikes an emotional chord (pun intended) in other places: Narvik captivates with its piano, Redemption with its strings, and Devestation finally brings these two instruments together.
The highlight of the score is probably the opulent, church-like Glorificia whose organ sounds, combined with the choirs, take on almost biblical proportions and leave us – especially within the game – with the question of what all the war and destruction was good for. The finale is I Vow to Thee My Country, a contemporary piece that I already know from the score to Sid Meier’s Civilization V (there as England – I Vow to Thee, My Country (Peace)).
That's where the OST ends, but not the EPs. Before I get to those, here's a quick interim conclusion: While my fellow reviewer Jan thinks the score is too fragmented and disjointed, this doesn't bother me as much. While Battlefield 1 creates a great sense of togetherness with its recurring motif, Battlefield V pushes all the right emotional buttons for me, allowing me to ignore this detail, which is usually quite relevant for my liking.
It's true that the score doesn't tell a coherent story and leans heavily toward action cinema... but I like that. It's not for nothing that I cite my associations with films like The Dark Knight or The Lord of the Rings. That's why (and because of my nostalgia glasses) I have to rank Battlefield V higher and actually give it a 5/5 in the overall rating.
Now briefly to the EPs: These are less classical in style, so that in Electro War the strings and percussion are joined by a driving beat that pushes the historical scenario into the background. The rest of the tracks on both EPs also “suffer” from this stylistic decision, drawing more of a parallel to Battlefield 4 than Battlefield 1 . Since Moody Suspense, Sneaking Pulse or The Hangar also dispense with classical instruments, these additions degenerate into insignificant background noise.
Nostalgia warning
The rating of the individual tracks is purely subjective and clearly colored by my own experience with the game. You can find out more in the article About Nostalgia.
