Chivalry 2 is finally on Steam, and finally has horses

Chivalry 2's Epic Game Store exclusivity period has ended: The multiplayer medieval combat game released on Steam today. The free Tenosian Invasion update has rolled out for all platforms, too.

I was able to check out parts of that update last month. The new, Ottoman Empire-inspired Tenosia faction is nimbler and more academic than the warring Agathians to its north, and it brings horses into the game, finally, as well as a little gunpowder in one of the two new team objective maps.

In the first of those new maps, the Tenosians attacks an outpost controlled by the Mason Order, while the other sees Tenosia defend a Library of Alexandria stand-in from Mason retaliation. 

There are new deathmatch maps, too, but the most important addition, at least to me, is horses. Finally, the best multiplayer medieval combat game includes jousting.

If none of this 'Agathians' and 'Masons' and 'horses' stuff means anything to you, I promise that it barely matters. The factions fight over castles and muddy fields in a made-up historical land while parodying archetypes of medieval knights and peasants. Horses, meanwhile, are large mammals.

I've been a fan of Chivalry 2 since it released, and I hope the Steam launch brings in a new crowd. It's not the kind of game I'll return to weekly, or ever put Rocket League or Siege hours into, but it's a great way to kill an hour our two when I'm in the mood for hucking chickens at people and lopping arms off. Despite its silliness, Chivalry 2's combat is more than nuanced enough to be a competitive sport—I explain more in my review from last year.