"For Honour": A samurai, a knight and Vikings walk into a bar...
17.2.2017
Translation: machine translated
Brute carnage with huge axes, swords and sharp spears. Instead of shooting with modern shooting irons, in "For Honor" you duel to the death with medieval weapons. As a Viking, samurai or knight. Will the unusual mix pay off?
"War of the Roses", "Chivalry", "Mount and Blade: Warband". There are many games with medieval close combat duels, and "For Honor" from Ubisoft is in the same vein. Unlike the competition, however, this is the first time one of the major studios has put its concentrated development power behind such a project.
In "For Honor", three unusual opponents face each other: Vikings, knights and samurai. What sounds like the beginning of a bad joke lends the game variety and makes it stand out from the crowd. In single and multiplayer games, you will fight martial battles in besieged castles, mystical cathedrals and burning fortresses.
Linear campaign as an amuse bouche
I start with the single-player mode and save the guaranteed defeats in online mode for later. The campaign follows the three factions. First, as a knight, I slice my way through the soft flesh of my enemies. As a faceless warrior with a fearsome helmet and steel plate armour, I fight my way through the first missions. They mostly follow the same pattern: beat everything to a pulp in linear levels until a slightly stronger opponent (the boss) is waiting to be made a head shorter at the end. In between, two categories of enemies stand in your way. Firstly, foot soldiers, who are already a head shorter before you swing your sword and who are dead in one hit. Even in large numbers, they are hardly a threat.
Then there are the enemies, where "For Honor" reveals its actual combat system. An exciting and tactical sword dance begins with them. You can strike and block on three sides: Left, right and up. To do this, you aim at your opponent and select the appropriate stance. An arrow signals which side the opponent will strike on. If the opponent changes direction, you must react quickly enough to parry in time with your giant axes and swords. Striking, blocking etc. consumes stamina. If you run out of breath, you can be knocked out just by parrying.
The principle is quickly understood. The campaign skilfully teaches you new tricks such as the shoulder strike to break cover or a pike roll. Even simple combos are possible. Once again, the same applies to "For Honor": easy to learn, difficult to master.
In the campaign, the opponents are relatively easy to defeat. Think of it as training for the online mode. Many of you will be heading straight for it anyway - and rightly so. The campaign is quite entertaining but also negligible. You have to give Ubisoft credit for making an effort and hiring first-class voice actors - at least in the original English version.
Punching people is the most fun
The multiplayer is the centrepiece of the game. There are five modes and six maps to choose from. For example, you can duel 1 vs 1 or, what I have enjoyed the most so far, you can go head-to-head in 4 vs 4 team fights. However, as even eight players are far too few for a proper medieval battle, there are heaps of computer-controlled sword fodder cavorting around in most modes. You have to clear points from them before you can capture them - similar to the creeps in MOBAs.
But it only gets really exciting when you come up against human opponents. These duels are extremely exciting and will make your forehead sweat. Sometimes they are over in a split second and other times you fight for what feels like minutes. This is where "For Honor" shows its greatest strength. Battles are tactical, require good timing and a lot of skill. All three factions have different fighters. Some are stronger, others faster, some have a shield, others have two swords. Using them correctly is a prerequisite if you want to be successful.
Conclusion
I already found "War of the Roses" and "Chivalry" extremely entertaining. But "For Honor" is in a different league in terms of gameplay, graphics and polish. Weapons feel massive and when you sink your axe into your opponent's chest, you really feel the force of the impact. The detailed armour also deserves a mention. Whether samurai with their devilish masks, Vikings with their wild horns or the knights in their massive armour. They are a pleasure to look at and inspire respect. "For Honor" is a really successful game with a great combat system and a fresh scenario. If you're looking for a beating, this is the game for you.
The PC version looks particularly impressive, but "For Honor" is also an eye-catcher on console
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.