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By Bo Moore
“Black Knight Mode” for Chivalry: Medieval Warfare lets players keep fighting without a limb…or their head. Screengrab: WIRED
The gates raise and I charge into the arena. My target enters at the opposite end. A young knight, clad all in black; his longsword catches the light as he barrels towards me.
We meet in the middle. CLANG! Our steel collides with thunderous fury. SWOOSH! His blade misses as I circle to his left. I shift my momentum and spot an opening in his defense. THWUMP. My sword connects at his bicep. It’s strange — I expect a howl of pain, but all I hear is a dull thud as his arm hits the ground.
He glances at the blood-spurting stump where his arm used to be. “It’s just a flesh wound,” he says. “Have at you!”
I’m playing Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. Specifically, I’m trying out a new mod that pays homage to the famously stubborn fighter from the cult classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
“Black Knight Mode” gives every player in the medieval combat simulator the curious ability of its namesake — that is, the ability to fight even with one or more of their limbs cut off.
Developed by Torn Banner Studios, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is a full commercial version of the studio’s Half-Life 2 mod Age of Chivalry, which turned the futuristic shooter into a middle-ages combat simulator. In turn, “Black Knight Mode,” developed by Torn Banner’s own Tim Liszak, gives the whole situation a healthy dose of Pythonesque absurdity.
The mod is ridiculous and fun. Swinging a weapon into an opponent would normally dock them a simple bit of health, but on Black Knight Mode-enabled servers, their sliced limb flies off as if struck by King Arthur himself. Lose an arm and you lose weapon functionality; lose a leg and you certainly won’t be winning any marathons. And your head? Lose that and you’re definitely on the way out — but not before a full 10 seconds of fury.
The armless knight feints, then lunges forward with his counterattack. He catches the opening between my helm and hauberk, sending my head sailing into a nearby stream. But I’m not defeated yet. My headless torso raises its blade and strikes him down. I chuckle to myself as the final bits of life seep from the gaping hole where my neck used to be.
“‘Tis but a scratch!”
“Black Knight Mode” for Chivalry: Medieval Warfare lets players keep fighting without a limb…or their head. Screengrab: WIRED
The gates raise and I charge into the arena. My target enters at the opposite end. A young knight, clad all in black; his longsword catches the light as he barrels towards me.
We meet in the middle. CLANG! Our steel collides with thunderous fury. SWOOSH! His blade misses as I circle to his left. I shift my momentum and spot an opening in his defense. THWUMP. My sword connects at his bicep. It’s strange — I expect a howl of pain, but all I hear is a dull thud as his arm hits the ground.
He glances at the blood-spurting stump where his arm used to be. “It’s just a flesh wound,” he says. “Have at you!”
I’m playing Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. Specifically, I’m trying out a new mod that pays homage to the famously stubborn fighter from the cult classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
“Black Knight Mode” gives every player in the medieval combat simulator the curious ability of its namesake — that is, the ability to fight even with one or more of their limbs cut off.
Developed by Torn Banner Studios, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is a full commercial version of the studio’s Half-Life 2 mod Age of Chivalry, which turned the futuristic shooter into a middle-ages combat simulator. In turn, “Black Knight Mode,” developed by Torn Banner’s own Tim Liszak, gives the whole situation a healthy dose of Pythonesque absurdity.
The mod is ridiculous and fun. Swinging a weapon into an opponent would normally dock them a simple bit of health, but on Black Knight Mode-enabled servers, their sliced limb flies off as if struck by King Arthur himself. Lose an arm and you lose weapon functionality; lose a leg and you certainly won’t be winning any marathons. And your head? Lose that and you’re definitely on the way out — but not before a full 10 seconds of fury.
The armless knight feints, then lunges forward with his counterattack. He catches the opening between my helm and hauberk, sending my head sailing into a nearby stream. But I’m not defeated yet. My headless torso raises its blade and strikes him down. I chuckle to myself as the final bits of life seep from the gaping hole where my neck used to be.
“‘Tis but a scratch!”