After nearly a decade of the gaming community fighting on bloody battlefields in Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, Torn Banner studios released a direct sequel to their ever-popular online slasher with Chivalry 2.
The game allows fans of epic hack-and-slash action to take up their swords in fast-paced 64-player open battlefields. The momentum-based first-person swordplay feels better than ever, with plenty of classes, customization options, and ancient weapons to play with. For those itching for even more glory on blood-soaked battlefields, get ready to put on your armor and take up arms with a sword, spear or bow and immerse yourself in some of the best games you can play if you like Chivalry 2.
10/10 Elderborn
Moving away from the grounded semi-realistic experience of Chivalry 2, Elderborn takes the same adrenaline-fueled first-person swordplay to an action fantasy setting, filled with various swords, hammers and spears to attack an assortment of zombies and ghouls.
Just like chivalry, timing your attacks is crucial, as is finding the perfect parry window to get a leg up on your enemies. Progression is more akin to a Soulslike, using a similar system of reviving enemies after resting and leveling up at designated checkpoints. It will keep you on your toes as it rapidly increases in difficulty, although the great pounding metal soundtrack will more than likely keep you pumped as you stab and kick your way to victory.
9/10 Hellish Quart
Hellish Quart takes a more laid-back approach to its 17th-century battle. Still in early access at the time of writing, it’s a sword duel that has a respectable amount of content to try out.
The game is a bit like turning Chivalry into a Mortal Kombat-esque fighting game, and it makes for some tense 1v1 battles that require a lot of skill and finesse. Combat feels snappy and responsive thanks to the amazing physics-based swordplay, which calculates the damage you ruthlessly inflict based on real-time physics. You really have to focus on timing to find the right angle to do the most damage. It’s a refreshing take on the genre, with stunning graphics and tight controls, with more content being added as it moves out of early access.
8/10 Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2
With the ability to control a single soldier or an entire army, Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2 can display an overwhelmingly staggering number of soldiers – even reaching a million characters at once for the ultimate military sandbox.
You can try pitting several ancient armies against each other, such as the Romans versus the ancient Greeks, but you can also add soldiers from World War II for a bit more modern military action. You can even throw in thousands of zombie hordes and have an army made entirely of farm animals and dinosaurs if the mood strikes you. Here’s hoping your PC doesn’t burst into flames trying to render a million AI soldiers duking it out for glory on the battlefield.
7/10 Blades and sorcery
Often ranked as one of the best combat-driven VR titles available, Blade and Sorcery was built with immersive platforming in mind. It has a fantastic combat system, with fun ragdoll physics as you swing and stab those unfortunate enough to get in your way.
You are able to play as a warrior, ranger or mage as you use your arms to flail wildly at your enemies. You can swing a heavy longsword behind the safety of a shield, or resort to physically pulling arrows out of your sheath and hacking them into your bow for a satisfying ranged kill. It’s a great medieval sandbox experience that’s an important pickup for VR enthusiasts.
6/10 Dark Messiah of power and magic
Many first-person slashers owe their thanks to the influential Dark Messiah of Might and Magic for an early iteration of deadly and gory in-your-face action. Developed by Arkane Studios, it was one of their earliest titles that later influenced the commercial successes of Dishonored and Deathloop.
Dark Messiah is less grounded than what you’ll find in chivalry, as you’ll encounter a host of mystical beasts and evil creatures. You use momentum to slice and dice your way through the limbs of your enemies, as well as having the ability to magically summon smoldering fireballs from your fingertips. This is a single player experience where you can upgrade your character’s skills while going through an interesting story.
5/10 In honor
Ubisoft’s For Honor is a love letter to brutal medieval warfare. It is a third-person action fighting game with a heavy focus on PvP multiplayer. You’ll spend most of your time on large open battlefields and well-guarded garrisons in mostly 1v1 missions with other real players.
Just like with Chivalry 2, it’s an absolute blast to defeat a real-life opponent in a tense battle using a clever directional system, where you have to anticipate the direction of your opponent’s attack. A ton of content has been added since its original release, including new maps, dynamic game modes, characters, factions and classes to try out and experiment with.
4/10 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
For those looking for a more focused single-player experience, you can’t go wrong with Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Set in 15th century Bohemia, you take control of Henry, a humble blacksmith’s son who soon finds himself embroiled in a story of war and corruption. It’s an RPG with surprisingly robust and complex game mechanics that realistically simulates the exciting and not-so-glamorous parts of being a knight in shining armor.
The combat system is very similar to what you’d find in Chivalry – it’s all very precise and requires quick reflexes to land your blows with punches. Combined with its gorgeously rich and gritty medieval open world, this is a deeply engrossing adventure that should be experienced by anyone with an interest in the time period.
3/10 Warhammer: Vermintide 2
If you took the crazy co-op zombie horde action of Valve’s Left for Dead and mixed in some pounding bloodthirsty first-person swordplay from Chivalry, you’d probably end up with the amazing co-op action game, Vermintide 2.
It takes place in the deeply rich and prolific Warhammer universe and has a surprisingly well-executed setting. Combat feels as visceral and gruesomely satisfying as you’d expect when facing endless hordes of vile anthropomorphic creatures. With a variety of classes, levels, maps and new expansions added over the years, now is the perfect time to pick up one of the best Warhammer games out there.
2/10 Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
In Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, you can command your own armies and become an all-powerful warlord. You can play in a variety of medieval battles, large and small, from smaller skirmishes where you take your humble battalion and engage in skill-based 1v1 swordfights to huge, sprawling battles with armies made up of hundreds of units battling it out at once.
This is a true ancient warfare sandbox with a hefty amount of content to dive into. Although still in early access, the game has come a long way and is a great experience for those who want to live out their fantasy of medieval world domination.
1/10 Mordhau
Mordhau shares the same physics and momentum-based combat as Chivalry 2, with a similar sense of visceral and courageous satisfaction. It has a higher skill cap, allowing for deeper and more strategic combat for anyone brave enough to take on a sea of armored maniacs looking to take your head off.
While it’s harder for newer players to pick up and play, it can be more rewarding once you get the hang of it, and the greater customization that Mordhau offers is a tempting proposition when gearing up for battle. If you’re looking for more first-person swordsmanship after playing Chivalry 2, Mordhau should definitely be your next stop when trying to scratch that medieval multiplayer itch.
