Warhammer: Chaosbane Review
Warhammer: Chaosbane
Publisher: Bigben Interactive
Developer: Games Workshop and Eko Software
Genre:
PEGI: M
Comments:
Introduction
When I saw the review request on Warhammer: Chaosbane it instantly put a smile on my face . First, it is an aRPG, and we do not have a great selection of those; secondly, this is a Warhammer setup which I’ve been a fan of since I played Shadow Of a Hornet Rat. I know this is a nearly 24 year old game, and probably not widely known, but it was a great strategy game which I still remember.
Now let’s get back to Chaosbane. This is a very difficult game to review and I will try to explain why.
I have to admit that the initial view on it was not great: no graphic settings, simple inventory, no zoom in or out on camera, basically like a blast from the past. Part of the reason for this is that our review is done on PC. For console players, I would highly recommend to look out for console version review.
On a second note, I had similar feelings with the Path of Exile, which ended up being a good game, so please continue on and give it a chance.
Story
For all those who are familiar with the Warhammer setup, this will make a perfect sense. Non-hardcore players might easily skip it and focus on gameplay. I find the story on the weak side as it could be more interesting, and the voice acting definitely could be better. The game happens after the Year 2301, and after the big battle of Kislev. You will find a few well known characters Like Emperor Magnus the Pious, Asavar Kuls, ect. Still, I think more effort could be put here especially that they have access to great universe with a lot of history around it.
Heroes
You are getting pretty standard setup here (at least at the beginning). Let’s break down a few of the heroes:
Konrad Vollen Empire Soldier – I found him most boring to play , but I personally was never a fan of tank play style.
Elontir High-Elf Mage – typical mage which I had the most fun with. There was a good selection of spells which you can control via the space key.
Bragi Axebiter – Slayer high damage dealing berserker for those one who prefer quick close combat encounters.
Elesa Wood Elf Scout – My other favorite character after the mage: bow and arrow all the way…
Gamplay
I think this is where Chaosbane defend itself as a game. When you put aside all those cons and focus on game it can definitely be a fun. Game is fast, with hordes of enemies leaving players with very little time to get bored. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing revolutionary here; this is a basic hack and slash with no bells and whistles. There is plenty of space for improvements, starting from diversity of enemies, more interaction with map, improved animation and luck of additional events.
Chaosbane has good character development and progression, and it will be appealing for all those who like to test different builds; however, this is done mostly using the standard skills and god skill tree sets. As it stands, I find loot build have very little impact on play game style. Loot has to be improved for sure to give people more replayability.
Boss fights are also worth mentioning as they can present some challenge even on the normal difficulty level.
I had very little chance to play with other people online due to the timeframe and pre-release period where access to game was limited to reviewers and pre-orders. As usual, playing with friends is more fun and adds additional cooperation and overall mayhem.
Overall, the game looks alright. The camera changes automatically depending on location, but I would like to see some form of control on it.
As for the user interface, there are plenty of options for player to change what stats the game show us. Inventory is plain and simple. The same applies to skill trees; overall, however, there is not much to complain about. I did not noticed any major bugs or game showstoppers so I have to mark this as a pro. Technically, this is a solid and stable release in my opinion.
What next?
That is the base of the game My main concerns at this stage are the loot system and pricing. The game is ok and solid, but definitely not worthy of the AAA asking price.
The developers have already mentioning that a Season Pass with an entire new act, new location,enemies and story, will be coming in the future, but that would be paid content, ontop of what the game already costs.
What is bit promising, however, is what the developer noted, saying:
“The season pass content is not currently in development. We’ll be working on it after the release of Warhammer: Chaosbane. Currently our focus is on final polish ahead of our release in a couple of weeks.” Let’s hope they will address some of the main complaints on the game.
From an endgame perspective, we have 3 additional modes which are open on location after you complete each of the acts:
Boss Rush for farming specific gear on previously killed Bosses
Expedition Mode will be randomly generate maps with events that You can collect fragments and equipment.
Relic Hunt Mode mode with greater loot but with very specific condition which make game more difficult
Now You have to spend some time on those to tell would that be sufficient to keep players with the game and give developer time to attract more people . We will be definitely looking up on this title to see how it progress further.
Conclusion
I was taken by surprise by this title and right away had high hopes that might raise the bar a bit. The game is decent and enjoyable, but need a lot of work to get it appealing for a wider audience. As it stands now I think it is only directed to hardcore Warhammer and hack and slash audiences. I’m not sure what the goal is from the developer side on things, but as I mentioned already, they would need boost the game with more content and improvements to justify that price range. I can see potential in the game , but developer would have to support that project for a longer time to show gamers that are up for the challenge not only after customer money.