Warhammer: Vermintide 2 – Review

Warhammer is a huge gaming franchise, with titles ranging from RPGs to fast-paced first-person action games. The first Vermintide was a success, and this opened the doors to a sequel. Again, the core elements remain the same, which means that the veterans are assured that the action is not screwed over, while newer players have a field-tested base to start with.

Story

Light versus darkness, good against evil, it’s a war of the worlds as we know it. A never-ending battle that cannot be won, yet many things get lost in the process. Words said by Sigmar, the war-god and eternal patron of the Cult of Sigmar, run through your head: “There can be no victory, for darkness always returns”. Skaven has conquered Ubersreik, and with the civilians fleeing in terror, a group of heroes shows up to get rid of these vermin. In their defeat, the Ratmen struck a pact with barbarians that inhabited the Chaos Wastes. Now the battle for the Reiklands is at a turning point, and with the heroes captured, all hope is lost, or isn’t it? Luckily, our five warriors manage to escape their deathtrap and come together at the hub. This is their base of operations, greeted by the planner who will guide them to the struck places in the lands.

Step by step, the heroes make their way from distant farms to the core of the city and free the many places that are under siege by evil. In general, each mission is presented with a nice spoken story dialogue that ties the story together perfectly. For an action game, it progresses with a great flow, and if you have already heard it, you can easily skip the intros.

Graphics

The Skaven and barbarians have a face only a mother could love, not due to the bad graphics, but the characters are so detailed that their grotesque appearance is actually one of the most beautiful things next to the astonishing scenery. When you look at the horizon or the deep valleys, it just takes your breath away.

Overall, the graphics are so powerful and life-like that you feel like this is all happening in real life. Many small details are worked out to the biggest specifications. Weapons are different and have little scars and dents to them, enemies explode and get decapitated so limbs fly everywhere, and fire feels very organic.

With these heavy graphics and a lot of combat happening in front of you, there were initially some frame rate problems with the Beta version, but these are all smoothed out, and the full release now runs a stable 60+ FPS.

Sound

In a constant war, the best soundtrack there is, is the bashing of shields, the clashing of swords, and the screams of fallen enemies. Just sit back and enjoy the slaughter that happens around you. Naturally, the heroes will interact with the situation and will occasionally talk to each other to inform them about their killing spree, being hurt, missing a lot, etc. The Elf is the saltiest of the bunch as she will constantly insult everyone there is and barely gives a compliment, but when this happens, it is a true achievement. When in battle, combat music will sweep you up to get you on edge. When it all calms down, some medieval tunes play to keep the mood going.

Gameplay

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a first-person action game that looks and feels a lot like Left 4 Dead, and this makes for some very interesting gameplay. Fast-paced shooting styled with a vast amount of special enemies and hordes swarming upon the team, sounds familiar, right? Well, it is, and we don’t know if the creators have something in common, but there are mixed reviews about this. The goal is to fight through hordes of enemies while completing certain tasks and manage to tell the story afterwards. It all starts in your hub, where you may talk to various people who have their own business there. Change your inventory or craft new weapons from salvaging old ones.

New equipment is awarded to the player in the form of item boxes that are acquired from completing levels and gaining XP. These range from very simple to extremely rare. By leveling up, you always get a decent one that promises good items, while the ones you get by completing a level are decided based on performance. Did you find all the tomes, activate the grimoires, and find the loot dice? Tomes are tiny books that take the healing item slot, and grimoires lower your total health; both are needed to get the best rewards available. In your inventory, five tabs of equipment can be found, one for melee and another for ranged weapons. Close combat weapons are there in many shapes and sizes, from daggers to two-handed war hammers. Taking on troops from a distance is fun with crossbows, rifles, and other artillery. To boost stats and defense, there are three accessories in the form of necklaces, trinkets, and rings.

If you decide what mission to take, an option is available to play solo with bots, allow others to join the fight or have some friends help you out. Step through the portal and let the carnage begin. Most of the gameplay is just fighting with Skaven troops, who come in all colors and sizes. Most of the troops go down fairly easily, but they are equipped with shields and armor. Next to the foot soldiers, you have the chaos warriors and the specials. Just like in Left 4 Dead, these unique enemies are there to punish the group if they stray too far. These pin the player to the ground, leaving them defenseless until an ally saves them. Another tempo increaser is the horde spawner that sends a huge wave of soldiers to dispose of you. The game controls are snappy, and the many heroes and classes allow for different playstyles. Each hero has three classes that boast unique abilities and skill sets. Every five levels, the player may choose one of three skills that fit their needs the best. When playing as a ranger, it is more important to score headshots, while if you are the tank, it is best to be able to do as much blocking as you can.

On the field, you will find a range of items to help out on the journey. Healing draughts might taste foul, but they will make you feel better. The medical supplies take some time to apply, leaving moments open for enemies to attack, but it’s more effective when the hero has visited the ground a few times. Various potions to increase speed and strength will make you feel like you picked up a star in Super Mario, and handheld explosive devices will make quick minced meat from all those rats. Teamwork is of the essence; the chance that you will make it to the boss on your own is slim, so if a partner is downed, pick them up again, patch them up, or share your supplies. In the case you or an ally bites the dust, it is not game over yet. In each level, there are places where they keep those who have fallen locked up, and it is up to the player to rescue them.

Conclusion

Vermintide 2 is a welcome successor to the original Vermintide. With its fast action gameplay, it is so much fun to hack and slash through waves of rats and barbarians. Blow those irritating special enemies to pieces with the wide arsenal of weapons you can acquire. With five heroes to choose from and three classes per character, there are endless possibilities to select. Knowing that this game is only priced as a half-triple A title, there is nothing to keep you from getting this with a group of friends and having memorable evenings together. Or just curse at the bots for leaving you behind or something.

MC_JP

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Never give up on a dream. It might be a long nightmare, but one day it will change into a beautiful reality - MC_JP 2014

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