If you follow Games Workshop you know that recently the classic version of Warhammer has changed a lot on the table top. However, the video games continue to pay homage to the old world with some great new games coming out. Vermintide happens to fall into the category. If you are a fan of survival style shooters (think Left 4 Dead) then this game hits on a lot of solid points. Also it really does a fantastic job putting you into the city of Ubersreik in the old world. Hordes of skaven are coming your way and fighting through them will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Vermintide offers five heroes to choose from. For this weekend I played as the Witch Hunter, one of my favorite iconic Warhammer characters. You also can pick the Bright Wizard, a dwarf Ranger (we wished it was a Slayer), a wood elf Waywatcher, and an Empire Soldier. For our purposes in playing the game the Witch Hunter stood out. Having the two muskets to shoot from and the long rapier like sword made for a good combo in taking down the rats. As for the other classes we did not play them much. I do think the developers need to add more heroes into the game quickly. This is one area which needs a boost. Having a classic dwarf Slayer and perhaps a high elf Lion’s Guard would bring much more iconic Warhammer characters into the game.
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You begin in the lobby of an old bar. The graphics and cut scenes are beautifully rendered and bring the feel of a musty old city onto your screen. Once you reach the map you can select a mission. The first one we did was to fight our way through the city working through wave after wave of rats. The skaven play such a great part in this game. It is great to see them taking the villain slot which is usually filled by orcs or daemons in Warhammer. The skaven are just as deadly, mostly because of their weird technology. Ratling Gunners were nasty.
So our team quickly assembled in the match-making lobby, we did not have a pre-made group. It was a waywatcher, empire soldier, and dwarf. The Witch Hunter was a perfect combo with this group mixing both ranged and melee attacks. The instance opened down a dusky street with lots of slave rats charging us first. Right from the get go this game is definitely in your face. I began with the muskets but switched to the sword to save ammo for later on when we likely would face the bigger bosses. As we cleared the streets of threats the skaven began to up their game with Clanrats. These are the more soldier level of skaven in Warhammer and soon they became more prevalent as we progressed.
Enemies are introduced within the swarm of rats as they get to you and about five minutes in we were faced with a few ratling gunners. The good thing about them is they will shoot then move away, giving you the chance to charge up and take them down. You can also switch weapons easy enough and bring them down with a bow or musket.
Vermintide wins on several levels. The fast paced action keeps players on their toes and moving through the intense scenarios. The art design of the world is very strong too. The Warhammer world really comes to life on your screen. If you like first person action the game stands tall and proud. Also, the story is solid and nothing beats a wild bad guy like mutated rats who worship chaos. The rat ogres are awesome fun to fight. The game is very friendly with loot too. You get some good rewards right from the start.
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The game just launched but there's a load of potential for future updates. As I mentioned more classes would go a long way. It would be great to see other races make their way into the game allowing you to play a combination of orcs, chaos, and maybe even dark elves. If you do not like first person views then you will have a tough go of it. If the team were to add in a third person view it may appeal to those players quickly. Short of those two elements, Vermintide really is strong out of the gate.
Hopefully we will see a lot more from this title, as developers bring in some patches add more content and features. For a newly released game, Vermintide has a really strong appeal. If you are not ready to leave the old world and enter the Age of Sigmar, then Vermintide is a great place to spend your time.
