Chivalry 2

Inspired by the greatest medieval movie battles, Chivalry 2 hopes to improve on its predecessor by offering the best medieval fighting experience possible. With knights, swords and shields, Chivalry 2 is shaping up to be this generation's answer to the increasing popularity in medieval games that we saw rise in the last ten years.

Not A Sword Simulator

Fans of the original Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, For Honor and Mordhau will know the slow-paced and realistic combat all too well. Swings and slashes are much more than a simple button press in Chivalry. With an animation style similar to combat in games like Dark Souls, Chivalry doesn’t allow players to mindlessly hack and slash at enemy players. Movement is slow and full of purpose, meaning that if you swing too soon or too often, you might just find yourself getting your head chopped off.

Instead, Torn Banner Studios isn’t focused on hyper-focused realism, but rather a realistic effort that brings players together for giant battles in suited armour. But sword fighting isn’t the be all and end all of Chivalry 2’s warfare. Players have access to bows, horses, siege weapons and of course, the ever-faithful yell mechanic that lets players scream war cries at each one another.

‘Tis But A Scratch

Chivalry might be well-known for its slow pace, but it's equally well known for its gritty depiction of medieval warfare. In the close-quarter-combat that has men swinging sharpened swords at one another, there’s bound to be a decapitation or two. Chivalry 2 knows this, and developer Torn Banner Studios has upped the ante on the blood and guts that eventually smear the entirety of the battlefield.

Unforgiving, Yet Satisfying

Most of the game modes in Chivalry 2 are your standard affair. What makes the dynamics of matches so interesting, however, is the fact that the game’s core mechanics are easy to understand, yet difficult to master.

It’s not just about unleashing swing after swing, instead Chivalry 2 allows players a unique amount of movement and flexibility with their character. With enough practice, players can even duck under enemy swings, strafe around foes in order to flank them and even roll out of danger when forced to the ground. This amount of dexterity means that players always have an option to leave a tight situation, even if the game’s movement is relatively slow.

If the actual fighting wasn’t hard enough, there’s also the added danger of friendly ‘fire’, where you can easily take chunks out of your teammates. All of this allows battles in Chivalry 2 to take chaotic, but ultimately engaging turns that see matches with up to 64 players transform across the battlefield.

PROS:

• Giant, online 64-player battles
• Bigger, wider scope
• Greater maneuverability

CONS:

• Very similar to other games in the genre
• Not a massive step up from the original Chivalry

Get Ready for some intense battle nonsense in Chivalry 2. Get into the action and start swinging as you take control of a character who is about to fight the battle of their lives. Little focus is paid to any kind of story or concept beyond combat in this bloody mess of body parts and blades. If you are looking for a game that doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war but still keeps it fun and arcade-y; you’ve come to the right place. Let’s gear up.

Gameplay

Strap on your armor and let’s get nuts in this absolute chaos of combat. Do you want a story? Well, I’m pretty sure there is one but I lost sight of it 30 battles ago. This game focuses well and truly on the combat and it is all the better for it. You take control of a solider who suits your fighting style and throw yourself into the middle of a fight like a shiny ball of blades and arrows, tearing the limbs off anything that gets close to you until you are impaled by some rando with a spear. Did that sound like an absolute mess? Good, that means I’m explaining it well. I have got to be honest with you, Chivalry 2 is an incredible amount of fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The difference in strength between you and the world’s best players isn’t a huge margin, everyone has been placed on the same battleground and it holds up really well. If you liked games like Mordhau, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance (but without as much story), Mount and Blade(But with an easier to follow story), then this is, without a doubt, something for you.

The only gripe I could feasibly have, is that you can’t select your own loadout. But with that said, there are so many predesigned loud outs that you will likely find the one you were going to make anyway. This is also the first game I’ve seen that also includes female playable characters, so now we can all kill with equality in mind and I honestly think that rules. 30% of male gamers like to play as women when given the chance and this accommodates that niche quite well.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer functions a little like For Honor. You get dropped into a vast fight with friends and strangers alike but thankfully this title isn’t too bad when it comes to waiting in lobbies. This game doesn’t shy away from throwing a handful of bots into the fray to get those 64 person lobbies filled up. No longer are we looking at 24 person games, those are rooky numbers and Torn Banner Studios really went to work getting those numbers up in a way that accommodates the fun.

Visuals

Hey, I have got to be real for a second. The graphics in this game are stunning. I am consistently really impressed by how shiny the swords and armor look, how beautiful the trees and the stonework on the castles are. It’s not something they needed to pay a great deal of attention to but they absolutely crushed it and every map looks amazing. It adds a lot more toward replay value than one may think.

Pros:

• Incredibly fun combat
• Looks amazing
• Accommodates new players well

Cons:

• Needs way more character customization