Chivalry II Review. Limbless War – review Addiction

What distinguishes a one-day project from a game that you want to come back to again and again? It’s not just a matter of quality. “Normal” releases – quite in line with expectations, but not particularly memorable – appear several times a month. And soon they quietly disappear into oblivion.

Massive wall-to-wall battles are the main attraction of Chivalry II. Ears are buzzing with the clang of swords, severed limbs fly everywhere, blood literally flows like a river

Bulat Field 1342

Many might call the Chivalry II dull. Historicity (or at least its semblance) and hardcore combat simulation in the spirit Mordhau she does not pretend, and in terms of visual quality the project is noticeably inferior to the same For Honor… In addition, even though the game is technically released, its real percentage of readiness raises questions. All mechanics seem to work stably, and the content is more or less enough for the status of a “full” game. However, some of the declared functions (for example, horseback riding) will appear only in future updates, and the interface and training mode now look frankly rough. Where the conditional Ubisoft would prepare a separate video tutorial on match rules and specific mechanics, Torn Banner Studios simply throws recruits into the thick of the battle. They themselves will figure it out somehow. In general, it is difficult to get rid of the suspicion that the announced year of exclusivity for Epic Games Store – this is actually a poorly disguised “early access”.

There is something old-fashioned about this approach, but it is not surprising. Original Chivalry: Medieval Warfare grew out of fan modification for Half-life 2, and it seems that developers are still concerned not so much with user friendliness as with flexibility of settings and variety of possibilities. For example, each graphics parameter in Chivalry II can be customized – which, by the way, helps a lot to optimize the game for ancient PCs. There is also a separate menu for finding servers in the old fashioned way, and in the future Torn Banner Studios plans to add support for custom servers and modifications. New skins and community-created modes have kept the first Chivalry afloat for a long time, and the sequel is clearly being tipped to do the same.

The appearance of the characters can also be customized down to the smallest detail. Alas, you first have to pay for a beautiful beard – in game or real currency.

Nevertheless, for the first time, the basic content will be enough – three game modes, spread over eight locations. Smaller cards are given for the classic deathmatch, in a team or alone. They are not particularly complex in design: fighters of different classes (three melee combat, plus one ranged one) run to the center of the clearing and give each other cuffs, and the losers return to battle in a couple of seconds. The only striking exception is the gladiatorial arena, in which a variety of traps are generously placed. There, the winner is not the one with the longer messer, but the one who is the first to lure the enemy under a stream of fire or send him into a pit with spikes with a courageous kick. To heighten the effect, you can shout something about madness and Sparta into the monitor.

However, the real Chivalry II is revealed in large-scale operations for 48-64 people. Conceptually, they are all similar (one team attacks, the other defends), but specific scenarios are very diverse: here and a daring raid on a prison, and looting a disgraced village, and storming an enemy citadel using siege weapons. Battles are divided into several stages – each has its own gameplay tasks, a timer and a dedicated area on a huge map. This means that in 20-30 minutes of a match, the battle conditions have time to change several times. Here we are under continuous fire of catapults pushing forward a bulky ram, then trying to hold the city square, and after that we desperately climb the tower fortifications or hunt the enemy commander; his role usually goes to the highest scoring player.

As you move towards the goal, the scenery also changes. Even within the same map, the developers skillfully maintain the dynamics, alternating forests and ruins, market tents and narrow port streets, where a bloodbath cannot be avoided. At the same time, in almost any situation, you can find a workaround or a convenient hill to help the allied swordsmen with crossbow fire … Or maybe, on the contrary, sneak along a steep cliff and go to the annoying arrows in the rear. Despite the complexity of the architecture, the right strategy is often intuitive – and this is a sign of the great skill of the level designers.

Operations tasks often come with surprises. On one of the maps you have to fight off heavily armed punishers, playing as simple peasants with pitchforks and mallets

And my cock is with me

All of the above is already enough for a “normal” medieval action game, but in Chivalry II there are many subtle nuances behind every basic mechanic. In this sense, the unwillingness of developers to lead newbies by the hand, paradoxically, turns into a plus. The joy of discovery (“wow, was that possible too ?!”) – one of the most frequent emotions in the game, and it does not cease to give pleasure for a long time.

Take the combat system, for example. Strictly speaking, it boils down to just four actions: horizontal attack, vertical attack, thrust and block. With such an arsenal, even a fledgling fighter can earn a couple of kills – fortunately, the developers further simplify the task, sometimes diluting the team with bots. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. In Chivalry II, it is not only the type of blow that matters, but also the position of the body and the factor of initiative. Turning in the direction of the attack, it can be accelerated or hit several targets at once with one stroke; in turn, an already quick strike allows you to block someone else’s attack, albeit a stronger one. A berserker who thoughtlessly waving a club in a crowd of opponents will only use up his stamina reserve: his initiative will go to opponents who have put a block in time.

Another advanced technique is a quick counterstrike, which can be carried out by correctly guessing the enemy’s attack and using it against him. But be careful: there is a risk that the opponent will bluff and change the technique right on the swing.

Chivalry II is one of that rare breed of action games that are easy to play but hard to master. Too many aspects need to be kept in mind every second: stamina, initiative, ways of arrival of reinforcements, enemy vulnerability to certain hits, weapon speed and attack radius. The latter here, by the way, is enough for a whole pavilion in a medieval museum. Halberds, morgensterns, axes, clubs, spears, two-handed and one-and-a-half swords, and even a pitchfork or a blacksmith’s hammer – the arsenal in the game is, without exaggeration, huge. In addition, the locations are full of interactive objects that can also be used in battle – sometimes in a rather unexpected way. Let’s say the functionality of ballistae and catapults is quite obvious, but what, for example, will happen when interacting with a well or a church candlestick? How can a loaf of bread picked up at the market help in the heat of battle? Surprises and new opportunities literally lie under your feet or hang over your head: it is better not to linger under the chandelier in the throne room.

With its interactivity, Chivalry II unexpectedly echoes the series Hitman and her absurd sense of humor. By some miracle, the developers manage to balance between a more or less serious tone and a completely cartoonish comedy in the spirit of farces Monty Python… Infantrymen with a joyful whoop fly on the catapult, the archer replenishes the ammunition, pulling the arrow straight from the head past the running ally. The heroic knight loses his hand, but it doesn’t matter – there is one more left! And the enemy, meanwhile, raises a freshly severed limb from the ground and continues to advance.

The ability to lift and throw anything noticeably reduces the difference between classes. All have approximately equal opportunities and survivability, only special abilities differ

A separate source of jokes is created by the social system. Chivalry II, already in the tutorial, teases players to insult each other using a wheel of lines, fully voiced in several voices. The injured party even receives a special notification so that they can immediately respond to the offender. And it is no coincidence that a separate button is allocated for the battle cry – every time the team respawns, the race to the front line is invariably accompanied by collective shouts. The developers do not hide their hopes for a full-fledged role-playing game; however, it will most likely require separate servers with well-defined rules and rituals. But the potential is certainly there.

Chivalry II will have at least a couple of years of successful life and development. Behind the mask of “yet another multiplayer action”, it hides a ton of unexpected mechanics and comedic elements, thoughtful level design and a deep combat system. And although not all of its advantages are obvious at first glance, the game quickly intoxicates with freedom of choice: in weapons, tactics, but even in jokes. And this, whatever one may say, is more valuable than any gloss.

Pleased

• simple but exciting battles;
• a huge selection of weapons;
• excellent location design;
• lots of witty details;
• high potential for modifications.

Upset

• unfinished interface;
• unobvious rules of matches;
• there are few differences between the classes;
• cosmetic microtransactions.

How we played

In what: the key is provided by the publisher.

On what: PС.

How many: about 10 hours.

Achievement of the editorial office

“If a friend was suddenly”

Make it so that a wounded enemy is accidentally finished off by his own ally.

Verdict

Those who will not be scared away by Chivalry II with an unobvious design and inconvenient interface will discover an extremely exciting and dynamic game where there will be a place for everyone: both neophytes and fans of medieval fencing.