Battlefield 2042 hands-on – it’s back, and more tactical than ever

It is refreshing to return to the world of Battlefield: two big sides and lots of multi-level combat

In the distance, a skyscraper towers above the island foliage, its lights flickering on in the stormy twilight. This is the target, the final objective our side needs to take to achieve total dominance of the map. The only problem is, we have to get to the top of the tower and from the silent muzzle flashes erupting from its rooftop, it is well defended. We will need air support as well as coordinated infiltration by a range of skilled operatives. Meanwhile, I have got my jeep lodged between two garages.

This is the world of Battlefield, really as we have always known it. A vast landscape, a range of different character classes, aircraft zooming overhead and moments of both astonishing skill and ludicrous incompetence. But judging by the hands-on session I attended two days before the public beta, Battlefield 2042 takes all these elements and seeks to ramp up the tactical possibilities and disparities even further.