Holdfast: Nations At War Review

I have always been a fan of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series, which follows Richard Sharpe, a soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. To me, the biggest draw had to be the setting; the form of warfare that's both similar to what we know now, and yet so very different. With that in mind, I leapt at the chance to try out the new console version of Holdfast: Nations at War from Anvil Studios. The question here is whether it is the perfect introduction to soldiering or if it’s time to consider peace. 

Holdfast: Nations At War is a massively multiplayer battlefield where you, plus over a hundred other people, wage war on two sides. However, where the game sets itself apart is that you’ll be using Napoleonic weapons to battle. That means you’ll primarily have muskets, cannons, and swords (as well as bright, ostentatious outfits). 

Now, this in itself raises its own challenge as you can imagine because, let's be honest, muskets are slow as hell and about as accurate as a fish with a machine gun. So, rather than sprinting around like a mad thing, you’ll shoot once, then need to wait about 10 seconds to reload. That might make you think that the game would be slow, but you also have melee (including fists) that use a similar directional control scheme to the Mount & Blade II: Bannerlordseries. That means that you can attack from the four cardinal directions, and block in the same manner, too. 

You don’t have to just be a front-line soldier, though, as there is a wealth of different classes you can choose to play. For instance, you can be a medic or even a musician, no one wants a battle without some sweet bagpipes after all. There are even options to ride a horse with a sword for that fantastic cavalry charge. Honestly, when you start playing, melee seems way more effective than the guns. However, that’s because the game relies on teamwork more than many others. 

While you might be able to shoot a hundred bullets a second in more modern shooters, Holdfast: Nations At War forces you to work as part of a group. You can, if you want, go on a mad dash melee attack, which could do quite well, but solo playing isn’t quite as effective here. For instance, one game mode requires you to capture points, but you can’t do it alone, as you need at least three people with you. To aid with this, it is possible for players who have taken the role of officers to form squads and build camps that allow certain units to spawn.

The combat is honestly a lot of fun, especially when you really get into the mindset of moving with the other players on your team. I tried several different modes and, while I was initially being shot pretty quickly, I soon got the hang of it. The only real issue I had was the melee, which can be a bit hard to keep track of. One thing I do think the game needs is a dedicated tutorial, as there’s a lot to figure out (especially for certain classes) with no real explanation. 

I also really liked the mission’s variety, from sieges to open battles; there’s a lot to love. There’s also the option to play in World War I battles, but I never found a match with more than a few people when I played. The bits I did try were certainly interesting, but honestly, the weapons felt way more unbalanced than in the Napoleonic modes. 

Also, as a special mention, I want to congratulate the community as honestly being one of the best I’ve seen in a while. One of the things I tend to find in games like this is that people just don’t talk to each other, but I never had a match in Holdfast: Nations At War where people weren’t talking (and one person usually blaring music at full volume). You’ve never fought in a siege until you’ve manned a wall with YMCA blaring in the background. 

Graphically, the game is pretty great, the levels are environmentally stunning, and the smoke effects from the weapons help to keep the battle feeling immersive. To add to this, the sound effects are great, with the repeated sounds of rifle fire overpowering the yells of the soldiers all adding to the experience. There’s also a pretty decent variety of uniforms for each country in the game, and they all look historically accurate.

On that note, you can buy new weapons and personal equipment with the money you get from completing certain in-game missions. These range from shooting a set number of people to playing the piano for 30 seconds. Yes, there are lots of little things on each map you can do, like having a nap or playing music on instruments scattered around the world. The only issue with this is that there’s no discernible difference between bought weapons and the ones you start with. So, for example, if you buy a new musket, it won’t be any better than the base one. On the one hand, this choice by the developers limits players' ability to pay-to-win to a fair degree, which is good, but it does make the process feel a bit arbitrary. 

If I had any complaints other than the lack of a tutorial, my first would be about the menu. It appears that moving to consoles has made it just a little harder to navigate. Also, sprinting isn’t really a thing in Holdfast: Nations At War, so you’re going to be moving pretty slowly. This is a problem when the main fight is on the other side of the map, but the camps do help to mitigate this a bit. 

Overall, Holdfast: Nations At War is a pretty fantastic game with a thriving community that clearly loves what they’re playing. Hopefully, the influx of console players will build on this, allowing us to return to the British natural state of fighting France (while maintaining fantastic moustaches). With that said, it isn’t for everyone, and the fans of more run-and-gun experiences won’t be as enamoured.