For Honor, Ubisoft's upcoming historical brawler pitching factions of samurai, vikings, and knights against each other, may be one of the studio's most interesting new titles in years.
Chiefly, it abandons the all-too-familiar open world model employed in various fashions in so many of the company's games - Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, Far Cry, Steep among them. In opting for a tighter, more defined and guided game world, it actually feels like a fresher experience than yet another massive map with near-total freedom.
However, from our hands-on with the latest build of the game, For Honor feels like two very distinct experiences are on offer. Which one you get depends on whether you're playing solo or multiplayer.
In single player, the game takes on a structure and feel not entirely dissimilar from Dark Souls. This impression is heightened by the mix of visual influences as much as gameplay - For Honor's ananchronistic blend of cultural influences combines for a somewhat more realistic take on the Souls series' twisted gothic environments. The story, which appears to also serve as a protracted training for each of the game's classes, takes you through one interwoven narrative, shifting character and focus as it progresses.
The mechanics here also echo Souls, but with a bit more freedom. You'll make your way through each area, completing objectives and dispatching foes with a combination of blows, parries, and dodges, but there's no rote memorisation of enemy placement or attack patterns. Here, your opponents will dodge and counter-attack themselves, or call for reinforcements. There are opportunities for stealth kills with the right character class, but most combat encounters come down to sheer skill.
The build we played introduced three new character classes: the Knights' Peacekeeper is fast, agile, and stealthy; the Samurai Shugoki is a slow, powerful bruiser who laps up damage and delivers pummelling blows; while the Vikings' Warlord is a solid all-rounder. Although each class has their own specialisations, you'll need to learn to competently take them into the multiplayer, there are universal aspects that reveal the depth of For Honor's combat. Things like stance matter, determining how able you are to block opponents' attacks, and timing your own attacks so as not to be overwhelmed.
However, the timing for some general moves, such as successfully parrying or countering, differs from character to character. We can see this splitting the audience - on one hand, hardcore players of multiplayer combat games often favour one character, and relish the chance to completely master their nuances. On the other, anyone who does switch roles often will be frustrated when a Peacekeeper is far more testing of your reflexes than a Shugoki.
Once you get to grips with For Honor's battle system, it's rather compelling though; gritty and confrontational, each clash a thrilling test of might. When you begin to balance taking on multiple enemies, pulling off stunts like knocking one back in time to block a sword strike from another, and chaining it to your own final blow against the first, you'll feel unstoppable.
Yet, while all those skills are essential in multiplayer, the vibe changes, feeling like a slower, more methodical Overwatch. Split into teams of four, each player can select one of the archetypal heroes from each of the factions, along with load outs of battle skills (including healing and buffs), armour, and weapons. It's an interesting design choice, and allows for teams to build a unique arrangement of skills and tactics, without removing the possibility of having teams comprised exclusively of one faction.
We played three different multiplayer modes, each with a slightly different experience. Dominion is similar to a base capture mode, with hordes of AI-controlled drone soldiers on both side, swarming around Dynasty Warriors style. You'll battle for control of various map zones, seized by staying in a certain area long enough and fighting off your rivals. In Elimination, the gameplay is more akin to a team death match; you're only fighting human opponents, with the last team standing winning.
Skirmish, meanwhile, split the difference, with teams racking up points for killing more AI enemies, causing the opposing team's ranks to break. Once broken, you can kill off human-controlled players, with the first team to 1,000 points winning the match. In all multiplayer modes, maps can be set at different times of day and with different weather effects, changing both feel and tactics.
The biggest problem in any mode where you're fighting other human players though is the potential of executions. If you're killed 'normally', then you can be revived by a teammate. If you're executed, you're dead for the remainder of the match. We can see this being abused in future, or at least becoming frustrating pretty quickly, especially for anyone who comes to For Honor late and finding themselves dominated by more seasoned players.
Multiplayer really feels like the major focus of For Honor though. All post-launch development and support will be focused on what Ubisoft calls Faction War, where you'll align with one group and your victories or losses are calculated over the course of a season. New, free maps and extra content will be added before each season launches, with dominion over the wider territory adjusted based on performance.
It's certainly a way to give For Honor a long tail, and the combat is complex and meaty enough that players who get into it will come to love it. Our major concern at present is the possible imbalance that executions represent, but we'll see how that plays out in real conditions when the game launches on February 14.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
