Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Pre-Alpha Impressions

Note: Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Pre-Alpha demo copy was generously provided by the developer.

Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4

Before considering Warhammer: Vermintide 2, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Are you a fan of video games that combine medieval weaponry with a fast-paced semi-realistic first person combat? Do you like games that force you to play with friends, strategize and bash skulls? Do you hate rats, but can’t summon the courage to kill them in real life? Did you like Left 4 dead 2? Are you a fan of the Warhammer universe? If you said yes to any one of these, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is the game that should be on your radar as the next best first-person cooperative action game that lets you bash in ratmen skulls, obliterate various humanoid rat enemies and shoot up Warriors of Chaos that have joined up with vicious Skaven ratmen. These are some Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Pre-Alpha Impressions

Presentation

It should be noted here that despite being a pre-alpha demo, the environment and graphics of this game are quite good and the world is very detailed. Right as you’re thrown into the game, you can see a lush forest covered in smog and dirt, there’s smoke and you can see torches burning buildings from a distance, everything gives the impression of an invasion and as if the entire town has been wiped clean by a plague.

There’s no sign of sunlight and after walking some distance, you can see various enemies moving around, waiting for any sight of life to destroy. The level design is quite standard for a linear game where you have to move from one point to the other but giving you enough locations to feel involved in and discover, loot is scattered around and while resources are scarce, the items are distinguishable and easy to look out for.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Pre-Alpha Gameplay

If you’ve played the first game, you’ll know what to expect, it’s a fast-paced action game with a very addictive combat. Both characters available in the demo are diverse and unique and have enough depth for you to experiment with, practice and improve upon. You have a close combat weapon slot which you will be using the most, a ranged weapon slot that has guns and crossbows, consumable items slots with various potions that include healing items and power-ups and finally a throwable slot, that includes grenades and other throwable items to gain some distance or take out a horde.

The gameplay is quick and you’ll be dealing with multiple enemies at a time, even though you’ll have help from friends, being on your toes and reactionary is essential. You can dodge the enemies, push them back and ultimately bash their skulls in. There’s also a special ability that charges up with time and as you obliterate enemies, this can be used multiple times and it’s very useful when enemies have crowded upon you and you need to take them out together.

Check out the gameplay trailer below

Characters in Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Pre-Alpha

In the Pre-Alpha demo, you have to characters to chose from, when the game is officially out you’ll have a total of 5 characters that can go for 15 careers, providing different playstyles and add depth to character progression. Each career has an individual talent tree, active and passive abilities, and access to unique weapons and equipment.

Following are the playable characters in Warhammer: Vermintide 2

• Bardin Goreksson
• Kerillian
• Victor Saltzpyre
• Sienna Fuegonasus
• Markus Kruber

Each character has different playstyles and appearances for you to choose from and level up to.

Controls

The controls of this game aren’t complex, which is always a good thing, you block with the right mouse button and attack with the left, you can quickly switch weapons with the number keys or by scrolling and use the special with “F”. The game doesn’t bombard you with various buttons to remember and allows you to quickly use everything in your arsenal efficiently and responsively.

Enemy Design

The enemy design of this game is one of the strongest aspects that make Warhammer: Vermintide 2 such a likable game. There are over 20 different kinds of enemies and each one feels distinct enough for you approach differently, the ratmen have different abilities and there are regular humanoid enemies that come in hordes for you to kill.

From the game’s description

Prepare to face a threat of unparalleled magnitude as the Chaos and Skaven armies have formed a dark pact to plunge the world into death and decay. Our heroes will face a horde of hostile combatants in a variety of shapes and sizes.

While the sheer amount of enemies can be overwhelming, if you plan it right and constantly cooperate, manage resources with your teammates, you can take them out without any real problem, however it should be noted that in the pre-alpha it was obvious that the players were given more HP so they can experience the demo fully without dying, the main game itself will obviously be more difficult and you possibly will be dying and staggering a lot.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Multiplayer

Of course, since the game was in pre-alpha, there was no real multiplayer aspect to try out but it’s fairly obvious you have to constantly be communicating through voice chat and plan how you take out hordes and hordes of enemies.

The developers promise an even improved matchmaking system, stating