Welcome to our review of the Beta version of the new Action RPG in the Warhammer franchise, the Chaosbane game!
Prior to my actual review, I would like to make it clear that this is based upon my experiences with the BETA version and my annoyances or gripes may very well not be present when you play this game! So do take this review with a grain of salt and do not take it too seriously as the Warhammer games are generally great and deserve all the credits you can imagine!
Warhammer: Chaosbane is the 1st Action-RPG set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Roam the Old World in a universe of heroic fantasy with millions of fans, solo or in co-op, and fight hundreds of creatures in order to save the soul of Magnus, the last defender of the Empire of Man, from the menace of Chaos. A next-gen hack n’slash! With inspiration from the classics of the genre, the game sets itself apart from traditional hack n’slashes by offering an intense gaming experience, dynamic gameplay mechanisms with lots of customization options and high replay value.
Players who preorder Warhammer: Chaosbane will gain exclusive access to two private beta phases beginning in March. Additionally, players will receive a permanent XP bonus applied to their characters and a 4-pack of legendary crates containing valuable in-game items, available when the game launches.
As this game is in Beta, I will get the bad things out of the way and shortly touch on the bad points I encountered, knowing fully well they will be removed by the time this game hits its official release. First of all, when leaving an area, the game appears to freeze for a few seconds every single time. Annoying? Not at all, just a little delay that is unneeded and will surely be out of the game by the time it hits release. Also needing to push a button prior to leaving an area without proper indication that this is needed, a minor gripe of mine.
Anything else is just basic power recalculation oriented, sometimes feeling one enemy might be underpowered or worse, overpowered, but nothing serious that will not be evened out along the way. This game is actually top notch and it makes me want to buy it already. I generally do not play this genre for 2 reasons, they are too time-consuming and I do have a full-time real-life job in retail AND the addictiveness some of them possess. We all know that one friend who spent hundreds of hours on Diablo, right?
Chaosbane is no exception to the rule, sporting a smart storyline and 4 classes to pick from, it brings quite a fun playthrough to the PS4, even in this beta. I have played several hours every day and I keep going back. The story is for you to explore, but I will tell you one thing, it does keep you more entertained than some of the biggest titles out there. Obviously, taste is taste, but I did enjoy it very much.
What I really liked is how quickly the action moved along. From one mission to the next in a heartbeat, slashing away at the enemies who slowly but surely increase in difficulty. Actually not just in how they approach you or how difficult they are, also in physical size. Quite strongly from the start, you are faced with hordes of enemies and before you know it, they will be surrounding you. Add in time-based challenges and you got a great mish-mash of a lot of adrenalin pumping action.
Game wise, the only thing that sometimes bothered me, the fact that the story makes you run around in circles. Mind you that this is not really a game breaker, just mildly annoying. When you have to run through certain parts of the game just to advance the story (aka when you are not killing enemies), it gets in the way of the high octane active fighting rhythm. Nothing that would kill your or my desire to buy the game, just something that makes me pause the game more easily. Which in return could be seen as an advantage for some?
In conclusion, Warhammer games are a great franchise. Seldom will you see a game of the franchise truly disappoint. Chaosbane is on the other side of the spectrum, providing a most amusing Action RPG experience with a lot of harder enemies and die-hard action. I can only say I look forward to the full blown release!
