![]() ![]() Being spoon-fed new characters in this way is a good way to discover which ones you want to invest more time in. The first few missions introduce you to the Warden, but after that there are outings with the Lawbringer and Peacekeeper too. Returning to singleplayer, I finished off the Knight campaign - a six-mission war stretching from verdant medieval strongholds to an icy viking fastness. For Honor isn't trying to be for everybody, but I'm not convinced that any game should ever try to be. But I'm impressed that Ubisoft made a game this finely-focused: it's a far cry (cough) from the do-anything-ish open worlds they've centred on for the last few years. It's a particular type of person who will resonate most strongly with the fantasy that For Honor is selling, and its value proposition is perhaps more question for people who just want to dip in, play the campaign, try a few rounds of multiplayer, and move on. ![]() Would I recommend this experience to everybody? No. It's good for the soul, if not your heartrate. And there really isn't anything like the feeling of winning when you're sure you're going to lose, or of watching an opponent run rings around you and having to acknowledge that they're simply better. I always want to be playing it, even when it's frustrating, because I know I can do better. ![]() I can feel myself getting pulled into a long journey with this game. Most of the Elimination games I've played since yesterday have been 50% Nobushi and Orochi and a 50% mix of all of the other characters in the game. Given a few days, however, the live game has caught up. When I wrote my guide to the game on day one, I noted that newcomers should expect to face a lot of Orochi and Nobushi - but actually, for the last few days, the issue hasn't been as pronounced as it was in the last hours of open beta. I've got some concerns about the way the metagame is developing. If you've ever tried to climb a fighting game ladder, you know how this works. Beyond a certain point getting better at duels means doing the time in the salt mine. When your connection is good (and I've found that it's generally been fine, but mileage reportedly varies) there's no luck element here: if you find yourself typing 'that was cheap' then what you really mean is 'I could have done better'. You'll lose when you play badly and win when you play well. If you're going to get value out of For Honor over the long haul then I think you've got to be attracted to this kind of grind: the tough, entirely-skill-based kind. And that's just with Warden, too - I've now prestiged with my main, and I'm wondering if it's soon going to be worth picking up a second character. Winning means needing to remember which strategies to employ against which classes and tailoring them to the specific player I'm up against and their playstyle. If I'm tired or not really concentrating, I'll get my ass handed to me. ![]() It's difficult and sometimes frustrating, mind, because fighting games always are beyond a certain level. The vast majority of players I'm facing in one-on-ones are polite, skilled and talkative, and this feels like a very healthy place for the game to be in. In any case, easy duels are a thing of the past and my winrate is balancing out, which suggests that matchmaking has well and truly kicked in. I assume that honeymoons have serious businesses phases - I have never been on one. I have entered the serious business phase of my For Honor honeymoon. ![]()
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