Every so often an idea sparks in my head. It says – buy a lot of swords. I don’t listen to this voice very much, mainly because I know I’d be absolutely useless if swordplay ever did become part of my life and I would rapidly lose my limbs, and potentially my life. Thankfully, games like Half Sword exist where I can try out my love of sword swinging in a safe space, and a big new update has just made its medieval arsenal even more realistic.
Half Sword manages to do two opposing things at the same time: it’s utterly silly while being totally devoted to a realistic simulation of medieval combat. It’s the kind of game where you’ll laugh heartily at your arms becoming twisted the wrong way round as you try to smash a war hammer into an enemy’s head, and at the same time admiring just how that weapon feels when you swing it through the air. This sword game brings medieval combat to life in a way that few games have truly attempted and with a successful demo and a currently-running playtest under its belt, it looks like the sky might be the limit for it.
That playtest has just received its first big update and it should shake up the game’s combat in ways that probably can’t be predicted just yet. The biggest change is to Half Sword’s physics system, with alterations to how the game feels which will affect pretty much every aspect of the title. Developer Half Sword Games is being up-front about this as it will most likely have unexpected ramifications, with fine-tuning promised along with a request for continued feedback.
As a result of the physics changes, some weapons have been updated to be more historically accurate when it comes to weight and size. This rebalancing will allow some weapons to behave much more like their real-life counterparts when slicing and smashing foes with furious abandon.
There’s plenty else going on too in this new patch, with a faction system that sees players assigned to one of four different groups to differentiate them in combat, new UI options, and a way to switch hands when wielding a two-handed weapon.
The first Half Sword playtest patch is out now and you can check out the full update notes over on Steam. In addition, you can head to the game’s page to request access to the playtest – or download the older, free demo.
You can also take a look at our recommendations for the best medieval games you can play for a bit of old-timey fun, as well as our best simulation games guide for a taste of reality in gaming.
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