The flip of the New Yr occurred just a few days in the past, with most folk ringing in 2025’s arrival with loads of booze, resolutions they’re planning to stay to, and copious quantities of fireworks. Personally, although, I spent the primary hours of the yr glued to my PC, taking part in what has quickly turn into one among my favourite new video games: Half Sword. First launched with an early work-in-progress demo in October 2023, it lately acquired a considerably extra polished and free-to-play playtest construct in September I occurred to stumble throughout over the vacation break.
Half Sword is greatest described as a physics-based medieval fight simulator with freeform controls; in different phrases, there aren’t any devoted inputs for attacking or blocking. As an alternative, your guards and strikes are carried out fully with directional mouse actions, with just a few particular actions like thrusts and kicks assigned to buttons. This method alone instantly makes the sport way more reasonable than different titles within the style like Mordhau and Chivalry 2, and it is primarily what drew me to examine Half Sword out once I discovered of its playtest launch.
Complementing the realism-forward controls are genuine depictions of and interactions between fifteenth Century weapons and armor, together with a maneuver that is extraordinarily uncommon to see included in medieval video games: half-swording. By holding down the precise mouse button, you may modify your grip so that you just maintain the blade of your sword in your left hand (or just choke up on the shaft, with different weapons), shortening your attain however supplying you with extra leverage and management to lock up your opponent’s weapon or reduce and thrust at unprotected components of their physique. This system provides you a simpler approach to defend your self in opposition to thrusts from prolonged weapons like spears as you try to shut the gap, and can be preferrred for grappling with a plate-armored opponents.
These mechanics harmoniously come collectively to create a particularly participating fight sim, and whereas the goofy Completely Correct Battle Simulator-esque shuffle-walking of the characters suggests in any other case at a look, there’s truly a ton of depth right here to dig into. Each weapon matchup forces you to judge your benefits and drawbacks, after which act and react accordingly; once you’ve acquired a halberd and your opponent has a sword and protect, for instance, it is sometimes clever to make the most of your additional attain with thrusts or sweeping slashes. In the event that they handle to get previous the sting of your efficient vary, although, you may should be able to choke up your maintain on the polearm to be able to deal with their benefit in shut quarters.
Armor provides one other factor to contemplate, too, as you may must purpose for uncovered areas just like the neck, legs, or armpits to finish fights shortly. Strikes instantly in opposition to plate are largely ineffective, although a powerful hit to an enemy’s helmet may knock them unconscious in case you’re utilizing a blunt or heavy armament. Alternatively, you’ll be able to try to wrestle with an armored opponent utilizing kicks and a half-sworded weapon; in case you handle to take out their footing and knock them to the bottom, you’ll be able to observe up with repeated strikes and kicks till they both yield or get struck someplace their armor would not cowl.
The first recreation mode in Half Sword’s playtest is an easy duel in opposition to an AI utilizing the same quantity of armor as you, however randomized weapons. Nevertheless, there are additionally just a few different eventualities you’ll be able to choose as you play, together with team-based, free-for-all, and one-versus-all group battles that give sure weapons and maneuvers contexts to shine in. Half-swording, for instance, is extraordinarily helpful within the 1v4 “Courageous Stand” mode, because the added leverage lets you thrust and bash at enemies whereas concurrently defending in opposition to strikes from their comrades. Blunt arms akin to maces additionally excel within the 3v3 “Small Buhurt” rounds since you may possible have a number of alternatives to strike an opponent’s head whereas they’re distracted by one among your allies.
(Picture credit score: Sport Seer Publishing)
Admittedly, the sport is not with out issues or noteworthy drawbacks; a pal of mine into Historic European Martial Arts (HEMA) pointed on the market are methods you’ll be able to’t replicate with Half Sword’s fight system, and the silliness of the motion makes your character’s footwork really feel relatively unsteady at occasions. Additionally, I’ve seen that the AI typically fail to take vary into consideration, and thus open themselves as much as simple strikes or thrusts with spears and different polearms.
Even so, it has been a ton of enjoyable to play, particularly since I’ve all the time been fascinated by HEMA and have wished a recreation like this for years. I also needs to word that Half Sword’s presentation is superb, with reasonable blood sprays, spatters, and swimming pools alongside gritty dying sounds and different voice strains promoting the brutality and spectacle of a medieval combat to the dying. The constancy of the visuals is not wonderful or something, however for a budding indie title, it appears to be like nice.
Half Sword is slated to get a full launch in 2025, although in the meanwhile, it is unclear how particularly the builders plan to enhance and refine it or if the sport will get extremely requested options like multiplayer PvP and character customization. I would like to see it get these alongside a port to console — it already has controller assist, in spite of everything — however at the same time as is, it is one of many new greatest PC video games. And hey, the opt-in playtest is free, and the sport itself is simple to run and solely takes up just a few gigs. Why not attempt it out?
