As a kid I was always playing with action figures, mashing up a battle of Star Wars figures attacking Buck Rodgers figures. Occasionally my space battles would come to earth where Luke Skywalker would be battling Cobra Commander or Destro. Playing with one set of action figures was fine but bringing different genres and cultures together to duke it out was the most fun of all. For Honor, a game originally released back in 2017 by Ubisoft answered the call, by bringing Knights, Vikings and Samurai together for the ultimate dual for supremacy!
At this years E3, Ubisoft decided to up this mash-up even further with it’s upcoming expansion For Honor: Marching Fire. Along with the original factions we will be introduced to the new Wu Lin faction of warriors, who bring with them their own unique style, weapons and champions. In edition to the new faction we are also given a new game mode called Castle Siege in which defenders attempt to stop the mighty battering ram, while attackers cleave the way to topple the gates.
Ubisoft was gracious enough to invite me to play Marching Fire, and specifically play with the new faction and the Castle Siege mode. I hadn’t played For Honor in quite some time, so was thankful for the quick tutorial before engaging the true enemy (the 4 players sitting across the table from me). The tutorial took me through the basics of attacking, dodging, and blocking…all very important for the upcoming battle, and in no time at all I was high atop the ramparts as the invading enemy with their battering ram came into view.
Castle Siege is not only about the champions battling it out amongst each other, but also utilizing your troops (and mowing down theirs) in an effort to stop them from breaching the walls. The action was frantic and the battles rewarding, particularly when playing one on one against another player. The problem I ran into early on was when three of the enemies came at me at once, while I didn’t last long, the Ubisoft rep near me was impressed that I was able to draw three of their heroes away so that my team could take on the battering ram…somehow that didn’t make my dying warrior feel better, but at least I couldn’t be accused of not being a team player.
The 4v4 gameplay is as smooth as ever, and the weapons have a weight and heft to them when you swing (depending on the type of warrior you have chosen to be). The castle siege mode is tremendous fun and really emphasizes team play. I am certainly looking forward to it when it releases.
