Picture yourself designing a game where it takes double-digit hours before the game becomes remotely challenging or interesting.
Many reviews have noted how brainless Vermintide 2 is. There's veracity to such claim, because it's true on the lower difficulties. It speaks to how needlessly prolonged and detrimental the progression system is, causing people to abandon the game before nigh everything which makes the game fun to play can be experienced. Things like monsters, dangerous elite enemies, hordes the size where they can pose a real threat, ect... are locked behind a difficulty level not immediately accessible. It's understandable why a game wouldn't swarm a new player with everything all at once, but, apparent by the reception, the training wheels stay on far too long.
Which is a great shame, because the game is amazing. Playing through the (rather large pool of) maps with different characters will make for a completely different playstyle and role in the team. There's a real learning curve in mastering each class' specific abilities. The way the classes are set-up demands teamwork. On the highest difficulties, failure is always a couple mistakes away. The characters are charming and well-written, with several hours of recorded banter between them. The narrative takes the world of Warhammer sincerely. The game is littered with small attentions to detail that show the developers adore their own game. Audio integration into useful gameplay information is immaculate - among the best in any game I've played. The pacing of the levels is superb; the escape sequences being particularly memorable. The developers have created a great deal of new levels years after launch free of charge, as well as an entirely new rouge-lite game mode. One can hop on and experiment with new ways to approach the same level, even after hundreds of hours.
Vermintide II leaves a lukewarm impression, but is immensely gratifying beyond the surface.
Many reviews have noted how brainless Vermintide 2 is. There's veracity to such claim, because it's true on the lower difficulties. It speaks to how needlessly prolonged and detrimental the progression system is, causing people to abandon the game before nigh everything which makes the game fun to play can be experienced. Things like monsters, dangerous elite enemies, hordes the size where they can pose a real threat, ect... are locked behind a difficulty level not immediately accessible. It's understandable why a game wouldn't swarm a new player with everything all at once, but, apparent by the reception, the training wheels stay on far too long.
Which is a great shame, because the game is amazing. Playing through the (rather large pool of) maps with different characters will make for a completely different playstyle and role in the team. There's a real learning curve in mastering each class' specific abilities. The way the classes are set-up demands teamwork. On the highest difficulties, failure is always a couple mistakes away. The characters are charming and well-written, with several hours of recorded banter between them. The narrative takes the world of Warhammer sincerely. The game is littered with small attentions to detail that show the developers adore their own game. Audio integration into useful gameplay information is immaculate - among the best in any game I've played. The pacing of the levels is superb; the escape sequences being particularly memorable. The developers have created a great deal of new levels years after launch free of charge, as well as an entirely new rouge-lite game mode. One can hop on and experiment with new ways to approach the same level, even after hundreds of hours.
Vermintide II leaves a lukewarm impression, but is immensely gratifying beyond the surface.