The hack and slash world of medieval war simulators has maintained a strong presence for the past few years, particularly on PC. WhileMordhauis the most recent game in the genre to take hold of the conversation,Chivalry 2has arrived to challenge the throne.
Developed by Torn Banner Studios andpublished by Deep Silver, the elevator pitch forChivalry 2is as simple as they come. Two factions – the noble Agathans and the more devilish Masons – battle it out on maps with swords, axes, hammers, and whatever other objects they might come across. There are 64 and 40-player modes, each with slightly different objectives but the same core philosophy: kill the people on the other team.
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While it may be simplistic, that singular focus isallChivalry 2needs to succeed. The siege warfare and fighting pit set dressing enhance the experience, butChivalry 2’sfrantic engagements would still be compelling in a padded room. It doesn’t command players to master each of its concepts if they want to be competitive, it simply tells them to charge at one another and cause a bit of chaos, screaming battle cries as they meet their grisly doom.
Of course, that’s not to say thatChivalry 2’s combatis overly simple – far from it, in fact.Chivalry 2has a steep learning curve that allows those that master it to become unstoppable forces on the battlefield, while less-skilled players become people-shaped targets for them to hack away at. That same skill gap can be found in any multiplayer game, though, andChivalry 2does provide players with everything they need to be on equal footing. It just comes down to whether or not players can refine those concepts.
WhatseparatesChivalry 2from other multiplayer gamesis how it handles dying. While it’s still frustrating to have one’s head chopped off,Chivalry 2adds in a few extra elements to spice things up whenever the player is outmatched. For instance, sometimes a player’s arm will get cut off, giving them a short amount of time to swing whatever one-handed weapon they might be carrying at their attacker, their screen telling them it’s “just a flesh wound” the entire time.
The game also makes a point to simply knock players down on occasion rather than just killing them. While this is normally a death sentence, players can either be revived from this downed state or spend their last few moments throwing punches at other players' groins. It’s these moments of absurdity wrapped up in intense battles that makeChivalry 2such a refreshing experience, especially when played alongside friends.
Not to mention,Chivalry 2is gorgeous. The way the sun reflects off armor, the details on some of the weapons, and the mud that coats the battlefield all combine for a game that’s visually appealing, despite clearly being a lower-budget endeavor. Again, the core experience found withinChivalry 2is already engaging enough to make its visuals feel secondary, but good looks are the icing on the cake.
Those visuals don’t extend everywhere, though. While players are going to spend most of their time in a full suit of armor,Chivalry 2does allow for some light character customization. The issue is that those customization options always seem to combine into something that resembles a death mask rather than a gallant knight. ConsideringChivalry 2’ssimultaneously grand and lighthearted tone, that might be intentional.
Another, less nitpicky areaChivalry 2struggles with early on is the weapon selection. While the arsenal opens up quite a bit later on, the classes feel pretty similar to start. Progression is mostly class-based for things like weapon unlocks, with a separate global rank that has some more ubiquitous uses, so focusing on a single class will provide more diverse options to use. It’s repeating the process for other classes that can get a bit tiresome, as most of the early primary weapons feel same-y. Their variety is mostly in swing speed and reach, which is significant from a tactical perspective, but some additional tweaking to impact for the different weapon types would’ve made a world of difference.
Since its launch, the game has also struggled with server issues. There are a lot of factors that can affect that, but even with a consistent Internet connection, it’s not uncommon to see ping spikes and characters jittering around on the screen. The problems usually don’t last long, andChivalry 2makes it easy to see low-ping servers in the browser, but the issues are nonetheless frustrating considering how important timing is to the combat.
There are some other, smaller bugs that also look odd on-screen, but not ones that drag the experience down by much. For instance, players will occasionally run across the map without their legs moving, making their bodies swing along awkwardly as they move. It’s a problem that will likely be patched, but it still an odd one to see on screen. For the most part, though, we haven’t encountered any issues that feel like they’ll harm the experience long term.
Those that enjoy games that are bloody, bombastic, and have a pinch of humor will find anexcellent experience inChivalry 2.It’s approachable, smooth, and an excellent time with friends. Plus, there’s the promise of free content on the horizon, which should make the current offering even more appealing to those that engage with it. While there are some minor technical issues to be sorted out here and there, it’s still one of the most enjoyable experiences to come out of 2021 so far.
Chivalry 2is available now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Game Rant reviewedChivalry 2on theNeuron 4000D from Origin PC. Origin offers a variety of customizable PCs that can meet any gamers' needs.Read more about the Neuron here.
Chivalry 2
WHERE TO PLAY
From Torn Banner Studios comes the war and combat-focused Chivalry 2, the second entry in the franchise. Players can experience immersive and massive medieval-style battlefields with other players while upgrading their combatant in-between battles thanks to the game’s detailed subclass mechanic.
