gamescom 2018 - World War 3 Preview

In a world completely awash with shooters, some of you may be asking “Do we really need more?” We have Battlefield, Call of Duty, Red Orchestra…never mind the seemingly endless wars happening outside.

However, when a game shows real promise, with developers that are committed to implementing what the community actually want, then we have something that we can get excited about. Indeed, that is the case with World War 3, and you wouldn’t think that this impressive looking game was coming from Polish indie developer The Farm 51.

Of course, the first thing you think when you get into the warzone is “Battlefield”, and it’s obvious that the developers are very much fans of EA DICE’s staple franchise. There is a lot that feels familiar, particularly with the character animations. You can go prone on your back like we have seen from Battlefield V; you can peek around corners; and the death animation keeps your character’s vision as he falls to the ground for a long sleep.

Even with these obvious similarities, there’s enough about World War 3 that sets it apart from Battlefield. Perhaps the most extensive is the weapon customisation system, which gives you a much greater level of control than what you would get in the aforementioned series, especially Call of Duty. There are cosmetic changes you can make, for example to the stock or grips, or alterations to the functional use. These include muzzles, or maybe giving yourself larger magazines to out-gun opponents. As you make these changes, you’ll be given detailed statistics to see what affect the changes you are making will have.

This depth of customisation extends to your character too, who you can kit out in any number of army outfits. If you want to look more badass, you can add in some tattoos as well.

Where World War 3 will sink or swim is in how it actually plays. Running on Unreal Engine 4, there are many nice features that The Farm 51 have implemented, and it really does look good. The map demoed at gamescom probably isn’t showcasing the best that the game has to offer, being in a rainy city centre, reminiscent of Grand Bazaar from Battlefield 3. It definitely will lighten up in others that we have seen in the trailer released earlier, though.

The introduction of armour to your character’s front is potentially the main addition. Shooting others from directly in front will prove difficult as you have to penetrate a steel plate, meaning that it’s worthwhile playing a little slower and trying to flank the opposing team. As such, World War 3 should have a slower pace, especially compared to something like Call of Duty or Counter Strike.

As for game modes, the only one we have seen so far is Warzone, similar to Conquest in Battlefield. You’ll need to control two linked areas to drain points from the other team, and to spawn inside them. You can also spawn on your squad leader, and potentially in the future in select vehicles. Only ground vehicles have been implemented at this moment in time, so fortunately we won’t have to endure any Venom’s sitting above spawn points, mowing us down. Bad times.

All in all, do I think World War 3 could be the Battlefield killer like some are hyping it to be? Well, probably not. But that’s not saying The Farm 51 are wasting their time. What they have achieved so far with limited resources it quite surprising, but in order to be a success I feel some need to adjust their expectations, and the developers need to make sure they contain the hype to a reasonable level. Sure, hype is good, but when things get over-hyped and under deliver, it only takes one Sean Murray to warn you: The gamers will come for you.

World War 3 is scheduled to go into Steam Early Access later this autumn.