This battle between knights, samurai and Vikings isn't a B-movie slated for a premiere on SyFy, though it will have a single-player campaign that could weave in and out of that territory. For Honor, possibly this year's Assassin's Creed stand-in, hasn't been given a firm release date, but the rest of the game's details have been pouring in the gates, up the walls and through the crenelations.
The year started with a rumor that Ubisoft's Montreal factory was taking 2016 to retool the long-standing franchise and turn it into more like CD Projekt Red's role-playing series The Witcher. There were also talks that For Honor would take the place of a new Assassin's Creed game this year, a franchise that has seen an annual release since 2009.
For Honor might be the breath of fresh air Ubisoft fans need. And it might give the game developer a moment to catch its breath, enabling it to breathe new life into Assassin's Creed.
Gameplay
At its core, For Honor is a hack and slash game that explores sword fighting in group battles and couples dances. It's designed to be in-depth enough to reward skill development, yet not so deep that it drowns all the fun.
It's a game of swords and stances, blocks and counters, and timing and concentration. For when two fighters lock gazes, and boots clear a crop of blood-speckled floor for their deadly dance, For Honor's swordplay system "Art of Battle" kicks in.
Combatants seek to match their attacker's stance to set up a block or a counter. When their opponents are recovering from a swing, combatants attempt to change their stance to deliver a quick or strong blow to an exposed area.
Wherever a character is holding a weapon, that area is safe because it's that region the fighter is blocking, explained Ubisoft's Creative Director Jason Vandenberghe.
"So if I'm holding my sword to my left and you attack me on my left side, I'm going to block it," said Vandenberghe. "But if you attack me from the right or from above, I'm going to get hit. It takes time to change my stance, so I need to anticipate what you're going to do."
This parrying could get especially interesting online, trading blows and blocks with other humans. But developer Ubisoft Montreal is promising a solid campaign to sew all of these together.
Single-Player Campaign
For Honor will feature weaponry and warriors from three confirmed military fighting classes – knights and samurai and Vikings – each of which will bring its own techniques and tactics in the game.
To put the three classes against each other, Ubisoft needed a story. Plus, the fans have been demanding a solo campaign, according to Stéphane Cardin, producer.
"One of the big questions we received and feedback was about a solo campaign," said Cardin. "So, we said that we will have a solo campaign, and I can promise you that we will have a solo campaign – it's one of the key subjects we're working on the floor. I can't wait to show stuff to you guys, and we'll do it as early as possible, like we did with the multiplayer."
Release Date
For Honor doesn't have a release date yet, though Amazon lists it with a placeholder release date of Dec. 30, 2016. That's standard operating procedure for a game expected late in the year or early in the following year.
