Beyond the Wire’s realism is gritty and intense in a way that brings the horrors of World War 1 to players. Just like in the real war, communication and coordination between the two sides will decide who walks away with the victory. Whether it be artillery or calling out the enemy position, the command and section leaders in Beyond the Wire have to use real-time reporting to launch coordinated attacks. There are a number of battles that developer Redstone Interactive has already used to fully take advantage of its communication systems, such as the Battle of Catigny and the Battle of Chateau-Thierry, with more to come.
The most recent DLC, For King and Country, released on April 14 as a part of Beyond the Wire’s content roadmap and came with two new factions, three new maps, and a whole slew of other gameplay additions. The next DLC on the road map is Canada’s 100 Days, and will likely feature just as many improvements. While it’s likely fans won’t be let in on everything in the DLC before it releases this summer, Game Rant recently had an interview with Redstone’s Lead Game Designer Baron, and CEO Bruno De Araugo. During the question and answer portion, details were revealed about one of the maps in Canada’s 100 Days, the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
What Vimy Ridge Means for Canada’s 100 Days
By the Spring of 1917, Germany had occupied much of north-east France, and the Allies were eager to get the territory back. One of these contested areas would be Vimy Ridge, where the Germans had successfully held out against the thousands of French and British soldiers who lost their lives. On Easter Monday in 1917, at least 20,000 Canadian soldiers were gathered around the ridge, preparing for the battle that started at 5:30 that morning. Through the trenches and tunnels, the Canadians of Vimy Ridge used precise planning to take back much of the objective from the German authorities in only a few days.
Just like in the real battle for Vimy, it will be up to the communication between the squad leaders and command to coordinate a planned attack. However, the Germans weren’t eager to give up their land, and had the home field advantage paired with heavy machine guns and artillery. In Beyond the Wire, this will translate into the Canadians ducking and diving into the trenches and tunnels left behind by the English and French forces who had been previously tried to take the ridge. This plays wells into Beyond the Wire’s gameplay, which already does a great job of showing players the risks of poking their head out at the wrong time.
“It was this really difficult objective to take that they’d been fighting over for the whole war… and then the Canadians did it really handily. The thing was, it was only supposed to be a diversionary attack.
The Significance of Canada’s 100 Days in Beyond the Wire
Canada’s 100 Days refers to the military campaign from the Canadian Corps that lasted from August 8, 1918, to November 11, 1918, and largely marked the end of the first World War. The Battle for Vimy Ridge, and Canada’s 100 Days that followed, stood as an indication of Canada’s jump in its own military strength separate from the British and French. Canada is attributed as being one of the most substantial forces in this final push that ended WW1. Beyond the Wire developer Redstone has taken notice of the Canadian Corps underdog ability and will show that to fans through this DLC.
Beyond the Wire is an immersive first person shooter where the artillery can take out your whole squad in the blink of an eye. This brutal trench warfare of World War 1 does a great job of replicating what it must’ve been like to watch scores of your fellow men be taken in an instant, while making each success feel important and worthwhile. Through communication and careful planning the Canadians can win back Vimy Ridge again, otherwise the German team will get a chance to rewrite history.
“Vimy Ridge was the first that all the Canadian divisions fought together in World War 1 as an Army Corps… It ended up being this huge breakthrough.”
Beyond the Wire is available now for PC.
