The Warhammer franchise of video games have used a variety of different genres to give fans the chance to explore the engaging fantasy universe. It’s aRPG’s turn.
During Rezzed 2019, I had the chance to get hands-on with the upcoming Warhammer: Chaosbane and see how the setting works as a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler. Offering both solo play as well as local or online co-op with up to four players, the title promises a chance to cleave a path through countless hordes of enemies.
Now, as a big fan of hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers already, the added aesthetic of the Warhammer universe is my cup of tea. So picking up a controller with a friend, we jumped into the title and quickly began our crusade. With four classes available, we opted to take the sword and shield equipped soldier class and the mage, with their devastating magic, for a test drive.
Although the time we spent playing was using controllers, I was surprised how easy it was to get the hang of the controls. I quickly became comfortable using all of our abilities. Games of this sort are ones that I would normally prefer to experience with a keyboard and mouse, so I found the very functional controller layout a pleasant change and surprise.
One of the more interesting elements of the game is that a number of abilities that can be controlled after activating them. For example, the mage had one ability that would spawn a whirlwind of sorts, that would slow enemies. By using the right analog stick this could be moved around the battlefield while still allowing the mage to perform other actions. This works for all classes with a level of flexibility to be found in all their abilities.
Once more, the title promises to have such a wide range of actions that players will be able to create some truly unique builds to battle their enemies with. I was told that the Rezzed build was showcasing a fire mage build, but in the office the developers had already been surprising each other with combinations that they had created. This pool of playstyle opportunities is, for me at least, what makes Warhammer: Chaosbane so exciting. Next to its engaging and fun gameplay loop.
Although I only spent a short amount of time with Warhammer: Chaosbane it was extremely satisfying and left me wanting more. If you’re a fan of Warhammer or hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers, then I recommend keeping an eye on this one.
Warhammer: Chaosbane will be releasing on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 4th June, 2019.
