Review for MORDHAU. PC game, the video game came out on 29/04/2019
If the smell of napalm in the morning is not enough for you, if you consider the clanging of the blades crossing the sweetest of lullabies, if you feel naked without chain mail and gambeson when you leave the house, you are in the right place . Here we will discuss the noble deeds of brave knights and the most heinous acts of fighting and plunder, so saddle your steeds and keep a firm grip on the mouse, fingers ready to flicker on the keyboard.
Mordhau is a multiplayer medieval slasher, which sees us take up arms in massive battles for up to 64 players, as the most disparate warriors who can venture on a historical themed battlefield. The title takes its name from the Mordhau, killer shot in German, a technique that sees the fencer change the handle of his sword, brandishing it from the direction of the blade in order to vibrate a mighty blow of the handle against the opponent.
Swashbuckling fights
The gameplay is as solid as it is rudimentary: by moving the mouse we will choose the direction in which to strike the weapon in hand, while using the mouse wheel we will perform a lunge. Pressing the right mouse button will offer us the opportunity to parry with the right timing, being careful not to be fooled by a feint of our opponent, as each shot can be canceled during the first frames of the animation.
The more savvy players can even cancel the opponent's blow by attacking in the same direction as the enemy's blow a few moments before being hit, thus reversing the situation. With the press of a button you can kick: an interesting option in case you want to surprise your rival or even push him off the walls of a castle. Sword strikes consume stamina, especially missed shots are particularly damaging to one's energy, but don't worry: just wait a few seconds to catch your breath and throw yourself back into the fight.
Pick up the perfect weapon
In analyzing Mordhau it is imperative to mention Chivalry: Medieval Warfare and we think it is correct to point out Mordhau even as the spiritual successor of the slasher released in the not too distant 2012 by the guys of Thorn Banner Studio. The cacophonic battles of Mordhau give us the same feeling as his "predecessor", however, embellishing the mechanics in every respect, successfully adding unique features such as horse combat and improved customization possibilities.
In addition to using characters belonging to predefined classes, we will in fact be able to create our avatar by customizing it both aesthetically (thanks to a tool that is as intuitive as it is effective), and as regards the equipment, with real implications in the gameplay. Each item of clothing that we are going to wear will directly affect the character's statistics, changing their weight and degree of protection offered: A fighter in full armor will take far less damage than a nimble rogue, but his speed will be dramatically reduced.
Just as we can choose the preferred combination between cosmetic elements and armor, the range of weapons proposed is really very wide. We can entrust our lives to a sturdy pike capable of putting great distance between us and our adversary, holding a heavy but deadly war ax with both hands or prop up the front line of the enemy army by shooting safe arrows or darts. in an elevated position.
However, the wide range of weapons and armor will not be available immediately in its entirety: we will have to unlock the chosen elements by spending the game currency earned at the end of each game. As if the extreme possibility of customization of the equipment were not enough, we can even spend skill points to equip our avatar with specific advantages such as dodging, or improved health recovery.
The theater of confrontation
Mordhau offers us three different game modes: Frontline, Battle Royale and Horde. In Frontline (as already seen in Chivalry) we will have to choose one of the two available factions and compete for key areas with the enemy army, respawning a few seconds after our death. This is the main mode of the title, where we will fight most of the 64-player battles, experimenting with always new combinations of weapons and clothing, perhaps taking sides with a friend who can formulate some devastating tactics with us.
In the Battle Royale we will start - as tradition has it - completely unarmed and we will have to look for weapons and armor in the crates scattered around the game maps that can make us so lethal as to be the last survivors on the battlefield. This mode is really uninspired, probably inserted to respond to a prevailing market trend, which however would have deserved a greater development to be satisfying. In the Horde we will have to respond to waves of brutal assaults by warriors led by the CPU, collecting improvements to respond with ferocity to the aims of the invaders.
The build of Mordhau, strong of the use of Unreal Engine 4, however, has one fluctuating graphics quality, with less defined models than others. Although the glance can impress the player, looking too closely at the theater of our deeds could break the spell. However, the FPS are stable and selecting the right server to join the fray will give us a stable and reliable ping.
Visually pleasing, the technical sector of Mordhau certainly does not scream a miracle, with most of its features, albeit functional, never too refined to deserve an applause. The heart of the experience is absolutely centered on the gameplay of the Frontline mode, on a rigid, inflexible and therefore functional and appreciable swordplay. Treading the battlefield in the cacophonous confusion of crashing sides is truly suggestive and although Mordhau is a must have for swashbuckling lovers, it still fails to innovate the genre enough to be advisable outside the circle of passionate.
► MORDHAU is a scrolling indie-Beat 'em up-Beat' em up game developed and published by Triternion for PC, the video game was released on 29/04/2019
