Wartales offers a choice-heavy campaign with surprisingly good co-op

Wartales is an open world role-playing game set in a medieval world where I control a group of mercenaries as they get into that grind set mentality and make some tough moral choices. That pitch sounds pretty good on its own – I’ve rarely found a big fantasy world full of treasures that I didn’t want to loot. But the real appeal of Wartales is the excellent co-op game, an itch I haven’t had since Divinity: Original sin 2.

In Wartales, I choose a humble origin for my party. Maybe we’re a bunch of peasants trying to find a better life, or a couple of deserters on the run from a violent captain’s whip. Fortunately, we find ourselves in a war-torn land filled with refugees, property disputes, roving gangs of outlaws, and nests filled to the brim with plague-ridden rats. Someone has to solve all these problems, and I’m happy to do so in exchange for money, reputation bonuses and better gear.

In a single player game, I control each member of my party. In a co-op game, we split the load. In a game with my husband, we split things half and half; in another game with three other friends, we each take control of one mercenary to start. It’s easy to start a game War storieswhich is generous about saving progress and making reboots easy.

While there have been occasional bugs or the host has fallen, it should only take seconds to get the group back together. It’s not exactly a drop-in and drop-out kind of game; we need to get the whole crew together before we can start. But that’s okay. It gives Wartales the feel of a regular tabletop campaign without the stress of having to rustle up a DM. We can hit the road with some new quests in hand, ready to shovel and cook boar… and we’re all out of salt.

From there, we talk to each other and occasionally stop to make a decision. Should we recruit this new archer from the inn, or save the gold for a rainy day? Does the landlord who wants to keep his sawmill have the right, or should we beat him up and let some friendly fugitives take over the place? Should we pay for that valuable ore, or steal it and risk earning the wrath of the law?

The game expects a certain amount of cooperation and agreement; you are bound to your partners as you travel through the overworld. If a choice prompt appears or if the players have to exit a menu, everyone must click. A rogue agent can force the party’s hand by clicking and holding for a few seconds. In the interest of harmony, our group of friends stops to consider each choice. This is where the role-playing comes in, as things are usually a bit more nuanced than “beating a villager” or “running a mean bandit.” Instead, we should consider whether we should respect local folklore, determine the morality of property rights, and determine the fate of each region in turn.

Image: Shiro Games/Shiro Unlimited

These garden variety problems escalate, turning from grumpy serfs and property disputes to challenges more befitting a group of fantasy heroes. The first few zones are relatively quiet, which felt a little slow in single player, but the curve sets a perfect pace for co-op. There are also options to make the game less linear by changing the difficulty to scale based on your exploration; two runs can feel very different depending on your choices.

While trading and talking works, sometimes you just have to scrap it on the battlefield. Every battle is a top-down grid battle; it’s critical to put each mercenary in the right position. We can flank enemies for bonuses, time our turns to deal the most damage, and dodge environmental effects like falling rocks or lightning bolts. If we’re not careful, we could lose one of our mercenaries, who are valuable investments as they gain experience, talents, and specializations.

There are a few annoyances – going to town with a full load of cargo and 10 small tasks can become a headache as everyone clicks around trying to get their act together. You also have to load everyone into the same lobby to play, so it might take a while to find an exact group. If you start a game with friends and another friend wants to join later, you’ll have to start over to add them. I had to play through the intro zone three or four times when I figured it out.

But co-op RPGs are a rare treat, so these mild obstacles are nothing compared to the fun I’ve found in Wartales. The story is a little thin for a single-player game, but it’s the perfect amount of voice acting and text to read through while chatting on Discord with friends. I’m excited to see how our adventures develop the next time we hit the road.

War stories is available on Steam for $34.99, and many games have been added over the course of the early access period. It’s worth checking out, especially if you crave some social play with a reliable group of friends.