If you like a brutal hack-and-slash title with scores of delectable loot, a swathe of different skills and abilities to unlock, and hordes of gruesome baddies to mow down, then highly recommend Eko Software’s Warhammer: Chaosbane.
I started the game and was immediately brought to a screen where I had the opportunity to choose my class. I had the options of Imperial Soldier, High-Elf Mage, Slayer, and Wood Elf Scout. I decided to play as Konrad Vollen, the imperial soldier who had “known only war and bloodshed throughout his entire life.” The screen suddenly went dark and I found myself watching a, and I’ll be honest here, cheesy cinematic as a booming-voiced narrator told me the tale of our protagonist’s perilous battles with the Chaos horde.
As I first began playing Chaosbane, I started to dread that I would have to play this game for the next hour or so… then I looked at my phone and four hours had passed. Warhammer: Chaosbane’s blend of mind-blowing combat and a compelling narrative story worked perfectly in sucking me so deeply into the story that the only reason I put the controller down was because my wrists started to hurt.
Chaosbane (mostly) managed to avoid the primary issue that I find with dungeon-crawler games: repetition. Despite the somewhat uniform environments of the putrid sewers of Nuln and the blood-soaked streets of Praag, I rarely found myself becoming bored. With each mission requiring me to return to the sewers to fight off the cult’s goons, I noticed that the enemies got more challenging and greater in number, providing an ever-more-intense quality of gameplay.
One thing that I really enjoyed about Chaosbane was the loot system. Loot was everywhere (in chests, barrels, or dropped by downed enemies) and I found myself spending so much time just running around the sewers trying to find legendary weapons. Another aspect of the loot system that I enjoyed was the ratings that were given to each item. For example, one sword may do more damage than another, but could also cause you to expend more energy by doing special attacks. In my opinion, details such as these that force players to make decisions about their loadout are fantastic as it provides an experience that tailors much more to each player’s unique fighting style. Any loot that you managed to pick up, but may not want to equip, could either be stored in your personal stash or donated to a local shop. Donating items to the store helps grow your respect rating within the empire, leading to rewards in the future.
Chaosbane’s skill tree features over a hundred different attacks that can be unlocked through the acquisition of skill points. I do not say this lightly, but Chaosbane probably had the best skill tree I have ever seen in a video game. It was comprehensive without being overly confusing and even allowed players to assign which button they wanted to correspond to certain attacks, providing an extra level of freedom and player control that I greatly appreciated. In addition to a traditional skill tree that featured different skills and attacks, Chaosbane also featured a “God-skill” tree in which players could get certain boosts such as “+ 1% maximum health” or “+ 2% maximum damage” through progressing the story and earning “favor from the Gods.”
The graphics and movement of Chaosbane certainly didn’t disappoint either. The sewers and dungeons were disgusting and smeared with sludge, rotting flesh, and layers of grime that only added to the overall experience of the game. I felt as if I could smell the rank products of the cult’s grisly rituals, an unappetizing image that actually improved the overall experience of the game for me. My character’s movements were incredibly fluid as well, allowing me to swing around from monster to monster, hacking at the massive hordes of beasts before me with ease.
The most significant component of combat in Chaosbane that I would like to mention is the implementation of “bloodlust.” Above the health and energy meter in the bottom left of the screen there is something called the “bloodlust” meter. You can get bloodlust by picking up the red orbs dropped by enemies once you kill them. Once your bloodlust meter is full, you can unleash an unstoppable barrage of brutal attacks that render all of your enemies to burnt piles of mush… it’s totally awesome.
I would say that overall, Warhammer: Chaosbane is a very enjoyable hack-and-slash game with a lot of layers that provide for quite an exciting and addicting gaming experience. I had a lot of fun lurking around in the sewers of Nuln, cutting down endless waves of monsters and uncovering the mysteries of the Chaos horde. I highly recommend this to any fans of the dungeon-crawler genre and I will certainly be looking to purchase the full version come its release in June.
Check Out the Warhammer: Chaosbane Beta Launch Trailer:
Warhammer: Chaosbane will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam starting June 4th, 2019 and beginning May 31st for owners of the Magnus Edition and Digital Deluxe.
Related: WARHAMMER: CHAOSBANE Reveals the Archer ELESSA
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I've been playing video games since I got a Playstation 2 when I was about 5 or 6 years old. The original Star Wars: Battlefront series and the Spyro series initially ignited my interest in gaming, but it wasn't until I got older that I truly appreciated the subtle details that make video games such a unique form of entertainment. My favorite type of video game would have to be any lengthy and plot-driven open world game, with my favorite games of all time being Batman: Arkham City, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Firewatch.
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