Ancient Warfare 2

Sword fighting games have to tackle many concepts that are difficult to translate into gameplay mechanics, since even huge triple-A studios have failed to provide the fans with a convincing and fun experience sometimes. On the other hand, games like Mount & Blade have managed to nail many of the important aspects, which is why the series has sold millions of copies over the years. Even so, simple arcade games can be just as entertaining under the right conditions.

Ancient Warfare 2 is a third/first-person action game with poly graphics and simple gameplay mechanics, in which you get to enjoy randomly-generated levels, ridiculous battles and enough game modes to keep you busy for a long time. Granted, the game is in an early development phase at the moment, so it feels very rough and unfinished, as it’s only normal. However, the potential is through the roof, so we can only hope that the developers keep improving the concept in the following months.

To begin with, there are more than enough game modes to choose from, such as king of the hill, conquest, arena, or even a basic campaign. However, the most exciting fact is that the maps are randomly generated whenever you start a new round, and so are the enemies you have to face. This makes every match new and exciting, even if there’s not much variety in regards to enemies, weapons or the environment.

The combat system is very simple and annoying at the moment, mainly because you can only swing your sword/mace and raise the shield to protect yourself from incoming damage. Everything feels very slow and imprecise, since you are never quite sure whether your sword has hit the enemy or not. It’s even more difficult to notice if the enemies hit you, that is unless you keep a permanent eye on your health bar.

All of these issues might make you think that the game is not worth the bother, but that’s not the case. The fact that you can chop soldiers into pieces with a swing of your sword never gets old, and the challenge is great enough to keep you trying again and again. Granted, it would be nicer to deal with better mechanics, but then again you can expect that from future versions of the game.

The level design does not impress, given the fact that all you can see around you are trees and the occasional rocks, but there’s little time to worry about that. It’s also not a priority at the moment, although the fact that the maps are randomly generated is definitely a plus, because with enough variety when it comes to environmental assets, the formula could yield countless hours of content.

Lastly, the poly graphics are not too bad either, and it’s actually of the cool things about the game. Although the enemies look the same most of the time and so do the weapons, at least there’s room for improvement, and it’s slightly easier to improve than a normal 3D style that requires more work. The interface could use a few touch-ups as well, because it’s sometimes difficult to orientate yourself or interact with objects.

In the end, Ancient Warfare 2 is really up to something here, but it’s not quite done yet, since it needs more work before the concept is polished to a shine. However, even this rough prototype can be a lot of fun if you lower your expectations a little bit and give the game a chance.

Speaking of which, the developers are currently undergoing a Steam Greenlight campaign, and you can show your support by voting for the game and providing them with feedback regarding your experience.