Mordhau

Multiplayer action game Mordhau, featuring a first-person perspective in a late medieval setting, was developed by the indie studio Triternion, two years after funding on Kickstarter. In addition to standard multiplayer modes, Mordhau includes a "battle royale" and cooperative gameplay against increasingly difficult waves of enemies.

Players must master sword fighting skills, and the battles are filled with blood and dismemberment — the unprecedented spectacle complements the duels well. Mordhau offers extensive progression, contains a variety of equipment, and features deep character customization.

Mordhau uses an arcade-style yet realistic combat system of its own design. You won't find anything similar in comparable projects. In addition to horizontal and vertical slashing attacks, players can perform thrusts, block any attack, and kick opponents. There is also an alternative weapon grip that slightly changes attack options.

In Mordhau there are many types of weapons — machetes, daggers, swords, two-handed swords, axes, halberds, and pikes, as well as primitive weapons like sickles, hammers, and pickaxes. Almost all weapons use three basic strikes, and all allow blocking incoming attacks, but there are no 100% blocks; there is always a chance to mistime a block or simply turn at the wrong angle.

After parrying an attack, players can immediately counterattack or attempt to flee if there are multiple opponents or if one is significantly stronger.

The two main systems — health and stamina — often dictate behavior tactics. Stamina is consumed for running and strikes but regenerates fairly quickly. Health can be restored, but it only takes a couple of hits to die.

Each weapon has a host of complex metrics, such as damage range depending on weapon length, strike speed, armor penetration, and many others. Because of this, mastering Mordhau can be quick, but mastering all the intricacies of gameplay is not so easy.

As is fitting for a medieval action game, in Mordhau, players can clad their character in plate armor and become a sort of tank — sacrificing the mobility of a half-naked berserker, as the weight and complexity of the armor reduce speed and agility.

The gameplay of Mordhau is built around characters that players create themselves in the editor and level up. The gameplay is influenced by a system of about 20 perks that affect playstyle.

For instance, the "dodge" perk is useful for those who wish to fight one-on-one, "rage" quickly restores stamina, "dash" increases running speed after a kill, and "peasant" turns the hero into a true peasant, unable to use heavy weapons and complex armor. Some perks have a greater impact on gameplay, while others have less.

At the end of each battle in any mode, the character gains experience that goes solely to their account, as well as gold that is shared among all characters on that account. Experience can be used to purchase perks, it also accumulates into new levels, and with each level, more and more content is unlocked. Gold is spent on purchasing armor (for the torso and head), while all weapons are available immediately.

In Mordhau, you can also choose characters of specific classes ("Engineer", "Raider", "Infantry", "Hunter", with more than 10 in total), dressed and equipped according to their description and gameplay, with a clear gameplay style. In the editor, you can also change the body shape, skin color, character shape, and details, so most players prefer self-created heroes.

In subsequent updates, the developers added new modes and diversified gameplay with new maps, as well as fixed numerous issues in the online component and servers.

Those interested are offered the currently trendy "battle royale", in which 64 people participate simultaneously. The map size is smaller than usual, as players mostly move on foot, and only a few lucky ones find a horse for quick movement.

The rules are standard — finding yourself in some barn in just your underwear, a player must quickly find some weapon, and then, using their skill with it, defeat all encountered opponents. There is a constantly shrinking zone, staying in which quickly kills.

Since the action takes place in the Middle Ages, most battles occur at close range and in groups. It is not uncommon for someone to appear from behind and kill already exhausted opponents instead of an honest fight between two or three players. And they can immediately receive a full back of arrows from an even sneakier player.

In "battle royale", the full set of weapons, armor, and helmets from the online modes is available, while the inventory is minimized (you can carry a couple of bandages, throwing axes, or junk) — all of this drops from crates that players break.

The interface is almost non-existent; items from killed opponents simply drop nearby. With some luck, by the end of the game, you can collect a legendary set of armor and weapons that will allow you to defeat less fortunate opponents.

Players who wish to play only with friends are offered Horde — a team mode where a squad of 2-6 people faces waves of enemies. Groups of opponents come in waves, between which players are given a brief respite.

Unlike most cooperative modes, in Horde players start without armor, health-restoring bandages, and with the most primitive weapon — a hoe. By killing enemies and exploring the map, they earn gold, which they can use to buy more powerful weapons (bows and swords), armor, and shields. Health is restored upon killing an enemy, and only arrows are replenished from all equipment.

With each wave, the number of enemies increases, and the quality of their weapons grows. Starting with half-naked peasants with pitchforks and sickles, the squad will eventually fight armored knights supported by cavalry and giants wielding huge clubs. There is no limit to the enemy waves; the team plays until the last living fighter.