Just as I was about to give up looking for something new to play this weekend, I received an email inviting me to join in the Chivalry 2 closed beta.
I hadn’t played the first Chivalry, so in honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have to say, I enjoyed Chivalry so much more than I had expected to and am thoroughly pleased to be doing such a positive Chivalry 2 review.
What is Chivalry 2?
Chivalry 2 is an online fighting game, where up to 64 players join teams to battle in historic fights from medieval times.
While it’s listed as a fighter, I would personally call it a battle simulator. The main focus of the game is objective-based sieges which are based on real-life battles.
Another important thing about Chivalry is that it’s cross-platform. This means the servers are consistently populated and even on the closed beta I was in a battle within a matter of seconds from joining. If it was this quick in a closed beta, I imagine that it will be just as fast once the game is released on June 8th, 2021.
If you haven’t heard of Chivalry 2 before but like tactical war games, or even games like Overwatch, you will love Chivalry 2. I highly recommend giving it a go.
Game Modes
At the moment there are two game modest team deathmatch and team objectives. Of course, the team deathmatch is a simple deathmatch mode, which many games offer, but for me, it was the team objective mode that really shined in this game.
With the objective-based game, you are placed into historical battles with two teams, a defending team, and an offensive team.
The game is then broken down into smaller objectives, such as push the battering ram, break down the gates or defend the courtyard to name but a few.
There are several different objective-based scenarios including castle sieges, ambushes, and pillaging. Of all the game types I found the castle sieges to be the most enjoyable. I really relish the strategic element of the game.
While it’s not the most difficult game out there to get used to, there is a tutorial, which I highly recommend giving a go. I personally skipped the tutorial on the first play and landed halfway through a siege not having the slightest clue what I was meant to be doing, or the controls.
Chivalry 2 Battlegrounds
The battleground spans an impressive size, giving you plenty of room to maneuver around both enemies and teammates. But there have been a few missions, one where I have found my teammates and I trapped on a bridge, struggling not to hit each other.
I tested Chivalry 2 on my Xbox series X which offered incredibly detailed graphics. In fact, sometimes I wish the fighting had have slowed down for just a moment so I could take the scenery in more.
As well as the classes, where you can choose from having their own weapons, there are scenery objects which can be used to kill your enemies. These include exploding barrels that can be thrown at your enemy and ballista to cut them down.
As you would expect from any medieval battle game, there is a lot of decapitation and blood, which in some cases even led to blood being splattered all over the screen.
There have been many fights where I have chopped someone’s arm off and they have tried to continue fighting with the one arm, I was left unsure if I should laugh or cringe at their attempt to kill me one-armed.
With the siege-based maps, there are plenty of opportunities if you are playing as an archer. You can use the surroundings to gain the tactical height advantage, as well as finding Embrasures (Archer windows) to shoot through. This leaves you plenty of cover to stay safe.
The current classes available in Chivalry 2
There are currently four classes to choose from, which made some impressive weaponry to rip your opponents apart with.
- Knight – The Knight carries a large two-handed sword that deals devastating blows, they are slower than the footman but appear to be harder to kill and easier to block with from my experience
- Vanguard
- Footman
- Archer – Vulnerable to close-range attacks, but from a distance, the archer can be your opponent’s worst nightmare. Light and quick, making them easy to get around the battlefield looking for vantage points.
Each class offers its own unique playstyles and therefore they have their own pros & cons, personally, I found the Vanguard and archer to be my favorite two classes, but there seemed to be an even mix of classes across the board.
You can change class between respawns, so I suggest having a play with them all and seeing which ones are suited to your play style, it won’t take long for you to find your favorite.
Chivalry 2 Combat System
I have found before that melee combat games can be extremely haphazard, and in many cases, otherwise great games have been let down by appalling combat, Conan Exiles is a good example of this.
Chivalry 2 makes melee combat work, which is helpful considering the entire game surrounds melee combat, in fact, the combat was extremely good, with hitboxes rarely seeming at all off.
Each class has its own set of attacks and defensive moves, mostly consisting of a heavy attack, light attack, and blocking, but there are other attacks such as a tackle, which makes you run at an enemy knocking them down.
You can only block for a small amount of time, so I found that timing the perfect parry was the way to go, leaving you more time to block again, should your opponent come at you with multiple swings, just keep an eye out for an opening and plan the perfect counter.
There are sets of combos, mixing up overhead slashes with quick swings of your sword, as well as combos for blocking and then counter-attacking. The creativity of mixing up the attacks takes Chivalry 2 away from your normal hack and slash and turns it into something more tactical.
There is something remarkably enjoyable about cutting your opponent’s limb from limb, in fact, I’ve found myself purposely aiming for legs, as the feeling of chopping someone’s leg off is strangely satisfying.
Summary
From the minute you join a battle, you’re waving your weapon in the air and screaming at the top of your lungs. Chivalry 2 is an action-packed, fast-paced game, which has got my adrenaline pumping more than any other game in recent times.
While it can be hard to make tactical choices in the heat of battle and against so many enemies, Chivalry 2 rewards smart play. Players who are tactical about where they stand, pick the right time to block, counter or attack; it’s these players which will really thrive in Chivalry 2.
For the first few games, I actually forgot to take any screenshots. I forgot what my job was and that I was playing the game to review it, not to enjoy it. Chivalry 2 is the first game in a long time which made me forget all that and just genuinely enjoy the game.
Chivalry 2 is the kind of game you think you will get bored of, yet keep on playing it, never actually getting bored. It’s an action-packed rollercoaster of a game, which continues to offer more fun the more you play.
For those of you interested in the lore, the developers have promised rich and detailed lore. I personally just want to get to June 8th so I can get back to dismembering some fellow gamers.
See you all on the battlefield!
For the full release of Chivalry 2, why not check out our Chivalry 2 Review.
