Game developer Electronic Arts (EA) released the beta for Star Wars Battlefront II this past weekend. The open trial period let players experience three multiplayer game modes: Galactic Assault, Starfighter Assault, and Strike, as well as an offline mode called Arcade. While EA has made many improvements over the game’s predecessor, the beta still illuminated a few weaknesses.

EA’s first attempt at Star Wars Battlefront, released almost two years ago, left a lot to be desired. It was a disappointment to Star Wars fans and casual gamers alike. The game was heralded for its stunning graphics, and it beautifully immersed players into a galaxy far, far away. Unfortunately, it lacked…well…pretty much everything else. No single-player campaign; only four planets to play on at release; a measly six iconic heroes; an outrageously expensive package gamers had to purchase if they wanted to have access to all the post-release content. This package was called a “season pass,” a term that now strikes fear into bank accounts across the globe.

On the light side, EA seems to have heard our complaints. This time, there will be 18 locations, 14 heroes, 39 vehicles, and a single-player campaign. And, I think I heard a collective sigh of relief from gamers all over the world when EA announced that all post-release content will be free to everyone who bought the game.

The open beta allowed players to get a taste of EA’s Star Wars make-up effort.

Expectedly, the visuals are dazzling. The developers did a phenomenal job capturing the tranquil beauty of Naboo. Theed Palace is as regal as it looks in The Phantom Menace, its reflective walls and architecture equally captured. Maz’s castle stands tall and firm on the lush planet Takodana. Laser beams whizz past and starfighters erupt over Fondor in Starfighter Assault. The designs are carefully crafted and every intricate detail is well attended to. We knew imagery and graphics wouldn’t be an issue, and the game seems like it will maintain that gold standard.

The gameplay itself has a solid foundation, but could use a few improvements. We’ll go game-mode-by-game-mode here.

Galactic Assault

Galactic Assault is a 3-tier, 40-player game mode that pits the clone army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists on Naboo. As the droids, your goal is to escort a humongous MTT to the doors of Theed palace. Once inside, you must disable two security systems. If you’re successful in these two phases, you must rush the throne room and overtake it to succeed. The clones try to take down the MTT, but if they can’t, they have to defend the security systems, and if necessary, the throne room.

Class-based infantry allows gamers to truly play as a team, each class possessing unique abilities and gameplay styles that bring the squad together as a cohesive whole. Heavy classes bring in the extra firepower when the assault players aren’t cutting it. Specialists can pick-off enemies using thermal binoculars and sniper rifles, and Officers have traits that are perfectly suited for fighting in groups: player boosts, turrets, and things of the like. Players can customize their classes to an extent as they progress to suit whatever style of gameplay they like. Each class is fun to play as in its own way. Officers probably aren’t suited to an aggressive, high-kill-count-earning style, which is good to know if that’s how you like to play.

One thing that can get tedious, however, is that in order to immediately spawn after death, a group of other team members must be ready to spawn with you. If nobody spawns in your group, re-spawn times can be up to 10 seconds, which seems like forever when you’re trying to get back in the battle.

Throughout the battle, players earn “battle points” for getting kills, fighting alongside team members, and playing the objective. These battle points can be used to buy certain bonuses: star fighters, tanks, walkers, special units like Wookies or Super Battle Droids, and of course, heroes. The game effectively incentivizes gamers to play the objective by offering the most battle points there. Four heroes are available on this game mode should you earn 5,000 points—Han Solo and Rey for the Republic; Boba Fett and Darth Maul for the Separatists.

Hero gameplay is thrilling yet frustrating. They have the ability to deal crushing amounts of damage while being fast enough to elude blaster fire. Their health regenerates, which allows heroes to disappear from the heart of the battle to heal.

Rey can use a Jedi mind trick to disrupt the controls of those playing as the droids, sending them into a short-circuiting frenzy for a brief time. Han Solo and Boba Fett, for the most part, play the same as they did in the game’s predecessor. Darth Maul is the most rewarding hero to play as, and at the same time, he’s the most maddening opponent. Along with being able to hurl his double-bladed lightsaber, he can force choke enemies and zip across the room as a furious red blur. He hones the deadliest abilities for all your sector-clearing needs. Against him, you’re essentially helpless. He’s too quick to do significant damage to, and if you see him on your screen, it’s already too late. However, Maul’s biggest weakness is his inability to block (which seems like it wouldn’t fit canonically?). The best way to attack Maul is as a group firing from multiple angles. He’s lightning fast, but he can only attack one area at once.

When heroes fight each other, the result is laughable. As was the case in the first EA Battlefront, heroes clash as if they’re action figures being repeatedly beaten against one another. It’s a gripe I was really hoping EA would quell, but it seems nothing has changed here.

Hero vs. hero gameplay is basically abusing the attack button until one of you dies. Heroes need a mechanism that balances their quickness with the space to fight strategically, especially for those who have to fight close to the battle like Rey or Maul. My face lit up with joy the first time I got to play as Rey. But my happiness was upended when Darth Maul came ferociously spiraling through the hallway in an unstoppable vortex of terror. He made quick work of me, and just like that, my 5,000 battle points were wasted as my jaw hit the floor in a mixture of shock and sadness. Light-siders beware.

As noted above, the beta only previews four of the 14 heroes that will be available at the game’s release. Kylo Ren, Yoda, and a few others have been confirmed, but there are others I’d hope to see later on. General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker are musts, in my humble opinion (be sure to comment what other heroes you’d love to see when the game is released).

Another potential issue is an unequal difficulty level in this game mode. I can only comment on my experience, but I played at least 20 rounds of Galactic Assault, and the Separatists only managed to win twice. Every other time, they never even made it past stage two. The droids’ objectives seemed to be more difficult than the clones’ which usually led to an easy victory for the Republic. There also appears to be a melee glitch in which players in hand-to-hand combat will swing and miss almost every time, making for an awkward, albeit hilarious, visual.

Starfighter Assault

Starfighter Assault was a mess. I’ll admit space combat has never been my forte in Battlefront, and there’s a lot of personal room for improvement. However, there weren’t a lot of people playing the objective, instead choosing to fly around somewhat aimlessly in search of individual success. This may have been due to some tricky flight controls that introduce a new method of rolling that really sent me through a loop (pun intended, pity laughs welcomed). Luckily, for not-so-naturally-gifted flyers, this function can be turned off in settings.

This game mode can still be fun if you’re a questionable fighter pilot like myself. Attacking frigates and disabling Star Destroyer systems earns quality battle points while helping the team win, even if you’re not upping your K/D ratio in any meaningful capacity. The Millennium Falcon, Darth Maul’s Scimitar, Slave 1, and Poe’s X-Wing were all available hero ships in the beta.

Strike

Strike is basically “capture the flag” on Takodana. The First Order must infiltrate Maz’s castle, steal a package, and deliver it to the extraction point before too many Stormtroopers are killed. Resistance fighters have to try and stop them. The simplicity is a nice change of pace, and the map provides a variety of fighting environments. Players can hide in the forests, roam the castle, or even camp out on top of the castle and snipe opponents from above. Wookies and jump troopers are available with enough battle points, along with a ravaging flame trooper that torches anyone who dares defy the might of the First Order.

Arcade

Arcade mode offers two different situations: a team vs. team battle using AI enemies and allies, and a one vs. many battle, both taking place in Theed Palace. In the former, you’ll fight to overtake the throne room. In the latter, you’ll play as either a Super Battle Droid or Darth Maul as you try to wipe out enough enemies before time expires. This is a great place to practice and develop your skills before you hit the ruthless multiplayer streets.

Overall

The Star Wars Battlefront II beta allowed fans the opportunity to enjoy a small piece of the game while giving them a chance to provide some last-minute feedback. Galactic Assault is a fun, chaotic game mode with a potential need for balance. A few minor glitches will likely be fixed in the future.

Starfighter Assault is a great time for those who have a taste for it, but beginners may spend a lot of time crashing and burning before they start to get the hang of things. Fondor is an expansive space map that gives players a high degree of freedom to choose how they want to play—just don’t forget those objectives.

Strike is difficult to fault, but EA will have to make sure the fun translates across all maps, which will hopefully be as stunning and engaging as Takodana.

Nothing quite beats the thrill of being able to play as your favorite heroes and villains, but their eccentric movements can sometimes feel directionless. It’s difficult to fight against other heroes strategically, and their combat isn’t exactly graceful. I doubt this is something that will change when the game is released, so we’re going to have to try to keep pace with the quick-striking action.

Battlefront II looks promising, and with all the locations, heroes, and vehicles EA is offering, it’s shaping up to be an easy improvement over their first attempt. It appears that it’ll continue in its tradition of most impressive imagery, placing Star Wars fans right in their favorite universe. Free post-launch content tells me that EA has actually committed to uniting their players and keeping them together long after the initial release. With a couple patches and adjustments to the gameplay, the game will be well worth the $60 price tag ($80 for the deluxe edition). EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II is set to release November 17.

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