STACK #148 Feb 2017

GAMES FEATURE

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of the War Worlds

that age-old war. Confronted by manipulation and treason, they will need to use all their wits and skills to ensure the survival of their people and foil the plans of the merciless and bloodthirsty warlord, Apollyon.” This faction war will play out as a part of a detailed campaign, but a lot of what gamers have actually seen so far is the ambitious multiplayer aspect of the game. The two intertwine so well that it doesn’t feel as though the single- player aspect is an afterthought – more of an enhancement, and an insight into why everyone wants to kill each other in the multiplayer. This campaign also serves as an introduction to the revolutionary Art of Battle. “The Art of Battle is our combat system that delivers the feeling of real duelling without sacrificing accessibility and simplicity,” Oriola explains. "What we’ve done is take the most important parts of actual melee fighting, boil them

Fresh off the back of Steep , Ubisoft are throwing another new title our way. For Honor pits Vikings, Samurai and Knights (oh my!) against one another.We quizzed game director Roman Campos Oriola on where the idea came from, and what to expect from the new IP. Words Alesha Kolbe

down to their emotional essence, then work with martial artists and professional stuntmen to mo-cap every possible move in the game.” For Honor is shaping up to be an action hack-and-slash title that’s accessible to everyone, whether you’re looking to best your mates in online multiplayer or simply jumping in for a stress-relieving campaign playthrough. The death animations are brutal and the combat system rewarding enough that you truly do feel like a hero.

F or Honor is a fresh new IP out of Ubisoft Montreal – a third-person action hack-and- slash game revolving around a faction war between the Vikings, Samurai and Knights. It’s basically all your childhood movie fantasies rolled into one, and the must-have gift this Valentine’s Day. Assembling all these characters in the same room at the same time might seem like somebody's idea of wish fulfilment, but game director Roman Campos Oriola reveals that the concept actually came from creative director Jason VandenBerghe. “Being a big fan of sword-fighting and having himself trained a bit in German longsword, he thought of ways to replicate the same emotions in a video game," explains Oriola. "He then pitched that idea to many different people, before he had the chance to meet with our producer Stephane Cardin and his core team – that resulted in the first prototype of our new control system, the Art of Battle." The Vikings, the Samurai and the Knights driving For Honor ’s faction wars each have their own individual hero classes and specifications. These classes – Vanguards, Assassins, Heavies and Hybrids – have faction-specific mercenaries, from

into the multiplayer.

“Our story mode is a tale of warriors that takes place a few years before the events of the multiplayer. A thousand years after a huge cataclysm that destroyed their world, the Knights, the Vikings and the Samurai have finally managed to regain most of their old strength. Each of them now has the power to defy the other factions, transforming a rampant conflict into a total open war. "Embodying the greatest warriors in each faction, players will live, from the inside, the events of a crucial moment in

The Art of Battle is our combat system that delivers the feeling of real duelling without sacrificing accessibility and simplicity

• For Honor is out Feb 14

Samurai Kensei and Orochi to Viking Berserkers. It's the war between these factions that spurs the main story campaign, and Oriola wanted to use this as a spingboard

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