Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Welcome to Hell, It’s AWESOME!
| Developers – Saber Interactive |
| Publishers – Focus Entertainment |
| Platforms – PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S |
| Genre’s – 3rd Person Shooter, Hack and Slash |
| Modes – Single Player, Multiplayer PvP & PvE |
Playing Space Marine 2, I had a feeling inside me that I hadn’t been familiar with for quite some time. So strange was this sensation that I had to question – what WAS this feeling? It wasn’t trepidation; it wasn’t excitement. It was exhilaration.
And then it hit me: for the first time since I’d probably gone through puberty, I was playing a game made not as some artistic role-playing experience with a groundbreaking statement, but purely for the thrill of fighting my way through what seemed like endless swarms of enemies while daringly avoiding that last hit of damage that would take away my health and reset the level.
The level.
I say it twice because we don’t say it often enough anymore – Space Marine 2 has a fantastic world, but this game isn’t asking you to carve your own way through it or to make impactful choices on the world. YOU are the impact. You are a Space Marine carving your way through enemy Tyranids in epic and bloody combat in a desperate fight that almost feels like you are destined to lose.
And you know what? I love it! This game is grim, dark, violent, and unforgivingly punishing towards you and whatever poor sod happens to be in your path! This isn’t a game trying to make a statement; it’s a game set in the most horrifying tabletop universe known to man, and it gives you the best of that for your playing pleasure.
Mirroring the savagery and compelling narrative of story and combat that reminds me of earlier Gears of War titles and classic Doom, Space Marine 2 feels like a game that actually wants its players to pay for something they’ll enjoy. This might not have been made with a Game of the Year title attached to the mind of Creative Director Oliver Hollis-Leick, but this bloody game bloody deserves it!
Welcome to Warhammer 40,000 as it should be. Welcome to Space Marine 2.
A Grim-Dark Tone Set From The Get-Go
As some of you will know, and others won’t, Space Marine 2 is a sequel to the 2011 game set in the tabletop world of Warhammer 40,000 – a grimdark genre of board game where you play as an elite and genetically enhanced super soldier, Titus, who serves the Imperium of Man and The God Emperor, an ancient psychic who rules over all of humanity.
Titus, who had in the original game come in contact with an artefact of Chaos and battled the traitorous forces of the Chaos Space Marines, returns. Having put himself through a century-long period of penance, Titus returns to the Ultramarines during the time of the 4th Great Tyranid War, fighting to rid the universe of another of their parasitic hive mind fleets.
Titus, an unconventional yet deeply loyal Space Marine, returns to the fold with new squadmates Gadriel and Chairon to fight their way across multiple worlds of the Imperium of Man to purge the Tyranid scourge whilst also recovering an experimental weapon. A weapon that not only holds a key to Titus’ past but may yet determine the future of the war for centuries to come. May the God Emperor preserve you as you, Titus, battle your way across war-torn worlds to protect the Imperium from Tyranids and, on this occasion, from itself.
The story of Space Marine 2 is simple and easy to follow, whether you’re a fan or just a casual player of the game. Yet the tone of the narrative, the religious elements of Imperium society, and the mood of the game – all are introduced swiftly and clearly. From the Dune (2021)-like opening to the haunting music, the manner of Space Marine chatter, and the hauntingly gothic style of their ship design, it all screams at you, ‘this is THE darkest future for mankind’.
And whilst this should be horrific and depressing, it’s not, because the game’s focus isn’t on this – whilst the narrative never fails to remind you that all those who live under the Emperor’s thumb are expendable (I can’t quite recall just how many Cadian soldiers I’ve seen slaughtered), it’s also a fantastic setting for such a bloody and brutal game.
Fun and Fluid
Walking around as a Space Marine feels absolutely incredible, as it should. You are a hulking, truly behemoth-sized warrior of death. An avenging angel and a twisted god wrapped up in gargantuan armour and wielding a large, almost archaic-looking gun. You should be slow, cumbersome.
But somehow the game makes it feel logical for you to be both swift and slow at the same time. As you are thrown into combat, so do you throw a return of devastating firepower and melee attacks at the Tyranid hordes. Combat is fun and fluid, with both melee and ranged weaponry dealing devastating attacks in third-person.
The combat works well, as you will often begin an encounter firing rapidly, desperately at enemies before becoming overwhelmed and switching to your trusty chainsword or knife to cut into enemies and deliver powerful executions to heal damage to your armour. And executions… oh my, are there a LOT of executions. Each one emphasises the brutal efficiency of these genetically modified killers.
Enemies feel as unique as your armoury of weapons, of which there are plenty to choose from to customise your Space Marine’s style of combat, both for melee and ranged. Whilst you will begin the game with your basic warrior types of Termagants, Hormagaunts, and Gargoyles, you’ll soon face more challenging and unique enemies such as the camouflaging Lictors, the psychically powered Malanthropes, and the building-sized Carnifexes.
And we’re only scratching the surface.
Clash of the Classes
Go into multiplayer, and you’ll get to encounter further parts of the game only teased at throughout the primary story. In Operations mode, you can join other players and play as one of six different classes of Space Marine in PvE story missions that happen behind the scenes of Titus’ main mission.
These six classes can also be used by or with the Archenemy as you face off against each other in multiplayer PvP modes, which, though currently few, are frantic and fun battles that allow you to demonstrate your combat prowess against others in the community whilst adorning your own heraldry as you design a Space Marine more to the Chapter of your liking.
The six classes available at launch are each as unique as they are deadly when applied well. These include the location-scanning Tactical, the jetpack-jumping Assault, the camouflaging Sniper, the shield and heavy weapon-carrying Heavy, the grapple-handed Vanguard, and the shield and sword-wielding Bulwark.
All classes play differently, with their strengths and weaknesses, and are incredibly fun to play competitively or cooperatively across six co-op missions and three game modes available at launch, with more to be added in the near future.
Fully Loaded Soldiers in a Fully Loaded Game
It’s fair to say that since the game has been released, I’ve greatly enjoyed my time playing Space Marine 2, more so than some other recent games, due to the completed nature of the release. Whilst, yes, there are some bugs, and there IS future content to come, that content is there to enhance and expand the player’s experience rather than some DLC included to complete the game and add to the company’s wallets.
It’s fair to say that developers Saber Interactive knew more than a little about what they were doing when they took on this project. Space Marine 2 is a fun game that’s fully aware of the genre it exists in and utilises every element of that world to provide players with a holistic experience in a narrative that works well within the world and the established lore of the first game.
Bloody and brutal third-person combat hasn’t been so fun since the days of the 360 and the PlayStation 3. This is the stuff of video game legend, the games that were made before endless open worlds of Ubisoft dominated the market and every release looking to earn GOTY was another soulless Souls-like cash grab.
Space Marine 2 knows what it is, knows who it’s for, and plays like the perfect experience for those seeking it.
A 9.1 out of 10.
