Episodic formats such as a single player mode, which has been available in the Battlefield games since Battlefield 3, and two new multiplayer modes help the game stand on its own in the franchise. Battlefield: Hardline's reviews are in, and they're mixed.
After a beta that felt too much like a Battlefield 4 mod to too many of the series' faithful, developer Visceral Games and publisher EA pulled Battlefield: Hardline in for more work. The second beta drew more favorable responses from players, and the sentiments of that second play-test are just about in sync with the current batch of review scores.
Mediocre (6/10, 3/5 or under):
Destructoid: "It feels unnecessary and irresponsible to dredge up '80s Miami so Hardline can bang on about the War on Drugs in an almost-non-present temporality, skirting contemporary issues. The structure of the game makes similar sleights of hand."
Average (7, 7.5):
Polygon, Gamespot, GamesRadar, IB Times UK (single player only), USGamer, usgamers, EGM, Attack of the Fanboy
Polygon: "In areas where Battlefield has always excelled and pushed forward, Hardline presents experiments, rather than refinements or fixes. The result is multiplayer that feels very familiar, very quickly. But its campaign, while feeling not completely sure about what it wants to be, is more interesting and certainly all-around better than the last few years' worth of Battlefield games. The result is something that's both less and more than its predecessors."
Great (8, 8.5):
Gaming Trend, The Sixth Asix, VentureBeat
VentureBeat: "It has some flaws. Along the way, I felt like multiplayer took priority over the main campaign. You don't get to fly around in an aircraft in single-player missions, even though you actually escape in one at one point. In other words, single-player experiences give you a taste of what is possible to do in these big virtual spaces, but only multiplayer really lets you live out that fantasy."
Single Player
An uncommon thread among single player reviews in Hardline's takedown mechanic, in which the player detains criminals.
Hardline rewards players lavishly for arresting bad guys but turns almost a blind eye to lethal takedowns and awards just enough points to unlock new items, according to a review from Kotaku's Leon Hurley:
"It's a mechanic that starts off interesting — especially in the smaller areas where the choice to bust a group or go in shooting feels like a decision you're making — but as the game progresses it reveals itself for what it is: an awkward stealth takedown mechanic to delay an almost inevitable alarm."
The takedowns bring a unique feel to Hardline's single player mode, turning into more of stealth game than many may perceive from trailers, according to Hurely. However, the AI is often too oblivious when the player is moving stealthily.
Despite Visceral's efforts to give Hardline an identity completely distinguishable from other Battlefield games, the issues pointed out by players last fall are still there. Hardline still plays too much like a military shooter.
Multiplayer
While Battlefield mainstay Conquest lives on in Hardline, the latest entry of the series brings in several new game modes. The most notable are Blood Money, where cops and robbers fight to stash or secure valuables, and Hotwire, which sees vehicles used in mobile capture points.
Like single player mode, multiplayer mode still has those battle feels. Though it doesn't feature tanks and attack jets, multiplayer mode still captures the series' unique vehicle play, and it appears that the game would generally receive higher scores if it lacked the single player component.
"You can spawn in a chopper, do your part as a gunner to take out valued targets on that ground, and then jump out with a parachute so you can capture a marked car. This isn't Iwo Jima or an Arabian oil field — but it's still pure Battlefield," states Gamespot's Miguel Concepcion.
