Warhaven Hands-On: Finding Joy in the Mayhem

ign.com:

In a bid for the growing number of warfare-centric multiplayer games with massive numbers of combatants taking to the field all at once to impale one another, Warhaven hopes make a name for itself with large maps, an impressive roster of warriors, and objective matches that have armies scrambling to overrun one another in an elaborate game of tug-of-war. I recently spent several hours with the team at Nexon and some of my fellow IGN sweaty tryhards as we tried desperately to maim one another while slinging as much trash talk as humanly possible. The result was a few entertaining hours that were complete pandemonium from beginning to end.

While combat may be slightly reminiscent of fellow third-person melee warfare game For Honor, Warhaven’s biggest departure is in its decidedly more chaotic style. Instead of smaller engagements with only a few players slowly and methodically dueling against one another, Warhaven 16-vs.-16 multiplayer throws an avalanche of opponents into a jumbled pile of swords, shields, and cannonballs that’s almost always pure mayhem. While fighting one-on-one can certainly be a strategic dance of blocking, slashing, and well-timed abilities, more often than not any hope at a fair fight is immediately dashed when either you or your opponent shows up in full force to ruthlessly butcher anyone in sight while sheer numbers throw any hope of fighting back right out the window.

In the occasional instances where both teams show up at a single point in full force, the often one-sided push and pull is replaced by a disorderly slaughterfest that’s sure to be the highlight of any match. Even when the odds feel fair though, the haphazard swings from your characters weapons and decidedly floaty movement makes for