Warhammer: Chaosbane

Even though the formula is nothing new and has taken maybe too much inspiration from the Diablo series, it’s a great journey and finally Warhammer fans have been given a game they deserve.

Warhammer: Chaosbane is a good game, but it would've been better had it featured expansive environments.

Warhammer: Chaosbane is a very conservative game, which bets on the safest formula and introduces virtually nothing new to the genre. Still, the game is very enjoyable and is one of the best of the saga.

Whilst not quite as deep, varied, or refined as its widely acclaimed contemporaries, Warhammer: Chaosbane still manages to serve up a solid ARPG that packs quite a punch. The game plays well, looks good, and sports heaps of replay value across the board. Despite the odd issue with its combat diversity and its poor voice work, fans of both the genre and the source material will no doubt thoroughly enjoy what’s on offer.

Warhammer: Chaosbane has the potential to be a top tier action RPG in the likes of Diablo, Torchlight, and Grim Dawn, but as it stands now, it is a fun 10 hours with the endgame content being watered down. Now, developers EKO Software has stated that their plans are to support this game throughout the rest of the year with updates and new additions, of course, only time will tell on that. Currently, almost a month after release, the newest patch that hit the PC version is still waiting approval for the consoles, so that’s been fun. Until then, you get a decent loot-driven action RPG that is fun all the way up to the level cap, after that, it becomes a bit of a bland grind.

I have done my best to avoid the inevitable comparisons to the genre-defining Diablo series, as, thanks to the developer staying true to the license, Warhammer: Chaosbane manages to stand apart and succeed in forging an identity of its own. Still, it's hard to ignore the regrettable fumbles and clear shortcomings that detract from the experience, even though I hope that the post-release updates will make some headway to address those in time.

In the end, Warhammer: Chaosbane is more about its satisfying gameplay than being an accurate and respectful representation of its franchise. Here, Warhammer is actually a mere coating to a competent Diablo clone rather than being an essence of it. In many ways, the game has budget title sentiments to it when it resorts to simple narration and recycling assets but still it’s sold for a full price. That’s a fact, in addition to the lackluster performance of the online game, that drops Warhammer: Chaosbane from an essential purchase it would definitely have been as a mid-price title. Wait for a sale and you’re probably happier with what you get.

The lack of enemy and level variety makes it feel like a slog at times, and the drip-feed of new features while failing to explain them is irritating. But the hard-hitting action and addictive character development go some way to make up for its issues.

Eko Software's new game fails in successfully leveraging the huge Warhammer lore and it also feels underwhelming as a pure Diablo-like game, with an unsatisfying looting system and several technical problems. Where it does good is in its immediate gameplay and local co-op, but it definitely isn't enough for a Warhammer-branded game.