What’s this now? A new free-to-play third-person multiplayer title that is not solely modelled on a battle royale? Bold, especially in the year of our anointed King Charles III (ha!). Warlander is a new team-based skirmisher from Japanese studio Toylogic that has two teams compete on a three-lane, MOBA-inspired map to breach the opponent’s fortress while protecting their own.
Players will be able to choose from a handful of classes as the match rolls on, but may choose a warrior in the beginning and march forth with their squad. Under the leadership of a commander who can issue orders, players are expected to coordinate within their squad to ensure that lanes are maintained and pushed, or take care of fortress defences by operating missiles and boiling tar cauldrons for those sad suckers that march up to your gates. This is all cartoon fantasy, with players shortly gaining access to mages and clerics which opens up the battlefield to long-range combat opportunities.
This game has popped up out of nowhere and will be following the now established tradition of successful free-to-play models by offering a battle pass and cosmetic microtransactions, while also padding out the large 40-player and 100-player game modes with bots where necessary. To keep players coming back there is a generous progression model whereby new weapons, gear, and stat-boosting titles are unlocked at the end of every match. Players can then customise decks of class builds in between matches, with a pool of points restricting players from creating overpowered characters and ensuring tactical considerations for what deck will be best for a class in a given scenario.
You bet I camped my ass on a ballista for cheap kills
I had the opportunity to go hands-on with this title in its beta stage among dozens of others in the gaming press. What was billed as tactical action where squads would organise around objectives allocated by their commander quickly descended into chaos in a manner that any Battlefield player would be familiar with. As soon as the match started, my defender-allocated squad immediately split up. A couple of players marched straight up the mid-lane with most of the team to get involved in the immediate action. I switched to the ranged weapon each class has by default and played with some sniping action, only to find the warrior’s automatic crossbow is more accustomed to close-range fights. Feeling a bit bored and left out of the action, I also over-extended into a skirmish. Another squadmate set about constructing supports around our parapets, such as ladders and stationary missiles to rain hell down on anyone foolish enough to approach our gates.
My first fight ended in my quick death, resulting in a downed state where I could be resurrected by a cleric. Upon respawning, I decided to take a cleric for a spin and was quickly impressed. The cleric is not only able to heal allies from afar and resurrect the fallen, but they can also summon imposing walls that can shape the flow of fights in the narrowing necks of the lanes. Staying in this wheelhouse, I also tried out the mage, who comes equipped with a heavy crossbow that was more adept at sniping from afar. Like the piece of shit I am, I quickly found a boulder to perch on above the battlefield and began picking off foes. To my pleasure, I’m sure I pissed off a few of my more talented peers among the press.
The cleric’s long-range utility made it the fast favourite
While admittedly I enjoyed my curated session with like-minded players, my reflections after the session were bittersweet. There seems to be an issue with regard to variety and this game’s hopeful longevity in a crowded market. Despite four classes to play with currently, it feels more like two – with the hack-and-slash warrior and supporting cleric both having a more powerful alternative class open up later in the match. The unlockable gear seems to be limited in their appearances, with most simply being recoloured skins of the same gear with higher stats. And while it is the growing norm for free-to-play multiplayer games to only feature one playable map, the medieval fantasy map with opposing strongholds lacked any distinguishing features or characteristics to leave any impression.
While likely to be an approachable hoot with a squad of mates, Warlander doesn’t strike me as yet having the necessary X-factor to sustain its large player counts required for the best matches. However sceptical I may be, there is no denying that I enjoyed my brief hour with the game and comfortably picked up the controls with ease.
Warlander has an open beta launching on Steam on September 12, with a future launch and crossplay planned for consoles.
