There are some game principles and features that MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus really can’t stand. Games that include such things are generally not for him. There is one huge exception that still captivates him to this day.
What game is that? Warhammer: Vermintide 2 was released back in March 2018 and, accordingly, has been around for several years. In 2019, it received its first expansion, Winds of Magic, with numerous new levels and enemies.
The second part of the action game already excited me upon its release and still manages to get me to log in. Rarely, but as often as I can, I play a round or two.
According to my Steam profile, I have 121 hours of playtime and 5 additional hours on the test server, still from the beta. That may not seem like much given its age, but I also play video games professionally, which means I often have to split my time across many games.
And Vermintide is still a game that I like to persuade friends to play again.
This is why I should hate Vermintide
This is how Vermintide works: Vermintide is a game that operates in a manner similar to Left4Dead or the 2019 released World War Z. That is exactly the problem.
I have to fight my way through various levels with one of five different classes in a group with other players. While doing so, I have to complete tasks and defeat enemies.
These enemies often come in the form of huge hordes charging at the 4-player group and must be repelled so that not every hero gets taken out. Additionally, there are elite enemies and bosses that can hit quite hard.
It is important for the team to communicate and occasionally pull back to secure better defensive positions instead of pushing the enemies back with brute force. Because that usually doesn’t work.
In higher difficulty levels, there is even friendly fire and items for healing are severely limited.
What’s wrong with that? As already mentioned, the principle comes from games like Left4Dead. And that’s something I could never stand, mainly because of its theme: zombies. I can’t stand zombies, not in movies or books and least of all in games.
Of course, Vermintide has no or very few zombies, but rather rats, chaos cultists, and now beastmen, but the principle remains the same. In my mind, I still associate hordes and these cooperative levels with zombies.
Hordes are already a second major problem. I enjoy slicing through weaker enemies, but having to constantly watch my health and avoid attracting more enemies significantly reduces my fun.
Now, Vermintide, in all that, is also a representative of the harder sort:
- Took the wrong alley? Mini-boss with a one-shot mechanic.
- Player fires his gun or doesn’t kill an enemy quickly enough? Horde from all sides.
- I have to sneeze, close my eyes, and open them again? Mini-boss WITH horde.
- At least it feels exactly that way…
So it’s actually a miracle that Vermintide excites me so much.
Why do I love it anyway?
This is the best thing about Vermintide 2: First of all, I am a huge fan of Warhammer, both Fantasy and 40k. The entire universe is just wonderfully conceived with a deep story and implemented in serious, sometimes very brutal fantasy for adults. Exactly my thing.
A Warhammer skin for Left4Dead alone probably wouldn’t have been enough to make Vermintide appealing to me. It took a second factor to achieve that: humor.
Vermintide 2 has a pitch-black humor that doesn’t take anything seriously.
The characters have such a unique dynamic with each other, mocking each other and making sharp comments that I’ve even died a few times because I had to laugh at a remark. Since I have a pretty crude sense of humor myself, that’s exactly my thing.
Finally, the graphics convinced me. I find Vermintide visually very pretty anyway, but the way the cities or the castle are designed has a very authentic style that quickly immerses me deeply into the game.
That I can decapitate annoying, talking rats and nearly bathe in the blood of my enemies is a nice side effect of the detailed graphics.
This makes it better than other coop games: However, Vermintide 2 also manages to alter the gameplay with such facets that I like it. This is mainly due to three factors:
- The melee – It simply feels better to wade through waves of enemies with axes or a man-sized two-handed sword and mow them down like grain.
- Fantasy classes and characters – This may be a personal opinion, but this kind of game feels as if it was made for a fantasy setting. Magic, elves, and dwarves provide a certain diversity and thus a much better dynamic than four humans with different guns could.
- The variety of enemies – Unlike their zombie counterparts from other games, even the basic enemies in Vermintide have differences. Here, one might carry a shield that I have to maneuver around, and there’s a rat with a helmet that simply looks different. Hardly any enemy is the same.
I would almost go so far as to say that other games with the same principle could learn from Vermintide 2. That’s why my hopes for the upcoming Warhammer 40k: Darktide are so high. I sincerely hope it takes all the positive aspects of Vermintide and translates them into a 40k scenario.
Is Vermintide 2 worth it?
Vermintide 2 is one of our best coop games of 2020. Just that indicates that everyone should take a look at it who is in the mood for a game with friends. However, it’s also worth a glance for solo players.
On Steam, there are still over 4,000 players on average with 7,348 players at peak (via steamcharts, last 30 days, as of August 10). While this may fluctuate a bit, it should not be a major problem for anyone to find public groups.
The only thing is that the entry could be a bit harsh. On the one hand, the game itself is already extremely difficult, on the other hand, many players are probably only in the highest levels or mowing their way through every level effortlessly.
For newcomers, the initial sense of difficulty is lost, and getting to know the classes and mechanics is a bit diminished. However, after a few hours of play, that should be settled, and the path into the harder missions is really worth it.
Lastly, Vermintide is one of the best post-apocalyptic games. This setting is still largely unexplored outside of zombies but offers wonderful stories and unique atmospheres. If you enjoy the oppressive feeling that something is not right and that dangers lurk everywhere, then Vermintide is exactly right for you.
