Developer: Torn Banner Studios
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: PS4
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare (PS4) – Review
Nearly three years after its original release on PC, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare has gotten a brand new release on current gen consoles. Originally based on a Half-Life 2 mod and funded as a Kickstarter project, the game features hand-to-hand combat in a medieval setting. With an active and dedicated community, and a motivated team behind the game, perhaps chivalry isn’t dead after all.
Story
Players are thrown into the mids of a civil war in the fictional kingdom Agatha. There, they are forced to join one of the two opposing factions: the Agatha Knights or the Mason Order. While the Agatha Knights are loyal to the country’s King, the Mason Order wants to overthrow the old regime and enter a new age. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare’s story isn’t particularly extensive or immersive. Additionally, the introductory cutscene explaining the lore can be rather buggy, which in turn further breaks immersion. Noble as the intentions of the story may be, Chivalry’s narrative premise by itself is rather meagre. It does however, give players a reason to kick each other’s ass. And to be honest, in games like these, sometimes that’s all that’s necessary.
Medieval Warfare does not have a single player campaign. While its tutorial does make for some world-building, it’s clear the game focuses mostly on its multiplayer and gameplay aspects. There are some customisation options, but these are rather limited, so don’t expect any options to play as a female warrior or to be able to fully edit your character’s physical appearance.
Graphics
Whilst Chivalry: Medieval Warfare does feature some beautiful environments and immersive weather conditions on different maps, the game does have some issues with its frame rate. More of a gameplay issue, but also affecting the graphical aspect of the game, are the lag and occasional bugs (think soldiers running on thin air). While we have to keep in mind that this game was first released over three years ago, and that some current day online games don’t look much better than this one, it would have been nice to see these issues corrected in Chivalry’s new release.
Sound
The performance of some voice actors wasn’t overly believable. During the tutorial, the voice of our sparring partner was rather distracting (combine this with the fact that our tutorial completely bugged out, as our opponent stood there screaming while we could not hit him at all, and you’ll understand that our first introduction to the game was a rather hilarious one). The battle shouts during the game itself however, are great. Players are given the option to use voice commands during the game, and once everyone starts screaming “For Agatha!” at the top of their lungs, it’s hard to be overly critical of the voice acting any longer. Arrows flying by sound believable enough, and the game does a great job at making it feel like you’re actually on a battlefield. Other sound effects, such as the clashing of swords, are more than decent. Additionally, the soundtrack is quite impressive at times, especially for a relatively small game.
Gameplay
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is an action game at heart. Featuring a variety of well known combat modes, such as team deathmatch and free-for-all, as well as a duel mode, players take each other on in big PVP battles. The game features four different playable classes, distinguishable mostly by the abilities and weapon types each class uses. You can man a ballista, you can use a shield and a sword, a bow and arrows, a mace, …There is a lot of variety. Be advised that team damage is on, and players will kick you if you (accidentally or perhaps not so much) kill too many team players. This can prove to be quite tricky, as the nature of the close combat makes it hard to make sure you’re hitting the right guy.
Combat itself can be very tricky as well, there is generally quite a bit of flailing involved and careful aiming isn’t always the easiest thing in the midst of battle. There is definitely a steep learning curve, as Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is one of those games that’s easy enough to pick up, but hard to actually master. Ultimately though, this uncoordinated fight style might be a lot closer to the truth than Hollywood’s overly choreographed battle sequences. And while the game may not always look like the medieval action movies you might be used to seeing, it does often feel like it. Storming the enemy camp can feel thrilling.
The many pages of strategy guides on the game’s wiki prove that this game can be more than a hack and slasher. Careful consideration as to when you’re going to block, and when you’re going to go for a downward, forward or sideway slash, can make this game quite interesting. Also, there’s just something about seeing your enemy up close and having to take them on personally that feels refreshing compared to the fast-paced combat most current FPS have to offer.
Conclusion
Sure, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare has issues with storytelling, graphics, and even voice acting. But overall, this is a game that can be very fun to play. It’s hard not to laugh when all players are gathered around, with in-game characters screaming at the top of their lungs as they flail about. It’s hard to not feel epic as you slay your enemy. While it does have its issues, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare might be worth it to pick this one up, especially at its current price.
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