Ubisoft have begun their E3 with a new game in an unfamiliar genre which, according to CEO Yves Guillemot, couldn’t wait until later in the show.
For Honor is a melee medieval combat game from Ubi’s flagship studio in Montreal, which looks to be equally inspired by Dark Souls and MOBAs – and perhaps the less zeitgeisty Dynasty Warriors.
Ubisoft Montreal creative director Jason VandenBerghe told the crowd at E3 that For Honor “offers you the opportunity to experience the adrenaline and the danger of melee combat on a visceral battlefield”.
In a playstyle Ubi plan to coin as “the art of battle”, two teams of four players fight surrounded by AI soldiers – creeps, you could call them – who make good use of Montreal’s experience with crowds in Assassin’s Creed: Unity.
The camera tricks of Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs are immediately apparent in combat – which appears to be very much about good timing, particularly when facing other human players.
The idea is that you’ll feel the weight of your weapon, the crash of a blocked attack, and the impact of a killing blow.
VandenBerghe said the on-stage demo was a “tease of our current build” – which is far enough along to be playable at E3. You can register at the official For Honor site for potential early access.
Cinematics showed heavily-helmeted soldiers defending a gate from hairy barbarians, while another scene recalled a certain Game of Thrones showdown in the craggy valleys of the Vale. That your sort of thing?