For Honor Hacks and Slashes its Way into the Hearts of Gamers Everywhere

Sep 16, 2016 12:53 PM EDT

There are very specific genres when it comes to the world of video games, but if you would like to indulge in a hack and slash title that involve the kind of mindless killing offered in God of War, Dynasty Warriors or Diablo, then checking out For Honor from Ubisoft Montreal. For Honor will be made available on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One platforms.


Just what is For Honor all about? Originally announced at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo, For Honor will boast of a hand-to-hand combat system that has been described as "The Art of Battle" by the developers. This unique combat system opens the door for players to step into the fighting boots of soldiers from the past -- including medieval knights, samurai, and vikings, where the setting lies within a Medieval fantasy school of thought.

Following the trend of staking your claim to glory with one of the three different factions, players are able to choose from The Legion, The Chosen, and The Warborn. The Legion would be the knights, The Chosen will see plenty of samurai action, while The Warborn will represent Vikings. Within each faction lies four classes.

The Vanguard class will be the most balanced of the lot, offering both offence and defence. If you prefer to throw your dice with The Assassins class, then you will be extremely fleet footed and efficient when going toe-to-toe with your enemies, although you aren’t going to nick in too much damage along the way. The Heavies would be the tank class, being tough-as-nails albeit sacrificing speed. As for The Hybrids, these are a combination of three classes, and have the advantage of using uncommon skills. Each hero will be unique, sporting his or her own weapons, skills, and fighting styles.

The tactical combat system called "Art of Battle" will kick in when you come across far stronger opponents who have a whole lot more health. This sends you into a dueling mode, where you aim your weapon at your opponent with a wealth of placement choices at your disposal: from above, the right, and the left. It will take a keen eye and experience to figure out the weak points of the enemies via the on-screen hints and movements for that added tactical aspect.

The multiplayer campaign is similar to the single-player one, although it comes with perks, AI minions, and the Art of Battle system. If you love to indulge in teamplay, try Dominion. Dominion throws you into a 4 vs 4 setting, where you need to conquer and hold multiple zones in a battlefield. Points will be picked up through such occupation, and after earning enough points, you can then eliminate the players from the other team in order to emerge the victor.

In 2 vs 2, you gain complete victory only be eliminate the entire opponent team. The most glorious mode of them all would be the Duel -- where all of your skill and experience comes into play. Right now, we do know that For Honor is looking at a closed alpha test. Will it change the hack and slash genre when it arrives? Only time will be able to tell. So far, For Honor's worldwide release date has been set on February 14, 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Talk about one gory Valentine's Day!