Warhammer Underworlds: Online makes itself at home in the Age of Sigmar, waiting on you to rise up to the call of battle!
As I sit here and write this now, the excitement levels are absolutely off the charts for Warhammer Underworlds: Online. The classic tabletop wargame has evolved successfully into the hearts of a new generation--it's not just an ultra nerdy basement hobby anymore either. Warhammer has not only managed to change with the times, but thrive amongst them.
Enter myself. Relatively new to the hobby, I've always been terribly fascinated with the intricate models painted and displayed proudly in Warhammer shop windows. Fortunately for me, my local shop had the perfect person to sell me the idea of a universe plagued by uncertainty, but illustrated brightly with lush lore and epic victories. Not the best with number games, or board games in general, I chose to put learning the table top rules on hold, and instead dive into constructing and painting models. So far, so good--I've happily completely a solid unit of Stormcast Eternals and began my bigger project: a vicious Seraphon army.
Now, this all is relevant to what I'm about to tell you, I promise. When approached with Warhammer Underworlds: Online for review, I was ecstatic! My eyes saw the perfect opportunity to learn the game--hopefully without the embarrassment of having my head on a pike handed back to me. Hopefully, it would mirror the table top version quite closely--all I want to do when completing my models in real life is see them fight their little hearts out on the battlefield.
Right! Time to fire this puppy up! The ominous screen welcomes you to the game, looking sharp and atmospheric. My blood is running hot now and I'm in the right mindset to learn. (I might add here, that I do have basic knowledge of how the game is constructed, but it's the details of how everything is carried out that I've not caught on to yet.) Luckily for me, there's a tutorial! Perfect!
The tutorial quickly became a challenge within itself that I wasn't prepared for. It began teaching me the game like I was a kid again: it was the equivalent of my Dad and I sitting at the kitchen table attempting to frustratedly "help" with my math homework. It did indeed show the moves and things, but in a way that it felt some context was missed, especially for someone completely new to the concepts. This lead me to team up with my partner and sift through rules of the tabletop online to try and fill in the blanks. Not being that bright though, I was unsuccessful.
I was sad to reach the conclusion I did. Speaking on the game's look and feel are completely different than the experience I had trying to play it. It's beautiful--it truly is! It was amazing to see the units come to life with fluid, strong animations and this admittedly will be the driving force to sort myself out and actually learn how to fight them. The boards rendered were gorgeous, along with the cracking soundtrack that fit the oppressive atmosphere perfectly.
I can certainly tell Warhammer Underworlds: Online is going to be a hit for resident players. To a Warhammer playing fan, this game is a dream come true! Unfortunately for this painter, I've got a long way to go before raising a celestial hammer to my foes again. So, if you have made it this far the bottom line is this: If you are a Warhammer fan, it's going to be a must have. If you've never played Warhammer before, you might want to review the game, or learn it before diving in. It's exciting, but very niche. Still, if you're looking to give that blood to those blood gods, Steel Sky Productions has prepared a shining vessel for you to ascend to your calling in the Age of Sigmar!