Review: Mordheim: City Of The Damned

When do we agree to call a game worthy of playing? What is the most important aspect of a computer game?  When can we as a player dive really deep into an awesome and new world? Is it the graphics which convince us of the complexity of a world? Or is it a really good story combined with good storytelling? I guess we all know the answer to that question! It’s the story which allows you to dive deep into a new and awesome game. Mordheim: City Of The Damned delivers this kind of excellent storytelling. Not only does the game provide the material for your own individual story but also lets you tell it all by yourself.

The game takes place in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. For anyone who does not know this universe: it’s a dark and brutal universe in which the humans fight for their survival while demons and other fantasy creatures stalk their prey. The game chooses to take place in one of the most dangerous cities in this universe. The once beautiful city was struck by a meteor which left nothing behind but a lot of ruins, corpses and the reason why you are fighting with your warband in this forsaken city… warpstone!

Warpstone is the reason you have to survive in the city of the damned. The meteor which struck the city was made out of the precious material you need so desperately. Get as much warpstone for your lords so that they can use it for weapons and magic. So think of warpstone like the equivalent to uranium. The only problem is you are not the only one thinking that way. Three other races fight for the warpstone and are always there to make your day a little harder. The races who are fighting in the narrow ruins of Mordheim are the corrupted Chaos warriors, the pure sisters of the Sigmar, the sneaky Skaven and the greedy humans of the Empire.

The game is based on a turn-based system where each soldier of your warband has a turn in which it can move, shoot, fight and get that nice green warpstone from the ground. You have different sidequests you have to fulfil in each of your tours to the city. But let’s be honest here: killing the enemy warband is difficult enough it is usually better off to concentrate solely on that.

Each of your soldiers can be equipped with a variety of weapons and equipment. There is a large amount of customisation for each of your soldiers, especially for your leader. Helmets, weapons and clothing are chosen by you and your desire to give each of your soldiers an individual look. People who love that kind of detail and character individualisation are going to love Mordheim: City Of The Damned.

You can choose to have mighty magicians or strong melee warriors and of course you can also choose to equip them with bow and arrows muskets or whatever you desire. With each mission you fulfil, your warriors level up, get stronger and tougher. So in the beginning you have a group of inexperienced soldiers who are trying to survive, and in the end you have a warband of veterans capable of facing any foe.

The main reason why I loved playing this game is that you could not save. Playing Mordheim: City Of The Damned is always flirting with the devil. All of your decisions and actions are absolute. There is no going back from that point and you must always face the consequences at the end of the mission. There is no reloading, no going back. This gives the game a level of suspense that I have never felt before in a game.

Especially because all of your soldiers are in the end just mortals on a dangerous mission, greedily searching for money and power. It could happen that one of your beloved soldiers gets an arm or leg cut off, or that your leader loses an eye in the heat of battle. It could even happen that in the worst case scenario your soldiers just dies and is gone forever. Every single bit of love you invested in your character is then gone and you have to focus on the next dangerous mission. Because of that, each mission is filled with suspense.

That is also why the storytelling of the game is so good. It gives you the feeling that every single soldier is part of your warband family and the idea of making a huge mistake that loses one of them makes you feel sick.

Now you definitely have to like turn-based games. The game is not very fast, especially because you want to think every step through so none of your soldiers die. Also the deployment phase of your soldiers is a little complicated and could be way easier but all in all that does not stop the game from being super addictive. Basically that is the reason I gave this game “only” four barrels. But for people who want to create their own long and epic story, of a warband surviving in the ruins of Mordheim, and for everyone who is familiar with the Warhammer Fantasy universe this game is definitely a must play!

Tags: individualisation, Mordheim: City of the Damned, storytelling, Tabletop, Warband, Warhammer, Warhammer Fantasy