War of the Roses review
When I saw the medieval deathmatch game War of the Roses in development, I wondered if it might become a complex, po-faced affair, all too concerned with the precise simulation of late medieval weapons and the intimate details of period warfare. I thought the control system might end up unwieldy. I thought the difficulty curve would be too steep.Well, it does take its arms and armour rather seriously and its controls do take some getting used to, but they’re both part of what gives this game its character – and none of it stands in the way of you having a damn good time getting (late) medieval on people’s asses. And on their horses, too.Two teams of up to 32 soldiers each go to war, donning 15th-century armour and choosing from an array of halberds, swords, axes, spears, bows and crossbows. When they meet on the field of battle, whatever steel they swing at their opponents is effective according to its flavour, where it hits and what kind of armour it makes contact with. Slashing weapons won’t cut through steel breastplates, for example, but aiming for joints in the plating gets results. It doesn’t take long to appreciate that this is a game of manoeuvring, timing and careful parrying – or, if you find you’re bleeding to death, a lot of wild, desperate swinging.Read more…
