MORDHAU | Steam

Mordhau for PC is the equivalent of an old-fashioned first-person shooter instead of a first-person stabber! This bespoke combat system is rooted in certain historical techniques and players must spend hours mastering their weapons: much as young men would have had to do on a daily basis in the days before modern weapons.

About the game

Players can customise much of their character'sappearance and weapons, with these changes being a mix of purely aesthetic and practical customisation. There are three types of armour, with heavier, more durable armour offering obvious advantages, but also disadvantages as it can slow you down and make your movements more cumbersome.

Your character - a mercenary - can be fully customised, for example in terms of his appearance. Even his voice can be changed to suit his build and physique, so you can achieve a completely harmonious appearance. This customisation doesn't cost anything, but if you're modifying weapons, armour and other attributes, you'll need to use in-game currency, so you may have to leave some things as is or put your hand in the wallet to get the perfect profile.

You can learn all about medieval weapons, such as shields, swords, spears, hammers, bows and arrows, and even huge siege weapons that would flatten an average house today! You can sometimes use a horse in battle, as the knights of old would have done.

Combat involves careful, precise movements to parry your opponent's blows, feint to get him to expose a vulnerable part, attack him, break his guard and kill him. Keep an eye on your health and stamina as you go along, as well as that of your opponent, to know when to strike a fatal blow that will bring him down immediately.

Game modes

There are a number of modes to play with:

Frontline: this is a fairly tactical way of playing. Two teams are formed and each team starts with a thousand points. For every enemy killed, the opposing team loses one point: for every soldier you lose, you lose one point. You can earn points by winning battles, claiming territory and achieving objectives - completing all objectives triggers instant victory, while winning within your territory allows you to acquire enemy points. You'll also win if you run out of points.

Battle Royale: in this now-familiar mode, the game starts with sixty-four players in an arena. Everyone is naked and scared: unarmoured and weaponless, needing to find armour as quickly as possible and get ready. It's a fight to the death, with the playing area shrinking as the number of players decreases. The last man standing is declared the winner.

Horde: stand firm with your team-mates against wave after wave of AI enemies. Your health bar won't regenerate each round, so make sure you're not too careless with your life, but winning the round will get you back in shape and give you money with which to buy armour and weapons. As above, you start with no weapons or armour to hand and have to battle with your wits until you can get dressed.

Skirmish: this is a form of team game in which each player is sort of for themselves too! If you die in the game, you can only spawn again at the end of the round, continuing to play if your team-mates have beaten your opponent. Win seven rounds and your team wins the whole skirmish

Deathmatch: Deathmatch matches are almost like jousts, where you challenge one player at a time to a one-on-one battle. Once you've beaten them, you move on to the next stage: so no waves of enemies, no overwhelming battles, just duels one after the other: a great way to find out just how good your medieval weaponry skills are. The first player to reach the required number of kills is the winner.

Team Deathmatch: similar to the mode above, except that players are divided into two teams and the whole team strives to surpass the number of people killed by the opponent.