Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide Review

• Manufacturer: Fatshark
• Publisher: Fatshark
• Genre: Co-op Action FPS
• Release Date: 04.10.2016
• Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows
• Game Supplied by: Xbox

So for all of you who are missing the good old fun days of Left for Dead you can now get your teeth into Vermintide which follows the same style of gameplay yet in a totally different setting. Instead of running around chopping up zombies we’re set in the world of Warhammer with swords, guns and magic weapons to vanquish the rat creatures which are infesting the lands.

So from the beginning, choose your character and join a random game or host your own. You can do this from a lobby, which is an inn where you and your teammates can wander around, sort their inventory, upgrade items and when you’re ready, start the next game. There is a story to follow, but it’s unlikely you’ll complete them in order. During the loading screen you’re given a brief overview of the task at hand, then off you go! Go from point A to point B, press a button or collect something, then escape at point C. It can be quite a frantic game with all the rats coming from the shadows, running out of ammunition, each character shouting about finding health potions (if you do see them, grab them!) which you can only carry one of! Yet at the peak of the mission when the music starts going, you’re reviving your teammates and striving to get away, it’s actually quite a bit of fun. Better to play with friends than strangers though, as communication is key, and unfortunately on quite a few of my games there wasn’t enough players so the game would drop in some bots to control the characters.

I initially found the control and movement a little bit weird, I couldn’t put my finger on it but perhaps the acceleration wasn’t quite the same as other FPS games. A lot of the game is quite dark too so playing it during the daytime may cause a bit of struggle.

As I already mentioned Left for Dead you’ll find this comparison all over the internet, and I think it’s a fair one as there aren’t very many games like this. I think it’s a fresh start with this type of game, instead of yet another zombie game. The different characters have their own primary weapons, such as crossbow, magic or guns but when you’re out of ammunition you can resort to pummeling with various steel weapons. The rats have lots of their own characters, some throw gas grenades yet the more annoying ones, like the assassins, will pin you down and kill you, or strangle you to death with a torture device. I found the tedious part was dying – when this happens you’re technically not dead, but they take you to a different location on the map, tied up, and have to wait to be rescued. If you’re in a game of numpties, being rescued isn’t likely to happen! Hence the necessity to play as a team instead of individuals.

Vermintide is a very good attempt at an online only co-op FPS game. I don’t know much about the world and lore of Warhammer but it did have it’s own feel, to me it could be the Van Helsing era of swords, guns and magic coming together in this well balanced game.