New For Honor Gameplay Astounds
A brand new trailer for the highly anticipated For Honor thankfully graced the Ubisoft press conference today. It began very ominous in tone and featured a viking warrior fighting against a samurai along with a knight. The three face off in a three-way duel to the death. It showcased some very good-looking melee combat, but it was most likely prerendered. The trailer also showed a day-to-night structure, possibly hinting at an in-game system that might be dynamic or could simply be an artistic choice for the teaser treatment. The more interesting aspect of the video was that it featured the sword and martial art styles of all three disciplines or schools of thought. The trailer ended with the reveal a mystery warrior antagonist as the architect for the events that possibly follow in the game’s story across the three possible campaigns.
Jason VandenBerghe, the team lead on For Honor, took to the stage with fervor afterwards. He is a very passionate man when it comes to this upcoming title and showed that passion with introducing the game For Honor and its trademark combat system called The Art of Battle. The player will be able to assume the role of an anointed knight, a samurai warrior or a viking raider, each with their own skill sets and engage in gritty melee combat. Jason offered a glimpse into For Honor’s gameplay with a live demo that delves into the plight of the Vikings. As Raider in the aftermath of war, he save his people from desolation, famine and starvation. As a viking Your goal is to wage battle for the glory and prosperity of your people. The intended target – a village in the Far East. This is where a live gameplay demo transitioned masterfully from expository cutscene to in-game action. This is a game where the AnvilNext engine gets chance to shine bright. The game as of yet looks amazing visually but the mastery is in the animation work and impact you feel from just watching and hearing the combat ensue on-screen.
There is such a crunch to every attack that connects. The game seems to have a strong attack, weak attack and parry system and a targeting system to hone in single targets much like the Dark Souls games. You can make use of tools like grappling hooks to climb wall to storm fortifications and battlements. Instead of simply looking the part and simply being visually authentic, the warriors of each civilization clearly have their own distinct styled and it shows in spades. The music created has this ominous ambience that cements the intended atmosphere. With the war cries and haunting godlike narration coupled with the glorious sounds of clanging steel and pain across the battlefield make this game feel truly alive. The mass battle gives way to a dual between the player character and a samurai warlord. The demo ends with the Viking emerging victorious and the narrator spouting a soliloquy before the end. The For Honor team really had to come back in a big way and they certainly did not disappoint. For Honor is now slated for launch on February 14, 2017; ironically just in time for Valentine’s Day.
