Shane G

The combat is a blast. The skill tree is robust. The rest is lackluster. I am enjoying the game, but it does feel as if the environment is cookie-cutter content. For me, one of the draws of other games, like the Diablo and Van Helsing series, is the loot. Always striving for that next legendary weapon with the cool graphic/animation... For Chaosbane, it just isn't there. At least not yet, anyway. I'm on chapter 3 of the main storyline. By now, I should have some awesome looking gear, in my opinion. In Chaosbane, all the equipment for your character looks similar. They are different per class, but each classes gear looks too similar. Now, back to combat. It's great! It has a great flow to it and each character's playstyle is VERY unique. The monsters you face are varied. Each chapter has its own gang of beasties, which include the cannon fodder, the beefy middle-tier, and the champions. Depending on the class you play, you'll have to find your groove to do well in battle. The boss battles are really fun too. They have massive hitpoints and powerful special attacks, just like a boss should. Their character design and animations are very good. I enjoy the boss fights. After you beat the first boss, you unlock Boss Rush, which allows you to fight bosses you've defeated. You, of course, have a variety of skills to choose from. I do like how Chaosbane handles the skills. I'm not sure if the pen and paper Warhammer plays the same way since I've not played it. I know, I should. Anyway, you have a pool of skill points and each skill costs a certain amount of those points. You gain more skills and upgraded versions of those skills when you level up. There are TONS of skills between the various methods of obtaining them- leveling up, donating to the collectors guild, spending favor points on the god trees... You'll have fun with all the skills for sure. The graphics are really good, although the environments are repetitive as I mentioned earlier. The skill animations are unique and impressive. I would put the graphic style between Diablo 3 and Grim Dawn. The voice acting is sometimes cringeworthy. It's tolerable, but barely. My main character, the elven archer, sounds like Mary Poppins. The other character voices sound like they were just trying too hard. The numerous DLCs available, other than the Tomb Kings expansion, seems to just be game boosts and minimal cosmetic upgrades. I don't think they are necessary and are an attempt at a cash grab. You can play the game without these boosts. My final verdict is 3 stars, or 6.5 out of 10. The combat and skill tree(s) are the saving grace to this game. In its current state, I feel the $50 USD price tag is a bit high. I got it on sale at a deep discount and feel I got a really good deal. If you like other ARPGs like Diablo 3, Grim Dawn and Van Helsing, and are able to get Chaosbane on sale, you'll enjoy playing this game. You just need to look past the repetitive environments and cringy voice acting.