Ark of the Lost Angels

2017’s Titanfall 2 had one of the most engaging FPS campaigns in recent years, despite being relatively cookie-cutter in terms of narrative structure. The first reason was that with the first Titanfall game being a multi-player only game, with a “campaign” made up of multiplayer matches with expanded animation, added setpieces and extra narration, to get a dedicated single-player campaign was a victory in and of itself.

The second reason is the player’s companion, Militia Vanguard-class Titan, BT-7274. In the first game, it was established that Titans had relative autonomy, with Auto-Titan protocols taking control once a pilot leaves the cockpit, though its direction was simple. This idea is run with in the second. The game starts out with the player character, Rifleman Jack Cooper taking the role of acting pilot for BT once Captain Tai Lastimosta is killed. As BT and Jack make their journey together, an understanding and a bond forms between the two. Certain sections necessitated piloting BT, other parts forced Jack to progress alone and the campaign was set up to highlight how much better the two fought together.

There were a few conversation options with BT that gave one choice or another, sometimes straightforward or humorous, sometimes they were between other emotional responses, but the interactions between Cooper and BT showed BT’s personality growing and filling out, influenced by Cooper. The time travel sequence, which forced Cooper to flip back and forth from the past to the present, had BT upload a fragment of his programming into Cooper’s equipment in order to maintain contact to successfully complete the mission. However, the concern that is in BT’s relatively monotone voice makes the character question whether or not the concern is just professional. And, by the point that Cooper gives BT a thumbs up for BT to hesitantly return the gesture is one of many players’ favorite moments. It’s great to see a giant robot give you a thumbs up after catching you from falling off a radar array to your death, but the second level idea that it is the result of BT becoming more human is what makes it so impactful.

At their introduction, BT states that there are three protocols dictating Titan actions.

• Protocol One: Link to Pilot
• Protocol Two: Uphold the Mission
• Protocol Three: Protect the Pilot

These protocols are repeated throughout the campaign, but the last one, “Protect the Pilot” does not get its full emotional weight until BT quotes it as he fastballs Cooper to safety from the superweapon the two are attempting to destroy. BT started as an extension of a simple game mechanic: Auto-Titan behavior, and narratively explored the bond between man and machine and led to the core of the game’s story.  BT being a constant companion leads to a protective urge returning from Cooper to BT. During the section they were separated, Cooper’s urgency to reunite with BT was spurred on by BT’s communications of distress, and BT’s request that Cooper stay as his pilot despite not being officially trained for it hits home emotionally, and even during the time travel sequence, when returning to the present, many players found BT surrounded by enemy forces, and it kicks an instinct to jump back in and take them on together.

After all, we have an extremely effective combat efficiency record.