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Our First Impressions of the For Honor Alpha

Our First Impressions of the For Honor Alpha

This past weekend I dove head-first into the For Honor closed alpha multiplayer test. I have to say: I think we have a hit on our hands, here. For Honor presents players with a new melee combat system that is, and I’m so sorry to use this cliche, easy to pick up and so very hard to master. For the first hour or two of gameplay you’ll feel like you’re struggling to keep up, like a panicked soldier lost in the fog of war. After you get the hang of things, you’ll feel like a deadly and powerful combative artist.

You’ll derive a great sense of power and freedom from For Honor ‘s combat system which, while completely novel, makes a lot of sense. No matter which class you choose, hero you pick, or weapon you wield., holding down the L trigger while facing an opponent will put you in your basic combat stance. From this basic stance you can ready your weapon in one of three positions. With a flick of the right stick, you can prepare to defend or attack from the left, from the right, or from above.

Sounds pretty simple so far, right? Encounter an enemy, face them, and hold down the L trigger. You’re ready to fight. You have have a light attack and heavy attack mapped to your two right triggers, and you’ll mount your attacks either to the left, right, or from above. When being attacked, you’ll be given a red marker that will quickly indicate the direction from which your opponent is attacking. To parry or defend, you’ll have to switch your position to match the direction of the incoming attack before it lands. It’s a constant call and respond game of reflexes, and you’re constantly having to make important decisions and assessments of risk.

There you are, a warden, a fairly well-rounded knight with a long sword. You’re attempting to capture a vacant point inside the castle gate, beyond which a furious battle is being waged between mobs of AI-controlled soldiers, when suddenly a mountain of a man wielding a two-handed Dane axe sprints in to meet you. Both of you assume your stance and circle slowly ’round; both of you know that your teammates are far away. The Viking raider has the power advantage, and can dish out unblockable, high-damage attacks. You have a slight speed advantage, and will be relying your shoulder-bash for surprise attacks. How do you proceed?

Our First Impressions of the For Honor Alpha

No two encounters are ever the same, and I’ve had some incredible skirmishes. The alpha has been very limited in scope, with only two of each of the classes’ four heroes available to select. Even still, the extent to which you’re able to control your hero with complete lucidity and freedom gives rise to unforgettable moments on the battlefield. Seeing two players who know what they’re doing duke it out is a spectacle. When you throw in waves of AI enemies and the occasional (and inevitable) four-on-four skirmish between human players, you really do get the sense that this is all-out, unbridled warfare.

If you’ve been looking forward to For Honor with nervous anticipation, I think you can relax now. This game is going to be great. Whether or not this brand of hardcore weapon-based combat will catch on as widely as Generic Shooter X and Generic Shooter Y is unknown; I doubt it. Based on what we’ve seen in this closed alpha, though, and knowing things will only get better, I think it has a great chance.

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