Delve into the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy in this new Action-RPG from Eko Software. Chaosbane is an action-RPG dungeon crawler centered around a Chaos incursion into the Empire of Man.
In a world ravaged by war and dominated by magic, you are the last hope for the Empire of Man against the Chaos hordes. Playing solo or with up to 3 others in local or online co-op, choose a hero from 4 character classes with unique and complementary skills, and prepare for epic battles wielding some of the most powerful artefacts of the Old World.
The Heroes
Konrad Vollen, The Empire Soldier class is the classic tank. A soldier who was raised in and around warfare. His skill at warfare found him soon promoted to a Captain of the Empire. With Konrad’s heavy armor and sword and board style, you will utilize skills that boost damage and increase damage resistance.
Bragi Axebiter the Slayer, a dwarf on a mission. Find the biggest, meanest baddie he can, then kill it or die trying. And Ale. Lots of Ale. Bragi is a high mobility character capable of putting out tremendous amounts of damage. His ability to throw his axe makes him a versatile combatant
Elessa, the Wood Elf scout. If you want to feel like Legolas, this is your chance. The ability to fire a constant stream of arrows, and summon allies in a pinch makes this ranged class a lot of fun to play solo or with a group. Elessa is good for DPS or support roles.
Elontir, the High Elf Mage is a veteran of the battle against the forces of Chaos. A respected and venerated hero who uses his magic to attack from range and keep attackers away, he is best utilized in a support role to complement the other heroes.
Slay the Hordes, Save the World
Gameplay was smooth with very few hiccups during the beta. Combat is very fluid with 70+ different enemies and ten difficulty levels available on release. There will also be a “Boss Rush” mode that will keep replays fresh and engaging.
Each character has access to 4 basic skills that are unlocked over the first hour of play. As your character gains experience advanced skills are unlocked. Each character has a certain amount of skill points. Each skill costs a number of points to equip, which leads to creating your own build to suit your play style.
These abilities are further augmented by a “God skill Tree” which can be unlocked by collecting items called shards from fallen enemies. The shards are then spent within the God skill tree to provide passive bonuses and eventually powerful god abilities.
The environments are very well textured, it is obvious that the developers spent a lot of time researching the source material. That dedication is evident in the many details shown throughout every aspect of the game. The soundtrack is appropriately epic, adding to the grimdark atmosphere created in the setting.
Overall I found the experience cathartic and reminiscent of playing Diablo 1 and 2. It can be enjoyed alone, offline, but like most things, it is best enjoyed with good friends and good food. And Ale, don’t forget the Ale. I give the game 4 out of 5 stars and have already placed my pre-order.
This review was written after playing the PC private Beta. Warhammer: Chaosbane will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 4th, 2019 for the Standard Edition and on May 31st, 2019 for the Digital Deluxe and Magnus Editions.
