Deadliest Warrior - The Game Journal Review

Title: Deadliest Warrior: The Game

Developed By: Pipeworks Software

Published By: Spike Games

As the match begins, I pull my sword from its sheath and set my Samurai running towards the Viking Warrior who stands across the screen. About four steps into my dash, the Viking Warrior throws a spear in my direction. It pierces my forehead knocking me off my feet and killing me instantly before two seconds have passed in the round. In Deadliest Warrior: The Game death can come quickly and surprisingly. You always have to be on your toes. 

Deadliest Warrior: The Game based on the TV show Deadliest Warrior. The game, like the show, asks the question: "What would happen if historical warriors from different regions and different time periods fought to the death?"

Deadliest Warrior: The Game features eight playable characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character has short, medium and long range attacks, but due to the diverse nature of the participants, these can be vastly different weapons. For example, the aforementioned Viking's long range weapon is a spear, while the Pirate's long range weapon is a pistol. Matches are set as you'd expect with the warriors fighting in a best two out of three round match. Each round has a time limit and each warrior has health and stamina bars that deplete as they engage in battle. Thankfully, this is where the similarities between Deadliest Warrior and other fighting games begin to diverge. 

Being that each match is a fight to the death, Deadliest Warrior: The Game is a bloody affair. Dismemberment is common with limbs and heads being sliced off regularly. Your warrior will usually be covered in his fallen opponent's blood at the end of each match. Though the matches are bloody, it never feels out of place given the circumstances of each battle.

You can play the game locally or online. There is an Arcade mode that sets your chosen warrior against each of the other warriors in the game. You can unlock weapon and armor upgrades as you progress. The arcade mode is a short affair, given the modest character count. Where this game will find its most value is in its multiplayer component. 

The strength of Deadliest Warrior: The Game is in its "any blow can be the death blow" fighting system. There is something captivating about a match that can end so quickly. Sure there are health bars for each warrior, but a full health bar can't stop a spear through the head from ending your life. This leads to short, tense matches against opponents but it also highlights an issue with the game. Because death can come so easily, high level play is less rewarding than in a game where players count frames and study extensive move and combo lists. In Deadliest Warrior, death itself does a fair job of leveling the playing field, making the game accessible to everyone who puts a few minutes into it. 

The game is not without its faults. The character count is smaller than I'd like, though it does seem fair for a ten dollar downloadable title. There are only a few maps and, as large as they are, they add no real interactivity to the battles. The Arcade mode is short, but given the small amount of characters in the game, there is no ay around it. How a game with such quick and brutal endings to matches does not have offer replays of match ending death blows is beyond me. The graphics look dated.

Deadliest Warrior: The Game's faults are offset by the unique experience the game offers compared to most of its peers in the fighting genre. I think the game will function best as a pick-up and play experience with friends, as the matches are short but brutal. It's worth a look for those who are intimidated by fighting games as it offers an accessible alternative to the more esteemed fighters of the generation.