The Valiant is a strategy game set during the crusades era in the middle east, as well as medieval Europe. It is a squad based RTS with RPG/story elements, and features a singleplayer campaign as well as co-op and PvP multiplayer game modes. You play as Theoderic, a valiant knight who has become disillusioned with the world, but feels responsible for an old friend who is using a holy relic to gather power to himself. The Valiant is developed by KITE games and published by THQ Nordic.

Big thanks to THQ Nordic for providing enough game keys to check out the multiplayer modes as well.

The singleplayer campaign of The Valiant follows a knight in the holy land. Pursuing enemies through the desert, two knights stumble upon a holy relic. They are driven apart in the aftermath as you follow the knight Theoderic as he tries to avoid conflict with his former friend until he his forced to face him. The game mechanics do go beyond surface level. Flanking is an element of play, as well as hiding units in tall grass. This of course makes positioning and tactics important. Each squad also has a signature ability, like a knockdown or charge.

The traditional PvP mode in The Valiant is currently 1v1 or 2v2. There’s also an option for skirmishing versus AI if you want to get the feel for the game in general. Currently there are only four maps, two for each game mode. There will probably be more in the coming patches given that multiplayer progression is already integrated. This progression comes in the form of cosmetics like portraits and profile banners akin to Battlefleet Gothic Armada II. After so many points, you receive a random portrait. You can choose a starting squad from 5 heroes, all characters from the campaign. Each hero-squad emphasizes a particular playstyle like infantry, archery, cavalry, and so on. Gameplay consists of managing up to five squads, capturing mines for gold and mills for lumber. You use these materials to hire or replenish units, as well as build towers to guard your resources.

Last Man Standing mode feels like it was inspired by Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2. You choose from 3 heroes (again, this looks likely to increase in the near future) and hold your ground through waves of enemies. These waves can come from each of the cardinal directions, forcing you to coordinate with your brothers in arms on focusing targets and positioning. Three helpful carts on the edges will spawn items to help you, food to replenish your health, a potion to replenish your ability pool, and boots to speed your movement around the small-ish arena. Enemy waves will attack these carts if you do not deal with them quickly enough, and once they are gone, you will no longer have access to their boons. Each match you earn gold, and with that gold you can buy new equipment. There are 3 lines for each hero, allowing further customization of playstyles. You can play as a tank with the heavy line for example, or more of a light infantry hit-and-run unit with another line. Additionally there are multiple difficulty levels, but you must successfully conquer each difficulty before unlocking the next.

I do have a few critiques for The Valiant. More multiplayer maps are needed. Four seems a strangely small number to launch with, especially given the difficulty in maintaining adequate player bases for multiplayer queues. They will really need to add more maps with a soon-to-be-released update to keep players interested. Also at the end of the match, you have to remake your party. Small annoyance. Sticking with multiplayer critiques, the speed boots in the Last Man Standing mode seem quite useless to any but the ranged squad. Adding some other kind of bonus to them might help them feel more essential. As it was, we left the boots on the ground and rarely picked them up.

Finally, I have a small problem with the crux of the story. This is a minor spoiler, but it is revealed after the second mission. The Rod of Aaron is the holy relic the story revolves around. The story has it that the rod corrupts Ulrich, which is counter to a Christian perspective. Given the time period, location, as well as featuring the Knights Templar, this seems to be highly relevant to the setting. God does not create things that corrupt man. Instead, man corrupts things created by God. A simple voiceline during the explanatory cutscene would be an easy fix. Ulrich succumbs to the temptation to use the power within the rod for personal gain, instead of the rod corrupting him. It would be nice to see the devs interested in providing a relatable Christian perspective for this type of game. It wouldn’t alter the trajectory of the story one bit other than to be more accurate.

For me to recommend The Valiant at $39.99, I would have to know if future content was going to be free or paid DLC. For a complete game, it would be a good price. I have enjoyed my time so far with the game, and I look forward to completing the campaign. The cutscenes and game in general look great, and the crusades era has always been a favorite. I also managed to finish the Knight’s Path (2nd) difficulty in Last Man Standing mode, and look forward to trying out a different build for my squad. I’m most encouraged by the gameplay in The Valiant, it feels very reminiscent of Total War: Arena to me. Fast, fluid gameplay with just enough emphasis on tactics.