The trailer is called “Karma” after its scoring song of the same name from British songwriter Jamie N Commons, written and recorded for the game. Gameplay mixes up the established Battlefield formula with new toys like zip-lines, high speed car chases, and new mechanics for non-lethal take-downs and interrogation. Moving from war zones to the tighter confines of fighting crime in Miami changes the pace, intensity, and stakes of the shooter series, but there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of explosions and headshots.
The game’s campaign features an episodic story structure, with “previously on…” bumps and all, to capture the feeling of a TV crime drama. The trailer shows off some of Hardline‘s genre chops with sardonic cops complaining about the job and a pissed-off sergeant (who’s probably getting too old for this) reprimanding them for causing too much chaos. That TV credibility is reinforced with a cast featuring the likes of Benito Martinez (The Shield) as said angry sergeant, Eugene Byrd (Bones) and Alexandra Daddario (True Detective).
Battlefield Hardline was officially revealed at E3 2014 after fans leaked the game a little ahead of schedule. Although originally set for an October 2014 release, the game was pushed back to early 2015 after beta tests over the summer. The delay can be partially chalked up to developer Visceral Games’ professed desire to avoid the launch difficulties that plagued Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4.
Battlefield Hardline is now scheduled to arrive on March 17, 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
