You are one of the three “Children of Heimlock”. Rescued as a child by the infamous Grand Inquisitor Heimlock, under his tutelage you have grown into a proud member of the Republican Army of the Purifiers: perfect soldiers that exist to purge the supernatural and profane. You and your adoptive siblings are about to embark on a journey that will challenge everything you know...

Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem will appeal to hack 'n slash fans

Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem is an action role-playing (ARPG) game which will appeal to hack 'n slash fans. The game is now available for Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S, having been released several years ago for PC.

You can play offline in story mode, or play online against players from across the globe. Before you start the game proper you can customise your character, as well as their specialty (melee, range, magic). However choosing one doesn't mean you can wield one of the other weapon types.

The opening levels are in essence a tutorial to ease you into the game's mechanics. However, I did have issue with swapping items and generally getting to grips with using things in my inventory. It's not the most intuitive of designs. Having said that stick with it (or even go online for help - like I had to do) and the gameplay soon becomes second nature.

Play offline in story mode, or play online against other players

The combat starts off fairly basic, but improves the more equipment and skills you unlock. Likewise, the gameplay becomes more interesting the further into the game you progress. The cut sequences and general story are, for the most part interesting and help to ground you in the world.

The thing is... as interesting and enjoyable this game is, it doesn't offer anything new from similar games in the genre. If you're not a hardcore fantasy ARPG fan then I don't think there's much here for you.

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Nick Smithson