'Vindictus' Devs' New Fantasy Melee Multiplayer Brawler Now Playable

Nexon's upcoming medieval brawler "Warhaven" has officially entered its playtesting phase and is currently free to play for everybody.

"Warhaven" is a 16 vs. 16 multiplayer game with a focus on melee combat. At a glance, it looks very similar to Ubisoft's "For Honor," but in reality, it feels more like "Chivalry 2" sprinkled with some MMO-like abilities and notable fantasy elements.

Players get to choose from a roster of characters wielding various melee weapons like swords, spears, warhammers and maces. Some characters are also capable of wielding magic to support allies or devastate enemies from afar.

Basic soldier-type classes range from the tough-and-tanky Guardian to the versatile Blade and the support-oriented Smoke. Each class has its own roles to fill, and learning how to do well with them is key to finding success on the battlefield.

All players also have the ability to morph into an Immortal, supernatural heroes with unique abilities who can help turn the tide of a fight. These include the stalwart Martyr and Darkgale, a legendary spearman on horseback.

"Warhaven" gameplay is slow and somewhat methodical. Players cannot just spam their attacks like in "Chivalry 2" due to the long recovery times and lack of actual combo moves. Instead, fights rely on hitting abilities that knock back, knock down or break the defenses of enemies.

Lack of parrying, chambering, feinting and other counter-attacks also mean players need to rely more on proper spacing and footwork to land hits on enemies during their long recovery animations.

Teamfighting is naturally chaotic in a multiplayer melee brawler like this one. When two death balls clash, the ones with the better team composition tend to win. Dueling is completely possible, but don't expect honor on a big battlefield.

So far, game modes include a standard frontline battle and a king-of-the-hill style mode. There's also the unique Arms Race mode where players rush to destroy each other's bases using war machines.

The combat may take some getting used to, but overall, "Warhaven" is a fun and interesting experience that fans of this style of game should try out. However, the global test is only live until Nov. 2.