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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2feels like a release that’s often too rare in the current gaming landscape – a fairly polished, tightly designed, and novel game with a respectably lengthy campaign, fully playable in co-op, a separate, bespoke cooperative mode (alsoplayable alone and offline), and a modest PvP multiplayer that doesn’t over-extend itself. It attempts something unique, and despite not always shining brightly, smartly leans on its rich setting to deliver stories that are inherently interesting enough to carry its less compelling facets.
Developed by Saber Interactive,Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2is the long-awaited sequel to 2011’sSpace Marine, which was created by Relic Entertainment. Unlike thedisappointing space opera ofHomeworld 3,Space Marine 2is likely to be a fondly received legacy sequel to Relic’s work, with Saber’s Swarm Engine a distinct highlight in a game that feels like it’s approaching greatness, but only truly managing it for certain set pieces. The third-person shooter/hack-and-slash hybrid’s basic design is interesting in itself, but ultimately doesn’t evolve in a compelling way over its full runtime.
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Gameplay Is Gory & Satisfying, But Sometimes Tiresome
Third-Person Shooter/Hack-&-Slash
There’s a baked-in appeal to a game which sports the chief attraction of rebuffing waves of an alien swarm, andSpace Marine 2takes a clever approach in its combination of ranged and melee combat. You get a primary weapon – some form of rifle – a secondary pistol, and a melee weapon, in addition to limited grenades (of which there are a handful of types), Medicae Stimms for recovering health, and occasionally a heavy weapon that can be picked up and fired until its ammo reserves are dry. Encounters often begin at a distance, wantonly unloading magazines to thin the approaching herd, before they eventually turn into a point-blank and bloody brawl.
It took me two or three campaign missions before I felt like I began to understand how the game wanted me to play.
Precision and efficiency in shooting is certainly rewarded, but fights devolving into trading blows is treated as a sort of inevitability, as evidenced by the melee combat comprising parry and dodge mechanics, alongside executions that replenish shields and the ability to quickly recoup lost health by going on the offensive à laBloodborne. A modest combo system buoys this gameplay, andthere’s certainly a lot of satisfaction to be found in deftly managing a firefight, especially inSpace Marine 2’s boss battles, which are surprisingly engaging and use the game’s mechanics to their fullest, despite largely eschewing the game’s proclivity for filling the screen with enemy units.
Despite this gameplay loop being fun and fairly novel,neither the ranged nor melee combat is especially sophisticated. Limited gun options make loadout selection hinge on personal preference rather than dependent on circumstances, and the difference between a Chainsword and a Combat Knife isn’t deep enough to overcome general clunkiness. Although sometimes a symptom of the Swarm Engine (more on that later), actions frequently feeling unresponsive is simply a reality of being a nine-foot-tall, heavily armored, bioengineered super soldier.
WhileWarhammer 40K: Space Marine 2’s combat tends to become fairly one-note, it is compelling enough to have a decent learning curve; it took me two or three campaign missions before I felt like I began to understand how the game wanted me to play. There’s satisfying progression from a combat efficiency standpoint, andthose who really jibe with the game’s combat mechanics are likely to find a lot of joy in mastering the higher difficulties, especially in the co-op mode, Operations, where classes with various available weapons and special abilities bring team composition and coordinated strategy larger into focus.
Space Marine 2’s Story Is Interesting, But Largely Propped Up By The Warhammer 40K Universe
Campaign & Operations Tell Multiple Sides Of The Same Narrative
The depth of theWarhammer 40Ksetting is a huge boon to a story that is otherwise light on character development or truly interesting personalities. Unfortunately,the Space Marines' singular fanaticism and devotion to the Imperium of Man doesn’t really allow for an astounding amount of dynamismin the characters. The main three – Titus, Gadriel, and Chairon – have differing personalities and clear arcs, but much of the narrative heavy-lifting is done bySpace Marine 2’s larger framing; the vastness of the lore underpinning the fight against the Tyranids and Chaos keep things fascinating, even when areas of narrower focus become mired in predictable tropes of devout soldiers fulfilling their duty.
This is not to say, however, that exhaustive knowledge of40Kis a necessity. I only have passing knowledge of the universe’s intricacies and a general understanding of the Imperium’s never-ending wars, and I never felt like I was at a disadvantage in following the narrative.Warhammer 40Kfans will definitely appreciate the game more thoroughly, butSpace Marine 2is still approachable to newcomers, and serves as an excellent showcase of a setting that has a frankly unfathomable scale.
The game knows that seeing hundreds of insectoids swarming toward your position is an exciting preamble to combat.
This sheer size is a treat. What are ultimately rather bog-standard linear shooter levels are surrounded by gargantuan cities and impossibly spacious spaceship interiors. Spectacular set dressing does a great job wowing you after you’ve spent some time battling through nondescript corridors. Said corridors are clearly an intentional design choice, putting you head-to-head against the enemy swarm, butSpace Marine 2’s undulating combat tends to flow much better in slightly larger arenas– those where bosses are fought, or when an objective requires specific areas or objects to be protected. These were a reprieve from riding the same elevators and opening the same doors repeatedly in many interconnected hallways.
The Swarm Engine Shines In Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
Technically Impressive, Even If It Leads To Occasional Frustration
Pioneered throughSaber Interactive’sWorld War Zadaptation,the Swarm Engine feels right at home in aWarhammer 40Kgame. Blasting at Tyranids as they climb on each other to collectively scale a vertical surface is always fun, and the game knows that seeing hundreds of insectoids swarming toward your position is an exciting preamble to combat. Unfortunately, the technology seems to be partly responsible for somewhat lengthy load times. While waiting to start a mission is still manageable, it’s a noticeable hiccup compared to many modern games that have reduced load times down to a few seconds.
I was even glad for a pre-release update that added the option to disable the adaptive triggers, saving my right index finger from further soreness.
Less tolerable are the times when the sheer number of enemies is simply overwhelming, effectively stun-locking you and quickly draining shields and health. Some frantic dodging can usually rectify the situation before death, butit feels like the aforementioned clunkiness doesn’t mesh perfectly with how many enemies you’re expected to fight in rapid succession. Rather than having the tools to continuously rebuff enemies, I come out of a finisher animation, which I performed to recover some shields, only to have those recovered shields immediately stripped away by enemies on all sides.
Aside from those fairly minor frustrations and the occasional odd bug, though,Space Marine 2is technically sound, and even puts the DualSense controller through its paceson PlayStation 5. The alternating crunch of a Space Marine stomping in their Power Armour with each step is felt in the corresponding handle, and every round fired has a satisfying click in the adaptive triggers. I recommend keeping a second controller charging, and I was even glad for a pre-release update that added the option to disable the adaptive triggers, saving my right index finger from further soreness.
Operations & Eternal War Are Where Space Marine 2 Will Find Longevity
PvE Co-Op & 6v6 PvP
Although neither bespoke multiplayer modes are groundbreaking, Operations and Eternal War are often where the game shines, injecting some much-needed variety. The key isSpace Marine 2’s seven classesthat are almost identical in both modes (Operations has a perk tree for each class, providing a different kind of progression for climbing into the higher difficulties). If it weren’t for the classes, Operations would feel close to a re-hash of the main campaign – it’s a set of parallel chapters following Ultramarine squads taking care of secondary objectives to support Titus' efforts, thus the mission structure is intimately familiar.
It is strongly recommended to either play Operations after completing the campaign, or play them in tandem, since the Operations missions contain spoilers. The game will provide a blue icon on the Operations menu indicating which missions can be played without fear of spoilers.
Each class has a set of available weapons, differing levels of armor, and, most importantly, a unique ability. Most are neat in Operations, changing the pace of the campaign’s gameplay, but they’re far more interesting and consequential in Eternal War. The game does not feel designed to reach the white-knuckle competitiveness of hero shooters likeOverwatch, but there’s a similar interplay between the classes. This makes team fights the most interesting aspect, so Capture and Control (King of the Hill, essentially) is so far the most compelling game mode, where deft use of an ability can give your team the upper hand.
Seize Ground and Annihilation (Domination and TDM, respectively) feel more disorganized in comparison, though the punchiness of the game’s combat makes them not entirely without merit. Post-launch support via theSpace Marine 2Season Passwill likely keep these multiplayer aspects moderately active for dedicated fans, but they’re more or less significant parts of the whole. On their own, Operations and Eternal War are not exceedingly special, but they support the campaign in makingWarhammer 40K: Space Marine 2a robust product.
Final Thoughts & Review Score
4/5
Despite some minor faults,Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2is exciting and tactile, and playing through the game is a mostly seamless experience. It doesn’t appear to have misguided aspirations of becoming a live-service juggernaut, instead sticking to its guns and crafting three game modes around its novel, but admittedly not revolutionary gameplay loop. It’s a game that almost feels anachronistic, like it should have been released closer to its 2011 predecessor, but not in a way that makes it feel dated. Its production value is high, its gameplay is polished, and because it doesn’t necessarily take any big swings, it doesn’t strike out in any spectacular manner.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2is enjoyable front to back, and is sure to find a lot of admirers who stick around for the co-op and PvP progression. In particular, fans of the universe and of the first game will likely be pleased that this long-awaited sequel is in no way a misstep, executing its vision soundly without becoming overly ambitious.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
The galaxy is once again plunged into chaos as Lieutenant Titus returns to battle the relentless Tyranid swarm. With unmatched power and brutal combat skills, he leads the Ultramarines in a desperate fight for survival against overwhelming odds, showcasing the grim reality of endless war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Screen Rantwas provided with a PS5 digital download code for the purpose of this review.
