Battle Cry of Freedom is a refreshing sight in the world of shooters with its slow and meticulous gunplay combined with careful decision making leads to an interesting gameplay loop.
Battle Cry of Freedom has been in the midst of development for almost ten years. Flying Squirrel Entertainment have been knee-deep in the development of this game ensuring that it matches the tone that they are wishing to express. The developers of Mount and Blade: Napoleonic Wars have clearly utilised their experience to create a fun and immersive experience.
Battle Cry of Freedom transports players to the battlefields and fortifications of the American Civil War. Players can utilise era-appropriate equipment and weaponry on a massive scale. The gameplay is slow and methodical, forcing players to be patient with their shots and ultimately, having to work as a unit.
Players can play various different modes; Battles, Sieges, and Commander Battles. The first two are relatively straightforward, in battles, it evokes the feeling of those line battles that are so often portrayed in movies and it shows in these moments. Standing in the line awaiting to hear the shout of “Fire” does truly get the heart racing. Siege is like all of the classic conquest modes in-game, players must charge or defend a set of fortifications.
The final mode is commander battles, in which there are fewer actual players, as the players take command of a line of AI troops and this once again hearkens back to the troop commanding found in the Mount and Blade series. None of these modes are revolutionary, but they are enhanced by many of the game’s systems that have been implemented.
The game features both destructible environments and a dynamic weather system, which truly ground players into the visceral combat of 1860. Ducking behind a small mound of dirt, firing your gun every available moment all the while rain blisters the battlefield and the whistle of cannon fire followed by the eventual explosion. The bark of trees flying about as the rest of your unit charges. When all of these systems are communicating with each other and occur, this is where Battle Cry of Freedom truly shines.
Players have the choice between three classes: Infantry, Artillery, and Specialist. Each of these divisions has companies and regiments beneath them and players have different responsibilities depending on their chosen class. Some are more fun than others however, Infantry is the bread and butter in Battle Cry of Freedom and those players will be the ones who experience the most of those dynamic systems mentioned previously.
Meanwhile, Specialists didn’t truly feel different enough from the infantry and finally; Artillery. By far the dullest of the classes, the Artillery section is ultimately Battle Cry of Freedom at its worst. Standing around doing almost nothing except loading cannons and firing. Yes, it is accurate to the time, but this is still a game, and if one class is enormously fun and another is not, then players will most likely avoid the dull class altogether.
The gameplay is also unfortunately marred by poor performance which led to me having to play on the worst quality settings. Players on higher-end PC’s may not experience this issue, but this is what I experience and I was on a system above the recommended requirements on Steam.
In addition to this, the immersive gameplay can be interluded by one particularly odd decision. The soundtrack. Now whilst in the main menu, the various old-timey songs come off as light, playful, and evoke the time. It hits a major shift as unlike many other games where the music will change once in-game, in this case, it doesn’t. This causes wild tonal shifts in the music as you are listening to fun and bouncy country music all the while watching people and trees blow up and it is a jarring decision that rips you from the immersive experience that the game can be.
One feature that surprised me upon opening the game is its rather impressive character creator rivalling many RPG’s that I have played. Players can customise everything down to “The socks they wear” as the steam page puts it. Players can design their character to look however they want with numerous hairstyles and clothing options that are all appropriate to the time. This will definitely improve your experience as you are not just playing as a generic soldier, you are playing as your soldier.
Battle Cry of Freedom is a rather odd mix of immersive gameplay that is true to the time, that can equally feel drab. The game is moment to moment, at one point you will be ecstatic at the charge you participated in, or in commander battles, your line fired and you eliminated another entire enemy line.
But then you are hit with major performance issues, combined with potentially long stints of stagnant gameplay. Battle Cry of Freedom can be as equally boring as it is fun.
It is however a unique game, a slow and methodical shooter which seeks to go against the common grain. Players who are fascinated by this period of history, or simply which to immerse themselves in the game’s timeframe, the game is perfect for that. If players are seeking pure fun, running around and shooting across the map. This game is not for you.
Overall, Battle Cry of Freedom is a unique, immersive game that despite its various flaws, can still be an engaging and interesting experience. Battle Cry of Freedom will no doubt continue to improve over the coming months and years and if the performance issues and such are adjusted, then the game will shine brighter.
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