I got to go hands on with the newest BATTLEFIELD 1 expansion IN THE NAME OF THE TSAR, and it was stunning!  Playing on high-end PC’s, Battlefield 1 ran without a hitch at 4K 60 FPS for our demo.

The demo at EA Play featured 40 players going head to head in the new conquest map Lupkow Pass.  The lack of defined main roads was immediately noticeable to me as I began my journey to Objective Alpha.  Featuring several trails through the mountain side, terrain had multiple elevations as the battle unfolded.  Terrain advantage has always been a major factor in shooters but I never felt its effects so well as I did with In the Name of the Tsar.  Some objectives would have an overlook behind them that could be exploited to to get the drop on the enemy team.  A rail line also crosses the entirety of the map to accommodate the super weapon, the behemoth, an armored train with enough firepower to change the tide of a battle.  As a match rages on the losing team will have the behemoth spawn for their side.  Unfortunately for me I got to be on the receiving end of the behemoths punishment and didn’t get to try using its cannons for myself in the new map. 

The other new addition of note during my demo was the inclusion of Hussar cavalry and their lances.  While horseplay has been a cool feature the Hussar take it to the next level.  Lances while an effective melee weapon can also be used to run down and impale unsuspecting enemies.  The way to use this move was interesting to me.  Instead of a button press, the position of the lance is apparently controlled by the position of the players camera and the horse needs to be running full speed.  Basically, pick a target gallop and look down before impact.  I didn’t personally try the new move but fellow GameTyrant writer Dean pulled it off with some success!

As a casual Battlefield 1 player, I quickly grew tired of the constant desert themed maps in the base game. In the name of the Tsar and its Russian Winter setting is a welcome addition that I look forward to adding to Battlefield 1.  In the Name of the Tsar launches this September and is set to feature 6 new maps as well as a new game mode and other customization options.