A Throwback to the Great War

During EA’s E3 2016 press conference, we got our first look at Battlefield 1, the company’s upcoming first-person shooter. It’s a pretty significant departure from the trend in shooters, and Battlefield 1 features a whole bunch of vehicles and weapons that seem strange in comparison to the futuristic weaponry so common now. The gameplay trailer released today gives a first glimpse at how all of these features are used in game, such as the Wold War 1 tank pictured here. We’ve broken down the trailer to show you all the important things you might’ve missed.

Battling Enemies Within a Tank

The video begins with a scene showing a tank stuck in the mud, which is then stormed by enemy soldiers. It then cuts to the tank crew fighting the attackers. This is probably a cinematic, but it shows a pretty hectic close-quarters battle against the people trying to gain entry in the tank. It could be that this cutscene suggests that tanks will be able to be attacked on foot–a feature that would make them more susceptible to determined ground forces than tanks in past Battlefield games.

An Officer in a Tank

This is clearly an officer within the tank, although it’s unclear whether or not this officer is an enemy of the tank squad. If this is an officer of the tank squad, this would present a pretty significant shift in Battlefield–military hierarchy is not exactly something that exists in other Battlefields when you play as free-wheeling, more or less independently operating soldiers.

A Race to Start Up the Tank

The scene cuts to an open field and you can see soldiers running full-tilt toward a tank sitting in the middle of the field. They all proceed to assume their positions within it and start it up as planes appear on the horizon. If this reflects the pace of the game, then it’ll be much slower and deliberate than other Battlefields. In addition, tanks seem to require a lot of men to operate. It’s likely that roles within tanks will be defined and specific.

Dogfights and Zeppelins

One of the most interesting aspects of Battlefield 1 is the air warfare. Triplanes and biplanes pepper the skies, but unlike the fighter jets in Battlefield 4, they do not rule. Massive, armed airships become central points in the fight and taking one down is a big deal.

Of Course It’s Got Destruction

As with any Battlefield game, Battlefield 1 has destructible environments. In fact, Battlefield 1 will have significant destruction, as you can see in this image from a scene in which an explosive blows out most of the side of a building. Developer DICE says that this destruction will have profound implications on gameplay and can permanently alter the course of a match.

Usable Howitzers

It wouldn’t be a World War I game or a Battlefield without artillery, and this howitzer looks like one of the new usable additions to the game. It looks unwieldy and slow to use but is sure to be powerful as the player lines up a shot on a tank.

Motorcycle Sidecars and Dynamic Weather

In addition to the ramped-up destruction, Battlefield 1 will also have unpredictably dynamic weather. According to EA, the weather will actually have implications for gameplay–visibility will likely be most affected, as shown in this image. In addition, players will seemingly be able to ride in motorcycle sidecars while shooting at enemies. Also, check out that machine gun–I’m not sure that fully automatic guns with drum magazines were widespread during World War I. But it sure looks fun to use.

Inside an Airship

One of the most interesting additions to Battlefield 1 is the airship, and this is an image from inside one. You can see the huge viewing deck within one of the blimps. Airships will be huge mobile battle platforms and will command air battles within matches.

The Hydrogen-Fuel Folly

Of course, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and here you can see what happens when one of the Behemoths (EA’s name for the massive vehicles) is taken down. Clearly, these dirigibles are still using flammable and dangerous hydrogen fuel that caused the catastrophic Hindenburg disaster; otherwise it wouldn’t light on fire like that. It makes for a pretty spectacular crash!

When Horses Take On Armored Trains

The last scene in the trailer shows off another one of the new, massive vehicles: armored trains. You can see the train in the right background of this image. In the scene, soldiers on horses assault the armored train, attempting to derail and stop it. These vehicles will likely become turning points within matches, as their ability to provide a team with a mobile fortress will be hugely important.