Fans have waited patiently for Bulkhead Interactive and Square Enix Collective’s authentic WWII shooter Battalion 1944, receiving bits and pieces of information about the game, along with some hands-on time during last year’s Gamescom. But Bulkhead is rewarding that patience soon.
Battalion 1944 is headed to early access February 1st, but Bulkhead is also running an exclusive beta for the game starting Friday, January 19th and running until the 21st, open to all Kickstarter and Humble Bundle backers. Other fans who didn’t support the project’s campaign can content themselves with the new trailer – see above – showcasing brand-new gameplay footage.
Battalion 1944 was inspired by what Bulkhead Interactive calls the golden shooters of old, where a player’s skills mattered more than power-ups.
Participants in the beta will get a taste of that old-school action before it enters early access, with the goal being to treat players to carefully focused map design and balanced weapons intended to create a tense, yet fair and fulfilling, WWII experience.
That experience is characterized by authenticity as well, according to Bulkhead Creative Director Howard Philpott, who says the team traveled to Normandy and made close study of the historical battles to combine competitive map design with historical credibility.
Non-backers won’t have too long to wait to experience the game, though. Battalion 1944 is set to enter early access February 1st, bringing six modes with it that will be announced at a later date. The game is expected to retail at $14.99, lower than the lowest Kickstarter tier, and Bulkhead is offering crowdfunding backers unique skins and cosmetic loot as a “thank you.”
Are you excited about this return to old-school shooter glory? Let us know in the comments!
Today, in a surprise Nintendo Direct Mini, a slew of new games were announced for the Nintendo Switch. One of those games is a port of Nintendo’s first collaboration with Koei Tecmo, Hyrule Warriors. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition will be released this spring.
Originally released as a Wii U exclusive back in 2014, Hyrule Warriors sold well for a Wii U game and got positive reviews, with a score of 76 on Metacritic, making it a well-received Warriors title. The Definitive Edition will include all the DLC from the Wii U and 3DS versions; local, two-player co-op; and new costumes for Zelda and Link, which will be the Breath of the Wild outfits.
Because of the success of 2014’s original Wii U release, Nintendo continued to work with Koei Tecmo, releasing Fire Emblem Warriors. However, many fans were disappointed when there was no announcement for a sequel or definitive edition to Hyrule Warriors in 2017, so Nintendo announced Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition and showed it in action at their Direct Mini.
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more information on Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition as it develops.
