I don’t have much experience with the Warhammer universe. I’ve seen the games, seen the books and the tabletop, but I just never actually dived into it.
My first formal introduction to the Warhammer world was with Vermintide as it came onto Games with Gold on Xbox a very long time ago. To be honest, at first, the game didn’t hook me. It just felt like a Left 4 Dead clone with melee combat and humanoid rats. At the time, my friends didn’t really want to play it and I don’t like playing these sorts of games with bots (I know I’m fussy)
But recently my friends decided to get back into it, so we all gave it a go. And, I feel like an idiot not playing it so in-depth sooner.
The Horde
Horde games are a lot of fun. Left 4 Dead set the benchmark for the co-op horde survival experience. Other games like World War Z and Vermintide do feel like they copy the basic formula of Left 4 Dead, especially Vermintide.
But seeing as though Valve, the team behind the Left 4 Dead games can’t count past the number two, Vermintide and games like it have filled a bloody, meaty void in my chest. Though the game is a lot more fun with friends, alone it feels bland— but that is the genre’s fault and not so much the game’s.
The World
Warhammer falls into the Grim Dark genre from my understanding. This is not a happy, cheerful world. The game’s levels are full of dark alleyways, dense cemeteries and dark towers. The atmosphere of the game is amazing, despite its age, while enemy types add some variety to the threats players face.
Whether it is an Assassin Rat (Gutter Runner) that pounces on isolated players, a Ratling Gunner (a Rat with a gatling gun) or an Ogre, just to name a few. The special enemies add so much to the game, much like Left 4 Dead did.
Vermintide is a fun game, so long as you have a crew to be scared with. I’m looking forward to finishing this one up and jumping into the sequel…
