Can For Honor Be 2017’s First Big Multiplayer Hit?

For Honor is the first release of this year that I’m genuinely excited for. As touched mentioned in our earlier preview, I’ve always been on the lookout for a multiplayer title that nails the feel and flow of melee combat. Plenty of games have come close, but many of these feel derived from the first person shooters. For Honor, on the other hand, features a combat system that has been built from the ground up for this purpose. It’s intuitive, unique, and surprisingly complex, with each of the playable character classes adding their own tweaks to the base mechanics.

Having already spent hours in the game’s closed beta, I’m starting to become addicted to its heady blend of medieval combat. This time around I’ve pledged by sword (well, spear) to the Samurai faction of Myre, exclusively focusing on the Nobushi warrior class. There are 12 confirmed heroes that will launch with the game with more no doubt planned as future DLC, and choosing one is almost like picking a character in a fighting game – the more matches you play, the more you learn about their moveset and combat roles.

During the alpha test, I had warmed towards the Conqueror – a heavily armoured Knight who carries a flail and shield combo – so going for Nobushi this time felt like a complete change in pace. Favouring the spear, she excels in harassing opponents with chip attacks while keeping her distance. Many of her combos will apply a bleed effect which adds yet another dynamic, especially during one-on-one duels. There’s a cruel pleasure to whittling down your opponent’s health. It induces panic, often forcing them to lash out in a desperate flurry which can leave them even more exposed.

In short, the combat systems is fantastic. There’s a discernible learning curve to overcome but once you’ve nailed the basics, For Honor’s more advanced elements begin to filter in nicely.

When it comes to multiplayer focused games, another crucial aspect I look for is longevity. A big reason why Overwatch grabbed our Game of the Year award and has passed the 25 million player mark is Blizzard’s constant commitment. Instead of releasing games and propping them up with, say, six month’s worth of added content, Blizzard treats their games like services and this approach has paid off for them time and time again.

Ubisoft, meanwhile, tends to take the more traditional approach with expansions and season passes. However, compared to rival publishers EA and Activision, there have been visible efforts to break away from such post-launch strategies. Take Rainbow Six: Siege, for instance. Instead of hiding new maps behind a paywall, they’ve made them available to all. The same goes for new operatives, though these require a thick wad on in-game currency to unlock. Although some will turn their noses at this balance between player grinding and monetisation, it works, and Rainbow Six: Siege has been successful enough to warrant a second season of planned content. We saw something very similar last year with Io-Interactive and Hitman.

If For Honor manages to reel in a decent number of active players at launch, Ubisoft’s plans for free content combined with premium options could give this ambitious multiplayer title the long tail it deserves.

From what’s be shown, For Honor will have plenty for players to unlock and explore when the game launches on Valentine’s Day. Beyond the training modes and bot matches, there’s a full-on singleplayer campaign that will help flesh out the gritty medieval world the game is set in. The raft of maps and online game types isn’t exactly huge yet, but this will likely change within the first few months of release. Instead, Ubisoft is relying on players to become immersed within its tense melee gameplay, and with twelve unique combatants, there’s just as much replay value here as there is in fighting games like Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, and Mortal Kombat.

Ubisoft is taking a genuine risk with For Honor. It feels so unique and fresh, but I feel that some casual gamers may have trouble getting their heads around it. It will certainly be an interesting one to watch and hopefully something Ubisoft will evolve into its own franchise.