War has finally come to the galaxy.
EA just debuted the new gameplay trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront at the E3 conference in Los Angeles today. The video above shows five minutes of footage from a multiplayer level called “Walker Assault” played on a PS4.
The preview depicts a 40-person multiplayer game between Imperial and Rebel forces on the ice planet of Hoth, switching back and forth between both sides. You can see nearly every aspect of gameplay: first- and third-person on-the-ground action as a soldier; aerial battles with X-Wings, TIE Fighters and Snow Speeders; assaulting a Rebel base as an Imperial Walker; and even a lightsaber battle between father and son.
Yes, THAT father and son. The video ends with the player taking control of Luke Skywalker on the Hoth battlefield (with the green lightsaber and black garb, though, it oddly looks like the Luke from Return of the Jedi.) After dispatching a few Imperial troops, Luke engages with Darth Vader while the Battle of Hoth rages around them, and the video cuts to black.
Remember, playing as these iconic characters will be part of the powerup system in the game. Luke joins Boba Fett and Darth Vader as the only confirmed playable characters in the game so far.
There are a couple other cool features shown in the video as well. The gameplay seemed to focus on Rebels and Imperials struggling to control an “uplink station” that allowed for bombing runs or aerial support. You can also see several powerups in action, such as a rocket launcher and a deployable bubble shield.
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The HUD display appears to show a health bar at the bottom center of a screen, but I’m not entirely sure what the three symbols are on the right side. I’m guessing those are powerups or special gear at the player’s disposal, as one of the symbols did correspond with a player’s jetpack use early on.
And check out that Rodian running through the Hoth trenches! Looks like players will be able to take on the role of certain species in the game as well.
But for me, the ending is really the most crucial part of the video, as it summarizes EA’s message: These are not just recreations of scenes from the movies. They’re re-enactments of battles that allow for wish fulfillment. Even if it never happened in the canon, now we can live out the fantasy of Boba Fett decimating Ewoks on Endor, or having Darth Vader blow up a Sandcrawler on Tatooine.
Star Wars: Battlefront is out for PS4, Xbox One and PC on Nov. 17. The Battle of Jakku DLC is available for free for all players on Dec. 8, or Dec. 1 if you pre-order the game.