Chivalry 2 (PC) Review

When you have a game that is fundamentally a team based, multiplayer focused, 64 player battle the comparisons to Battlefield are going to naturally happen.  The main difference between Chivalry 2 and Battlefield, though, is that the aforementioned title takes place in the Middle ages.  The question quickly becomes, is it any good. 

Thankfully the answer to that is yes.  Each weapon feels different from one another, there is a great deal of depth to the combat, and it is extremely easy to find a match that is full of people.  It also looks extremely good, so there is that.

Long swords and battle axes feel weighty; they take time to both wind up and swing.  A short sword is quicker, but does less damage and is easier to deflect.  Then there are the bows, which of course are ranged, annoying as they are class limited, but fall easily to any other class that is more close combat and melee based.

Each class type also has a limited amount of slots, so you aren’t going to see 32 archers on the other team trying to take out the opposing forces at range.  This is good, partially because those classes seem to only be good at the start of the match – before the battle starts to get more up close – but also because it would fundamentally change the flow of the game itself as it is more melee based at its roots.

The only, significant flaw of the title is that the learning curve itself is extremely steep.  Some of this has to do with the fact that it is extremely different than most other titles that fit into this genre, much of it has to do with the combat itself changing wildly between weapons and uses of defense.  There are worse things in the world than having an extremely deep core system, and even the best tutorials in the world are not a replacement for experience, and the only true way to learn these mechanics are through hours play.

It is strange that two titles very much similar to each other would release during the same calendar year, with one clearly being well loved and supported by its community and devs, the other title is the next entry is Battlefield.  This title might have flown under the radar for most people out there, but that is a huge disservice.  Anyone that likes massive multiplayer games should jump in this title, when they can.