Where Battlefront II’s new single player mode is attempting something different (both the mode and its content), the focus for the returning multiplayer component seems to be more about refinement. The last Battlefront got a lot right, but it also occasionally felt like gorgeous blueprints for something better to come. This could well be it.

Burnout creators Criterion have stepped in to take on the game’s vehicles and head up a much-requested new feature; a full space combat mode. While the first game’s baby steps into providing material from films other than the original trilogy have become a bold jump, this will be the first Star Wars

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The philosophy seems to be about creating not only a picture-perfect Star Wars game, but one that offers more of the fantasy of being boots-on-the-ground in that universe. The ultimate goal is apparently to allow players to become heroes of their own, and not just by taking control of the characters they’ve watched on-screen before.

“ It'll have full classes, rather than changeable equipment loadouts.

While the team won’t get into specifics at this point, there are some fairly telling changes from 2015’s Battlefront. Firstly, we’re teased with the idea that the new game will offer full classes, rather than the changeable equipment loadouts of the first. Each class will come with a shared progression system, but will change appearance depending on what map and side you’re playing on - for instance, the prequels’ Battle Droids and First Order troopers look very different, but are the same class with your chosen upgrades. That progression system’s seemingly designed to let you feel as though you’re moulding a character as you play, helping you get more attached, as well as fit your play-style.

Check out the brand new reveal screenshots below - click right to see them all:

Battlefront 2 Reveal Screenshots 7 IMAGES

That’s going to apply to far more than grunts, however. Vehicles, heroes and “something else I shouldn’t mention” (the words of creative director Bernd Diemer, who wouldn’t be drawn on what that is) will all have their own individual progression systems, letting you add abilities to famous figures, or upgrade your favourite ships.

“ In Battlefront 1, being a 'hero' was a brief experience for the lucky few.

You shouldn’t just feel invested in your favourite picks, but like you truly deserved to break them out mid-battle. One of the most dogged criticisms of DICE’s first Battlefront game was that it rarely made you feel like you earned its biggest rewards. Accessing gadgets, vehicles and nigh-unstoppable heroes via floating holographic coins might have made things a little smoother - no more TIE Fighter bunfights as whole teams tried to climb into one cockpit - but it was hardly satisfying. The fact that collecting those power-ups was mostly a matter of good luck at the expense of other players, and that those moments could end pretty suddenly only compounded the issue.

Executive producer Matt Webster summarises that problem well: “it was a brief experience for the lucky few.” It’s clearly a rehearsed line, most likely because a major part of the multiplayer team’s job has been to fix it. While the devs, again, won’t delve deep into exactly how the system will work, we’re told that both heroes and vehicles will now work on what the team calls “a resource-based system”.

Star Wars: A Legacy of Teaser Posters 13 IMAGES

While power-ups will seemingly still be scattered around the battlefield, the implication is that players will earn some kind of in-match currency for performing well, then making the decision to trade that in for a rideable Tauntaun(!), or saving it up to step into Darth Maul’s yet-to-be obsolete boots (though that specific decision won’t happen in a single match, as heroes and vehicles are tied to era-appropriate maps). It should also make for a more exciting battlefield experience - the devs openly admit that they want more heroes on the field at once, but that comes at the cost of making them easier to dispatch for regular troopers.

“ Making close-quarters combat more satisfying.

Diemer explains that that the heroes - so far we know of Rey, Kylo Ren, Darth Maul, Yoda, Luke Skywalker and new single player (anti-)hero, Iden - are more physical this time around. It should make close-quarters combat more satisfying (“you cannot do Maul without him being a kick-ass melee fighter, right? That would be sad.”), but also make them feel less like the hovering laser-sponges of the last game.

There are a lot of smaller details still to learn - returning or new modes, how many planets we’ll be visiting (we’ve been told that Yavin-4, Tatooine and Starkiller Base are included), whether the game will try to replicate the older Battlefront games’ more ‘story-like battles’ - but the focus is clear: the dev team wants Battlefront II to be a multiplayer game you don’t just enjoy looking at, but that replicates the feeling of Star Wars’ grandest moments.

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Matt Webster sums it up: “These are battles on a planet - that’s the thing that people attach to. It’s that that we’ve really wanted to lean into this time. It connected with people, it was a moment that connected to a fantasy in our heads. So beyond it looking awesome and being great fun, there was an emotional attachment to it. That’s the power you get out of Star Wars, that was obvious and you hear the response from people - that’s a great signal for us to lean into those moments.”

Battlefront’s multiplayer looked right, but Battlefront II wants to feel right. The signs, right now, are pretty good.

Disclosure: Motive writer Mitch Dyer previously worked as an editor at IGN from 2012-2016.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and Bor Gullet had better be a playable hero. Follow him on Twitter.