Historical Mission Structure

Lore & Background

Frontline starts with Lieutenant James Steven 'Jimmy' Patterson storming Omaha Beach as a part of Operation Overlord, after which the OSS sends him to disrupt German U-boat operations. Patterson stows away aboard the fictional U-Boat U-4901 and infiltrates the German U-boat base in Lorient, France, destroying U-4901 and two more U-boats and crippling the port. He crosses paths with SS Hauptsturmführer Rudolf Ulbricht von Sturmgeist, but Sturmgeist leaves before the base is destroyed. Patterson later drops with the 82nd Airborne during Operation Market Garden to find a missing Dutch Resistance contact, rescues him from a Nazi-occupied manor, and learns of a secret German jet fighter called Horten Ho 229 (or Gotha Go 229). Patterson sabotages the aircraft's production, pursues Sturmgeist aboard an armored train but fails to catch him, then proceeds to the secret aircraft facility outside Gotha, destroys supplies, sabotages the facility, kills Sturmgeist, and escapes using the Horten Ho 229 as the facility is bombed by the Allies.

Reader's Guide

Frontline is a first-person shooter where players control Lt. Patterson in a first-person perspective, fighting through levels set during World War II against the Wehrmacht using historical weaponry. Briefings at the start of each mission advance the plot and introduce new characters. Each mission is structured through linear levels with differing locations and styles of gameplay. The player begins on the frontlines during D-Day with AI-controlled soldiers, then undertakes covert operations in locations such as military bases, German-occupied towns, manors, submarines, and countryside settings. Objectives include infiltration, espionage, rescue, and recon. Some missions involve stealth and exploration. Health is determined by a health bar replenished using medikits. Players can earn medals at the end of each level by meeting requirements such as completing objectives, eliminating enemies, and maintaining health, represented by bronze, silver, or gold stars.

Did You Know?

• The D-Day landing level in Frontline (titled 'Your Finest Hour') was not originally planned but was added late in production.
• Lead designer Chris Cross said he had to perform 'story gymnastics' to justify Lt. Patterson's presence at Omaha Beach and that despite his reservations the team 'found a way' to make it fit in the narrative.
• Developers were capped at around 8–12 active AI characters on-screen on the PlayStation 2, so they used automated bullet emitters and static mannequin models to simulate a larger battle.
• The game's soundtrack was composed by Michael Giacchino, performed by the Northwest Sinfonia, and recorded at the Bastyr Chapel between June 11 and 15, 2001.