Battlebit Remastered takes me back to Battlefield’s glory days

A little more than a decade ago, my friends and I graduated from college and were scattered across the state to our shitty first apartments and reclaimed parents’ basements. Just about every day after work, we’d come back together in Battlefield Bad Company 2.

It was before Fortnite, when the default dudes’ online hang zone was Call of Duty. For us, Bad Company 2,(and finally Battlefield 3,It just made perfect sense. This franchise had a fantastic mix of unhinged sandbox slapstick and mechanical depth that was fun to watch every single night.

Apparently, I’m not the only one with fond memories of this particular era of Battlefield, because Battlebit RemasteredSteam has recently been awash with the latest hits. The game’s promo art pays tribute to early-2010s Battlefield box art, and the gameplay leans even harder into the franchise’s contrast between silly and simmy.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the game looks like it was built in Roblox. The character models look like blocky cartoons with primitive animations. Meanwhile, the soundscape is realistic, featuring loud and punchy gunfire. These maps have a flat, textureless shading but are geometrically intricate. Buildings are fully accessible, meaning every window on a crowded city block is a potential sniper’s nest. Walls can be blown out to reveal enemies, or for a quick getaway. You can also destroy entire buildings.

SgtOkiDoki Image via Polygon

Then there is the You can also find out more about Battlefield is the old school version of this game. contrast. The developers have pulled in nerdy sim elements — but only the ones that create more fun. There are multiple fire modes, detailed recoil simulations and you have to take out the magazine to accurately check your ammo. Long distance engagements require a high level of precision due to bullet travel and drop. However, close quarters battles can involve twitchy full auto spray-and -pray gunfights.

The time to kill is extremely fast; often, you’ll die after a couple of well-placed shots. But you can also be revived infinitely, as long as there’s a teammate nearby to drag you to cover and dust you off. Vehicles have detailed physics models and a high skill ceiling, but you’ll still see helicopters cruising by with a half dozen blocky infantrymen dangling from a fast rope, and C4-festooned quad bikes plowing into enemy tanks.

SgtOkiDoki Image via Polygon

Battlebit RemasteredIt is in Early Access, so it still has some early-access jank. Visually, the game is fine. However, there are some times when flat shading confuses geometry and makes distances difficult to judge. The game modes need to be tuned as well: on large zone-control maps 127-versus 127 matches are great, but they can feel chaotic in Frontline, where you play tug-of war.

Although it has rough edges Battlebit Remastered This is an incredible job at recapturing your attention. You can also find out more about of Battlefield’s good old days. A lot has changed since 2010, and you might not be able to get the old Battlefield squad to come out of retirement — but if you’re looking to try, Battlebit RemasteredYour best shot might just be right in front of you.

Battlebit Remastered Vox Media released an early-access version of the software on Windows PC on 15 June. Vox Media is affiliated with other companies. Vox Media earns commissions from affiliate products, although this doesn’t influence the editorial content. This is where you can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.