Chivalry 2 (2021)

It's my first time playing a game with 64 people on server at once. It's really cool and chaotic. You often die fast silly deaths, but respawn so fast, there's no time to get upset.

I like that it always respawns you together with other 3-10 teammates that also died and your character is already sprinting towards the frontline as you respawn. It really keeps the momentum going.

There are also a lot of different map interactions: you can pick up different objects on the map: throw horse poop at enemies, an anvil or a beehive. Use a pitfall trap or shoot a rope to drop something heavy onto an enemy.

You can also play as an archer or an engineer, if you get tired of swinging your sword/hammer/axe/mace.

And it's not as technical as Mordhau or For Honor. You still have a lot of moves: 3 swing combo, stab, overhead, kick, punch, shove, special attack, dodge, block, parry, riposte. And there's also heavy attack and left/right modifier for each of the above. But since blocking is omnidirectional, not dying is a lot easier.

I prefer to play on newbie servers for now, which are filled with 3-6 players in each team and ≈28 bots.
This allows me relax a bit, rack up some easy multikills and feel like a cool hero before meeting a challenging player controlled enemy.

Oh, and I had to turn down the character voice line volume because people spam "battle cry" 24/7 and while fun at first, it gets annoying after a while.

My only problem with this game is that as soon as the match ends, it throws you into another one. I end up playing 2-3 times longer than I initially planned, because it's hard to put down.

It's been a long time since a online multiplayer game has maintained my interest for a prolonged period, but Chivalry II is such a blast it's hard to put down without the 'just one more game' creeping into my mind. This isn't the most polished online experience around, far from it with occasional glitches popping up but the relentless battles are so enticing It doesn't get in the way of the great time I have with the game. There's a respectable number of maps mostly great, mixing between standard TDM and objective based, multiple classes each packed with customisable options to your own appearance which Is interesting playing around with, and weapons galore, again can be customised to your taste. Originally not a game on my radar, this has rapidly become one of my favourite gaming experiences of 2021 and I hope the developers continue with future updates.

While not a perfect game, this was possibly the most fun I had with a new competitive multiplayer title in 2021, or at least very close. I felt that it was a significantly more approachable alternative to games like Mordhau and For Honor, and one of the more enjoyable examples of first-person melee combat that I can remember. (You can play in third-person too if you want but it seems harder to me.) It is just a chill and fun time all around.

There is a bit more to the game than just combat, but that is all that really brings me back to it. The scale of battles is huge, occasionally becoming a mess of bodies bumping into each other, but the most fun comes in one-on-one duels or 3-5 player skirmishes that can be a battle of wits more than just a battle of mechanical skill. The weapons feel great, really impactful to use and offering a lot of flexibility in your moment-to-moment combat through different types of attacks, timings, fakeouts, blocks and parries, and so on. The options for defending yourself feel just as good as the options for slicing someone’s arm off.

I had a few small issues in this game that are worth mentioning. Rarely, there were graphical issues like the skybox disappearing. Matchmaking sometimes made no sense, with lobbies being filled with AIs for no reason. Console players being excluded from PC’s text chat is a bit awkward, making it impossible to coordinate anything.

None of these issues interrupted what makes the game fun, which is just… fighting people. The over-the-top fun of this game is accented by the ability to do ridiculous battlecries, fight while dismembered, “commend” your opponent after a well-fought duel… It just feels like the devs had the right mindset making this game and focus on funneling you into one match after another with minimal BS. I especially have fun in the mode that’s just a straight-up deathmatch with no objective, which gives the best opportunities for fun little duels.

The last real issue I can mention is that I think the game doesn’t really have enough to it to avoid getting old after a few weeks in my opinion. It was a regular part of my rotation a few months ago, but now is just something I play for an hour or two on rare occasions. And that’s fine, there’s room for games like that, but just be aware that it doesn’t have that much variety to be the kind of game most people will want to play for months and months. It is still a fantastic time and I think players who enjoy online battle mayhem of any kind could find some fun here.

This was a completely spontaneous purchase. I saw the swords, I saw the guts, I saw the flaming chickens, and I had to buy. Chivalry 2 is an incredibly fun first person (or third) medieval combat game. The melee combat is some of the most fun and rewarding online combat I've ever experienced. Mastering the timing and nuances of the shovel is one of my proudest gaming achievements. The 64 player battles are great on PC as well as the free for all option which is a great place to test out your 1v1 skills.

Although I can sing praises for the combat, the fun factor, and the overall silly style of this game, it has to be said that current state of the game is atrocious. Torn Banner Studios have produced a fantastic game but the overall finish and polish of the game is unacceptable. The party invite system especially on consoles is broken, and the cross play element is useless as it does not function properly. Combine all of this with terrible community communication, patches that break the game, and overall lack of content and updates makes for a sad state of affairs. Asking £35 at launch is a bit of a cheek in my opinion as this game feels like a beta test at times.

I have hope for this game though and I'm sure once it hits steam the modding community will revive this game instantly. I also think that given time TB Studios will eventually step up, fix the issues, and make they set out to make. New content is set to drop in the following months so here's hoping that all goes well for them.