Reviewer’s Note: Given various storytelling critiques, it is impossible to avoid SPOILERS altogether. Read on at your own risk.
Spin-offs are strange enigmas within any medium. It’s no surprise why: they’re often helmed by different personnel from the mainline series, given tighter deadlines with a smaller budget, and rely on a strange wrinkle or two to stick out. That last point in particular epitomises Battlefield Hardline. Considering DICE’s storied history of epic explosions and gun fetishism across past, future, and modern military backdrops, seeing Visceral Games (original Dead Space series) meld that to a TV cop drama seems irresponsibly tone-deaf at first glance; an inherent conflict of “Protect and Serve” in one hand and the best physics engine at depicting wanton destruction in the other.
Miami quickly feels that tension with their police department’s latest arrival: Nick Mendoza. Not being as outwardly reckless nor venal as his closest peers doesn’t prevent him from making unfortunate headlines. After a botched drug bust leads to several dead perps and a dangerous car chase downtown, Nick partners up with Detective Khai to gather intel about a new drug called “Hot Shot”. It’s after the obligatory high-octane opening that players settle into a more common groove and test to see how many handcuffs Mendoza carries in his utility belt.
Getting that early taste of Battlefield, what with redecorating rooms with a few shotgun shells, makes Hardline’s subtler approach stick out amongst its contemporaries. Sauntering around a downtrodden suburb eventually segues to the customary TV cop template: a quick flash of the badge accompanied by yelling “Freeze!” with Mendoza’s pistol drawn. Of course, this enchantment against criminals has special conditions: be within close proximity while in stealth and it only works against a max group of three people at a time; on top of that, arresting more than one person means switching your aim between them, lest anyone is tempted to draw their sidearm (similar to I Am Alive). If another thug not currently ensorcelled by Mendoza’s Mind Trick catches sight of this then it transitions to a standard gunfight.
Already the possibility space and level design highlights a different tempo from its closest mainline example (Battlefield 4) and previous Bad Company entries. Instead of linear level segments or occasionally semi-open worlds funneling towards a destructive playground, Hardline has more interest in making stealth-focused puzzle boxes that can double as shooting galleries. When players step into them, unlimited time is afforded to scoping everything out with a smartphone; goons, alarm boxes, and other important items will be relayed to the HUD – your UI mini-map also mirrors Metal Gear Solid’s layout. A select few within these groups have active warrants, which means successfully arresting them doles out more Expert Points to then subsequently afford better gear.
Tie this in with disinterring case file evidence through phone snapshots and it’s easy to appreciate this foundation on paper. It’s channeling a tech-capable gumshoe who can make simple connections. A shame how stealth’s promise goes out the window against such toothless enemies. That’s not to say these bands of lowlifes won’t take the opportunity to shoot, nor have they found Jesus on their road to redemption, but rather how well-behaved they are during and after the arrest phase – even within earshot of other patrolling guards. The moment cuffs are slapped on, with the same goddamn animation and grunting sound effect, they’ll lay chest down and take a Lunesta-snooze while Mendoza moves on.
Doubtful their cries would be heard anyway since there’s no universal audio detection. Without hyperbole, there are several different contextual noise rules awkwardly layered on top of each other. Mendoza also carries infinite bullet casings that can be tossed to distract the nearest guard – and only him. Stretched to its logical conclusion, anyone can spam a trail of casings that said guard will mindlessly follow wherever. Yelling “Freeze!” to a gaggle of goons will lead to their immediate surrender (even when equipped with better gear and armor), but a nearby guard an equal distance away won’t pay heed so long as nothing disrupts his almighty vision cone. They can hear standing footsteps and high-elevation drops though; then again, even accidently raising their suspicion is easily avoidable since everything’s spelled out on the mini-map.
Stealth unravels even further when considering its story contradictions. The term “ludonarrative dissonance” gets bandied around quite often, even for innocuous infractions, but few can be more obvious than Hardline’s insane understanding of jurisprudence where an escaped convict is encouraged to arrest other people. Apologies for spoiling that our well-intentioned protagonist gets set up for crimes he didn’t commit in a boilerplate cop story. Anyways, having a rogue Mendoza retain this without a badge crumbles under its confused logic. Without a clear and consistent framework, it’s tough to sell a methodical good-cop playthrough versus a merciless silent assassin; ironically, the kill/arrest flexibility also afforded to cop Mendoza runs counter to how he’s presented in the script’s first half.
Poorly implemented as it may be, there’s at least something to Visceral Games taking the road less traveled by congealing freeform level design within the context of a police drama. There’s a genuine contention nestled here: what if “shoot first, ask questions later” wasn’t the immediate standard in a Battlefield campaign? What if an avoidable shoot-out is caused from you botching an arrest or another mistake, instead of from crossing an invisible threshold? There’s a pinch more unstated tension when open conflict arises from potentially messy circumstances. The game’s design slightly heightens player vulnerability in understated ways too, like having less ammo on-hand than a typical soldier.
That more deliberate pace can only come in waves when fettered to the Battlefield name, though. Earlier levels wanting to balance tropical-flavored The Wire with visceral shoot-outs (pardon the pun) eventually transmogrifies into an unapologetic 80s action flick – only with less charm and more corny needle-drops. Imagine an EA executive walking into the studio and asking “why isn’t there a gunship turret section and tank battle when we have those assets already?” It’s the type of checklist game design publishers need to justify its shared $60 entry price with mainline entries (not to mention pricier Deluxe or Ultimate Editions).
This is why even when appreciating certain qualities in isolation, like punchy audio design, don’t have lasting power. Doohickeys like zip lines and ropes enable more creative routes, but their application is often restricted by what the level encourages. There’s hardly any reward for experimentation compared to say Dishonored or Hitman titles; yes, those comparative examples have different goals in mind, but the point is about the intrinsic rewards uncovered after spending more time in their worlds that’s lacking here. It’s also reflective of how wonky AI during combat can feel. For enemies: besides sometimes clipping through the geometry, their maneuvers are so one-dimensional when tackling open-ended segments. For friendlies: it’s a miracle if they help at all. Just like Criterion Games’ development assistance for its lackluster driving models, so many off-beat elements feel haphazardly tossed in versus being an extra flavor to a unified whole.
Artificiality can also apply to Mendoza’s crew. Expecting much beyond schlocky entertainment with a “Battlefield” title is setting oneself up for disappointment, but not even reaching the enjoyment of CSI: Miami or classic Miami Vice? It apes the mid-2010s Netflix episodic structure – delayed auto-play timer before each “episode”, preview video snippets, etc. – but doesn’t even touch their mid-grade original shows. Between clichéd characters, a meandering plot, and stale dialogue, everything feels like a lousy excuse to reach another gameplay sequence and show off more C-list actors getting the Uncanny Valley treatment. About the only storytelling positive are these performances trying to squeeze out some personality.
In certain respects, Hardline’s storytelling deserves more scrutiny than its modern-military cousins if for no other reason than its opportunity for something beyond a foreign radical doing nefarious deeds. Whenever it’s not being bog-standard it’s being stupid and rather immoral. Mendoza going from clean detective with a baton up his ass to a dangerous rogue is characterisation of a sort, but what’s done is the shallowest look at revenge. Any interrogation the script wants to have about his journey rings hollow when its denouement validates him potentially becoming the thing he despises via unsubtle sequel-baiting. There’s no genuine build-up to any of this, so it comes off as being edgy for its own sake. Though Rob Auten and Tom Bissell are chiefly responsible, it’s a shame Amy Hennig’s name is also loosely connected to this dreck.
Multiplayer wrestles with an inessential “spin-off” aura, despite some nifty ideas of its own. Retreads like Conquest, Team Deathmatch, and so on are buttressed by Cops ‘n Robbers spins on objective-based modes. Heist is a classic attack/defend idea where cops protect money stacks from being dragged away by criminals; similarly, Blood Money shifts that by having two robber teams steal money from either a stash in the middle or the opponent’s own treasure chest – which carries a greater risk/reward balance. These fit onto Hardline’s smaller and moderate maps, which cuts in both directions: several well-designed arenas complimented for these modes, but without the series’ standard expansiveness and vehicle incorporation.
Conversely, Hotwire goes larger while replacing control points with control vehicles. Like Conquest, upon capturing one of these points (be it car, motorcycle, or slow gas tanker) and reaching a cruising speed will slowly bleed out an enemy’s reinforcement tickets. The options for defending these mobile “flags” can be tagging alongside for cover support or utilising unmarked vehicles as backup. Granted, the end result is often unbalanced mayhem where on-foot engagements continually distract from the main point; however, it’s the kind of nonsensical fun that occasionally leads to unique moments where Frostbite’s “Levolution” physics can meaningfully alter play. By contrast, there’s little reason to bother with its one-life-per-round additions, Rescue and Crosshair. Most – if not all – maps are just sliced-up portions of default ones and these mechanics simply aren’t suited for generic-brand Counterstrike.
Even with considering the original nine maps ballooning to 24 from later DLC packs, small nuances like money instead of levels unlocking in-game rewards, and unique police-themed toys, Hardline’s multiplayer has a tougher time escaping its series’ shadow – especially compared to Bad Company. Whether that’s due to certain critiques like a lower TTK (time-to-kill), some overpowered weapons, or whatever else, it rarely reaches above the reputation of fine palette cleanser versus a main course that DICE has done so well at reaching – even if only for one holiday season. Popularity shouldn’t be an end-all gauge, especially given some of Visceral’s understated tweaks that complement its online, but it suggests why grinding feels… less worth it here than in recent predecessors. It’s also not helped by EA’s avaricious paywalls for instant unlocks of certain vehicles and character class weapons; such a gauche way of gatekeeping items.
Taken as a whole, then, Battlefield Hardline can never escape the feeling that maybe it would’ve been better-suited as a huge Battlefield 4 expansion, or perhaps doing that for the multiplayer while the campaign could’ve been a modestly-priced standalone title. Of course, pontificating like this implicitly admits what was done here didn’t succeed on its own terms; an inherent mismatch in both identity and execution that no amount of restructuring into disparate parts can save.
Here’s the pitch: “imagine the last helicopter out of Saigon as a game review.” 😉