In single player, Titanfall 2 will deliver a crafted experience that explores the unique bond between man and machine. Playable offline, the single player campaign in Titanfall 2 will let fans step out onto The Frontier as a Militia rifleman with aspirations of becoming an elite Pilot. Stranded behind enemy lines and facing overwhelming odds, players must team up with a veteran Titan to uphold a mission they were never meant to carry out. In multiplayer, Respawn is continuing to evolve their best-in-class gameplay to provide a more robust experience that delivers expanded depth and variety that includes six new Titans, deeper Pilot abilities, more customization options, and a robust progression system that is sure to satisfy fans.

Titanfall 2’s story puts players in the boots of Jack Cooper, a Militia rifleman who dreams of piloting his own Titan. At the beginning of Titanfall 2’s story, Jack realizes this dream — under less-than-ideal circumstances. After their first encounter, players set out to locate a power source for an incapacitated BT-7274 (“BT,” for short). After finding and installing it, the pilot and machine form a neuro-link, at which point Jack is able to take control of BT and the game kicks off in earnest.

One might assume that a game featuring pilots controlling giant mechs would spend most of its time putting players in the cockpit, but Respawn is taking care to balance the campaign’s time between pilot combat, Titan combat, and more environmental mobility-focused sequences. One stretch of our demo saw Jack using a combination of jet pack boosts and wall-running techniques to navigate a chasm that would have been impossible for BT to pass.

Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one, though — at one point, Jack and BT encounter a dead end, with more structures dozens (maybe hundreds?) of feet away. BT suggests that the only way forward is a throw, to which Jack replies… well, he replies one of two ways, depending on the player’s choice. Yep, Titanfall 2 features multiple dialogue options, though based on what I saw it doesn’t seem to be as central to the experience as something you’d find in, say, Mass Effect or a Telltale game. The few open-ended moments I saw each gave Jack two response choices, mapped to either up or down on DualShock 4’s D-pad.

But back to the throw! BT suggests that Jack climb into his hand to be tossed across this massive abyss, a maneuver that BT pegs at a 64% chance of success. The person driving our demo chose the response “What about the other 36%?!” which was met with a comically dry assessment of the catastrophic results of a hypothetical missed throw. More personal moments like this punctuate the action-packed, explosive sequences that players might expect to make up the bulk of Titanfall 2.

Fans wanting to hit The Frontier first on October 28 can pre-order Titanfall 2 now at the official website. For those looking to have the ability to customize every Titan day one, the Titanfall 2 Deluxe Edition offers instant access to exclusive Warpaints and Nose Arts, two camouflages, and more.

Prior to release, Titanfall 2 will have an open technical test designed to help Respawn ensure a successful launch on October 28. Fans interested in getting technical test news first can sign up here for Dispatches from The Frontier - the Titanfall 2 Newsletter that provides news, exclusive offers, and much more.