In the first level, my entire team stopped to stare across the rooftops of Ubersreik bathed in the light of a full moon. While levels set in the sewers or the marketplace felt samey and dull, like taking a third lap around an uninspired renaissance fair, others are extraordinary visual achievements. Vermintide is also a beautiful game-or, at least, a beautiful rendition of a town hip-deep in rat shit. Great sound design does a lot of the heavy lifting here: the sound of warhammers popping skulls and swords slicing fur builds the brutality. Amazingly, this system’s simplicity helps sell the power and solidity of the combat. Controlling angle or direction doesn’t change a swipe into a stab-Vermintide’s heroes more simply attack, charge up a special attack, block, and shove. The melee system isn’t as deep as Fatshark’s earlier games. Every character has a ranged weapon of some kind, but limited ammo stocks force ballistics to the background. My hastily drawn shotgun blew another group of Skaven into a furry mist, and I ran back to the safety of the group.ĭeveloper Fatshark’s previous games, War of the Roses and War of the Vikings, lived and died on the strength of their melee combat systems, and Vermintide’s combat shines with the polish of expertise. Running toward the falling ratkin, I turned around and swept my hammer across six more, flinging two of them face-first into a stone wall. I sent one half of the Skaven circle sprawling with an almighty shove. My Empire Soldier can deal out some damage, but if I get caught and hung up by a Pack Master without help, I’ll be rat food. The drive to stay together is so powerful, it can prompt some action-movie heroics: Once, a pack of angry Skaven surrounded me, separating me from my friends. It’s easy to get surrounded or overwhelmed by a pack of Skaven, and only a friend can revive you. I love being forced to adapt my strategy based on who I’m playing as, and no one feels underpowered or boring.Īs a team, the characters are forced to work together in a tight group by the danger of being alone. Each is different, and they feel great to play. The mage, a fire-slinging sorcerer named Sienna, gradually overheats from her pyrotechnic magic and has a chance of detonating, taking out a crowd of rats in the process. The Dwarf shoves Skaven with his shield: an essential crowd control tactic. ![]() The Elf Waywatcher is an expert at saving allies from special Skaven with a long-range headshot. In addition to having different gear, the five heroes play in very different ways. ![]() For now, though, the weapons are varied enough to keep me coming back, but a lack of updates might harm Vermintide’s prospects for longevity. All weapons in the game are locked to individual characters, so it can be frustrating to earn a really rare piece of gear for a character I don’t play. For example, I have no idea how many individual items might be in the game, or if more might be introduced on a regular schedule. ![]() I have some concerns about how deep this economy goes and its limitations.
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