Warhammer Chaosbane Review Hack And Slash Chaos The Nerd Stash

Title: Warhammer: Chaosbane

Developer: Eko Software

Publisher: Nacon

Genre: Action Role-Playing, Hack and Slash

Release Date: May 31, 2019

Available On: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5

Tested On: Xbox One

Many games provide an amalgam of medieval-era conflict with a touch of magic. And it’s often hard to find one with variety. So what’s the best way to do that? One of the best ways is to introduce yourself to a new series. And why not start that off with this title?

It is the first hack-and-slash set in the Warhammer Universe, after all.

Warhammer: Chaosbane Gameplay

If you’re a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, the classes in this title should feel familiar. There are 5 characters to choose from:

Empire Soldier – they are able to shake off small amounts of heavy damage
Dwarf Slayer – he can deliver a higher physical damage output that most
High Elf – manipulate the elements of magic to deliver devastating attacks
Dwarf Engineer – why not wield steam as a weapon with this class?
Wood Elf Scout – or fight against hordes of enemies with your mighty bow

While they were all certainly appealing, I felt the wood elf calling. Using a bow as a primary weapon has always been my first choice. And I thought it would be great to get my hands on the archer class. It gave me the opportunity to see how it stood up to others.

As the scout, my bow could deliver a single strike to multiple enemies. This came in handy whenever I felt cornered. If I needed to dispatch the enemies, I simply unleashed a barrage of arrows. Or if they were single file, my default attack could pierce through the majority of them. Initially, the enemies were no problem so long as I paid attention. I lost focus a single time and the enemy took my scout down before I realized what happened.

The skills were fairly easy to use. The simple nature of skills and attacks was my favorite part. Warhammer: Chaosbane’s progression system reminded me a great deal of Champions of Norrath. While the releases are decades apart, it feels that the latter title may have had an influence on this game. Since the battle system is easy to understand, cycling between character classes shouldn’t be a problem.

A Refreshing Story

In this world, the Old Gods have seemingly abandoned their worshippers. Seemingly disheartened by their lack of presence, the ‘faithful’ in Chaosbane turn to the darkness. Angry at the old gods, hundreds of thousands begin to dedicate themselves to the Dark Gods. They are the masters of destruction, despair, and chaos. As they grew stronger, they became what is known as the Chaos Hordes. The large army continued to spread death and destruction wherever they went. That was until a man named Magnus chose to stand up against them.

With his own army, Magnus achieved victory after victory. The recent victory may have been cause for celebration. But cultists had slipped into the castle and managed to curse Magnus. This particular Warhammer story sets players upon the pass to lifting this curse. An admirable task, but the cultists of the Dark Gods are sure to make it difficult. One will be fighting literal hordes of enemies throughout Chaosbane’s campaign. And they must employ every skill at their disposal to survive. Will Magnus be free of the curse to lead everyone to victory? Or will it spell victory for the vicious Chaos Horde that has arisen?

Giving Voice to The Story

Some of the most popular games lack voice acting. But when a gamer goes in expecting it, they are hoping for something well done. And if the audio sounds out of place or just plain weird, they will let people know. While the voice acting here was not bad, it threw me off. I chose to play as the Wood Elf. Certain words were fairly easy to ingest. But when the character spoke a certain way, it felt like the lines did not belong. Some of the lines my Wood Elf spoke sounded a bit snarky. It would have been more fitting if a High Elf had stated the words. I expected the archer to be a bit gruffer. Or have more of an attitude regardless of who they were speaking to.

The voice acting wasn’t terrible, really. But it definitely feels as though it could use slight improvements.

Conclusion

Warhammer: Chaosbane is definitely not what I expected. It felt good jumping in, despite knowing nothing about the franchise. Because I’ve played similar titles, the mechanics felt like second nature. And this isn’t an adventure one must go on solo. The title felt like a great introduction or re-introduction into the Warhammer franchise. You can find the game on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Warhammer: Chaosbane Review

Warhammer: Chaosbane is an isometric dungeon-crawler set in the Warhammer universe. It offers a solo campaign or online co-op. Choosing one of 5 possible classes, players must work to defeat the Chaos Horde and its evil.

Overall Score

Great

Pros:

Original story set in the Warhammer multiverse Co-op functionality Easy control scheme Decent level progression Skill variety

Cons:

Voice acting can break story immersion Hordes can sometimes be overwhelming

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