The hack and slash world of medieval war simulators has maintained a strong presence for the past few years, particularly on PC. While Mordhau is the most recent game in the genre to take hold of the conversation, Chivalry 2 has arrived to challenge the throne.
Developed by Torn Banner Studios and published by Deep Silver, the elevator pitch for Chivalry 2 is as simple as they come. Two factions – the noble Agathans and the more devilish Masons – battle it out on maps with swords, axes, hammers, and whatever other objects they might come across. There are 64 and 40-player modes, each with slightly different objectives but the same core philosophy: kill the people on the other team.
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While it may be simplistic, that singular focus is all Chivalry 2 needs to succeed. The siege warfare and fighting pit set dressing enhance the experience, but Chivalry 2's frantic engagements would still be compelling in a padded room. It doesn't command players to master each of its concepts if they want to be competitive, it simply tells them to charge at one another and cause a bit of chaos, screaming battle cries as they meet their grisly doom.
Of course, that's not to say that Chivalry 2's combat is overly simple – far from it, in fact. Chivalry 2 has a steep learning curve that allows those that master it to become unstoppable forces on the battlefield, while less-skilled players become people-shaped targets for them to hack away at. That same skill gap can be found in any multiplayer game, though, and Chivalry 2 does provide players with everything they need to be on equal footing. It just comes down to whether or not players can refine those concepts.
What separates Chivalry 2 from other multiplayer games is how it handles dying. While it's still frustrating to have one's head chopped off, Chivalry 2 adds in a few extra elements to spice things up whenever the player is outmatched. For instance, sometimes a player's arm will get cut off, giving them a short amount of time to swing whatever one-handed weapon they might be carrying at their attacker, their screen telling them it's "just a flesh wound" the entire time.
The game also makes a point to simply knock players down on occasion rather than just killing them. While this is normally a death sentence, players can either be revived from this downed state or spend their last few moments throwing punches at other players' groins. It's these moments of absurdity wrapped up in intense battles that make Chivalry 2 such a refreshing experience, especially when played alongside friends.
Not to mention, Chivalry 2 is gorgeous. The way the sun reflects off armor, the details on some of the weapons, and the mud that coats the battlefield all combine for a game that's visually appealing, despite clearly being a lower-budget endeavor. Again, the core experience found within Chivalry 2 is already engaging enough to make its visuals feel secondary, but good looks are the icing on the cake.
Those visuals don't extend everywhere, though. While players are going to spend most of their time in a full suit of armor, Chivalry 2 does allow for some light character customization. The issue is that those customization options always seem to combine into something that resembles a death mask rather than a gallant knight. Considering Chivalry 2's simultaneously grand and lighthearted tone, that might be intentional.
Another, less nitpicky area Chivalry 2 struggles with early on is the weapon selection. While the arsenal opens up quite a bit later on, the classes feel pretty similar to start. Progression is mostly class-based for things like weapon unlocks, with a separate global rank that has some more ubiquitous uses, so focusing on a single class will provide more diverse options to use. It's repeating the process for other classes that can get a bit tiresome, as most of the early primary weapons feel same-y. Their variety is mostly in swing speed and reach, which is significant from a tactical perspective, but some additional tweaking to impact for the different weapon types would've made a world of difference.
Since its launch, the game has also struggled with server issues. There are a lot of factors that can affect that, but even with a consistent Internet connection, it's not uncommon to see ping spikes and characters jittering around on the screen. The problems usually don't last long, and Chivalry 2 makes it easy to see low-ping servers in the browser, but the issues are nonetheless frustrating considering how important timing is to the combat.
There are some other, smaller bugs that also look odd on-screen, but not ones that drag the experience down by much. For instance, players will occasionally run across the map without their legs moving, making their bodies swing along awkwardly as they move. It's a problem that will likely be patched, but it still an odd one to see on screen. For the most part, though, we haven't encountered any issues that feel like they'll harm the experience long term.
Those that enjoy games that are bloody, bombastic, and have a pinch of humor will find an excellent experience in Chivalry 2. It's approachable, smooth, and an excellent time with friends. Plus, there's the promise of free content on the horizon, which should make the current offering even more appealing to those that engage with it. While there are some minor technical issues to be sorted out here and there, it's still one of the most enjoyable experiences to come out of 2021 so far.
Chivalry 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.