For Honor is one of the few new IPs we had the pleasure to see and play at this year’s E3. Broadly speaking, it’s a tactical hack-and-slash multiplayer title where medieval knights, Feudal Samurais and Vikings fight each other for land superiority. So if you ever wondered who’d win in a fight – a berserker or a samurai, you can finally find out with some help from your friends.
We too were curious to find out, but since For Honor is still in development, we only got to play as a group of heavily armored knights during our E3 2015 visit. As those knights we were tasked with defending a castle from an invading force of other human-controlled knights and their AI pawns.
So this is how it goes: For Honor isn’t your simple “press everything to slice and dice” hack-and-slasher. No, it requires both patience and quick reflexes as you attack, block and counter-attack your opponent on the battlefield. Each strike needs to be calculated, and you literally have to pick and choose your battles amidst the chaos. You’ll need to think before engaging and make sure not to take too many players on at the same time. Also, while in combat, mashing the attack button will most likely get you a swift and embarrassing death. You’ll need to pay close attention to your rival’s moments and attack patterns if you want to get through his defenses.
Weirdly enough, this cautious gameplay doesn’t translate into slow gameplay. For Honor is still as intense as every multiplayer FPS you’ve every played. We tried out hands in a Domination mode, where we had to capture three points on a map and than start thinning the enemy ranks. Running around the battlefield from point to point, clearing out the waves of AI enemies is stressful enough, but when you’re locked in a melee fight with a human adversary, that’s when the adrenaline really kicks in.
The tactical aspect of For Honor isn’t just limited to the combat itself. A group of four players will have to decide whether they should fight together, split into teams of two, of even go solo to cover more ground. Fighting with at least another knight to watch your back is much more reassuring, and outnumbering your enemy is always a good idea. Fail to work as a team and respond to your friends’ cries for help and the other team will make mincemeat out of you, quite literally sometimes.
But why listen to me when you can hear all about For Honor from Stephane Cardin, the game’s producer. He was gracious enough to give us an interview. Watch it below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKAHBUBDZao
Some of our posts include links to online retail stores. We get a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Don't worry, it doesn't cost you anything extra.
