New Medieval Game On Steam Can Be Played For Free Right Now

Pushing the boundaries of what ‘realism’ means, the physics- and momentum-based Half Sword is a unique medieval game that was released in early access on Steam. For the uninitiated, Half Sword is a combat simulator immersed in the 15th century, and it’s hysterical.

As per Half Sword’s Steam store page, the game is quite violent, revolving around players battling opponents, whether they’re bare-handed or armed with a weapon, but it is nowhere near as easy as that may sound. Half Sword has had its free technical demo available for a while now, but it only recently launched in early access. Here, players can expect new content to be continuously added, such as new maps, as well as hotfixes.

Half Sword Is As Brutal As It Is Hilarious

The gimmick in Half Sword’s medieval combat simulator is a physics-based animation system where players’ strikes are wild until they learn how to hone their skills. Until then, blows exchanged can feel incredibly frantic or dogged, but there is a ton of fun to be had in these gladiator-style matches, especially when the consequences for being slain in a fight are dire.

It’s tremendously gruesome, too, with hits to different parts of the player or their opponents’ bodies having dynamic impacts on gameplay and how incapacitated they are. Above all, the gameplay loop is a simple premise, with players completing battles to continue funding the acquisition of better equipment.

It’s In Early Access Now

Steam user reviews have rightfully called out how unoptimized Half Sword is in early access. And, with the game indeed in an unfinished state, it should hopefully have as much time as it needs to correct the issues that players presently have with it.

One of these perceived issues is that the physics-based combat is nothing like it’s advertised, instead being janky and controlling like “a marionette or character in a 2016 streamerbait rage game,” as Steam user Sir Meatwad, Malleus Daemonium states. Indeed, Half Sword’s gameplay is admittedly a lot more akin to the tone of Chivalry than, say, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s combat, though that is arguably a paramount part of this medieval Steam game’s charm now.

As its Steam early access goes on, Half Sword is sure to only become more charming as player feedback is addressed with eventual updates. It will be fascinating to see how Half Sword evolves by the time it reaches a 1.0 launch.

Meanwhile, it’s exhilarating to wade around claustrophobic circles and defend yourself against one or sometimes multiple enemies, with every swing that doesn’t connect being devastating and every strike that lands on your character being potentially fatal. Be sure to check this one out on Steam.