Only a week after the closed and open beta, Ubisoft has released "For Honor" upon us. Their new IP gives you the option to be the swordfighting, bloodsoaked ultimate warrior you always wanted to be! The game offers an interesting way of doing battle, in multiplayer (versus others and/or AI) and a story driven single player mode. So sharpen your thoughts and read on!
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| For HONOR, and glory! |
How does it play?
For Honor is a competitive third person game, in which you take on the role of a medieval warrior in order to show your might on the battlefield. The game introduces a new fighting system named "The Art of Battle". This system allows you to target your attack, and defence to either Top, Left or Right attacks. The direction of your action is visible to all players, which allows your opponent to counter, or match that movement. Possible attacks are to either push an opponent, break their guard, or perform light or heavy attacks. Blocking an attack is done by matching the opponent's direction, and even allowing you to counter it on the precise moment. With 12 maps, the battlefields offer enough variation and are defined based on the territory where you fight. Thanks to Ubisoft's great engine these battlefields spring to life when rain or snow starts to drizzle down or as night starts to fall!
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| Let the rain wash away my sin |
Characters
At the start of the game, you'll have to pledge allegiance to one of the three factions. This being Knights, Vikings and Samurai. Don't worry, the choice only matters when delving deeper into the multiplayer experience of the Faction war, explained later. All characters are playable from the start, though you'll have to buy them in order to improve or customise them. All factions have four available characters from which to choose, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and feats, giving you a total of twelve possible choices!
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| 500 steel unlocks the customisation of a character |
These characters all fall under a single character type. The
Vanguard is your default all-rounder characters, and is already unlocked for all three factions. The
Assassins are quick counter-attacking characters. Offering high damage but low health they take some skill to control.
Heavies are the opposite of these fighters. With high defensive qualities and heavy damage dealing skills the only thing they lack is speed! Lastly the
Hybrids offer specialised characters per Faction with their own skills and weaknesses. So, enough choice to find a playstyle you like and get into the battle!
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| Keira Knightly |
Every character can be customised in a number of ways. From choosing a colour scheme, to designing your outfit, to a custom weapon where every part of that onion cutter can be personalised with the items you loot on the battlefield. Finally you can even set the emotes you can use in battle!
Multiplayer
For Honor pits you against the might of all the other online players. The battle is fought on a global map in, what Ubisoft calls "The Faction War". This shows an overview of the different factions and their internal conflict. Playing multiplayer games generates defensive points which you can invest in allied regions around the borders of conflict. With 4 available game modes (in both Player versus Player as Players versus AI!).
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| RHAAAAAAAAAAAH |
Duel pits two heroes against eachother in a 1v1 battle, in an attempt to be the first to reach three victories, while
Brawl pits two players against two, again trying to reach 3 victories.
Skirmish, is the well-known 4v4 team deathmatch game where you fight until the last man standing.
Elimination pits 4v4 in a best of 5 battles, and finally we have
Dominion which puts 4v4 against eachother, joined with a battalion of other soldiers in a zone-control battle. The first team to gain 1000 points breaks the morale of the opponent, making them lose their respawn option. If the opposing team is wiped out, the game is won.
Single player
Included in the game are 16 single player missions explaining you not only the entire backstory of the Faction war, but also offers a great tutorial on how to play with every character. This is a must-play for everyone! Though the single player offers you the option to collect both destructibles and special "views", I wouldn't really call it a collectible game. Playing through the storyline grants you extra appearance options and equipment packs for your characters as well, so I've found it a very nice addition!
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| Introducing all characters, the storyline is a welcome change of pace! |
Compared to
games like Overwatch, that depend on much more tactics, For Honor is purely a hack-and-slash. This game relies on your singular strength, while helping your allies when required. It can be compared to a medieval Rainbow Six: Siege where you get to learn several specific characters, but most likely will keep playing but a few of them. SoulCalibur and other fighting games are another great comparison when it comes to the fighting game, though the introduction of the "Art of War" is a nice invention!
Play this if
you like the entire concept of measuring yourself against other heated warriors. Not over who has the best aim, but who can wield their weapon the best! The game has great visuals and offers a ton of customisation. Playing with a friend is greatly satisfying!
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| C'mon bro! Let's get em! |
Leave this if
you don't want to spend time learning how to control the characters. It's a very interesting and effective combat system, but you'll have to get the hang of it, and especially the skills of your character. There's a system of micro transactions included that allows you to get better gear quicker, though everything (even the season pass!) can be bought with in-game earned credits.
If you feel like I've left out something, or if you've got any other feedback, don't hesitate to comment! Especially if you like it :) If you'd like to read/see more of me and my gaming exploits, be sure to follow me on
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