Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Review

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has arrived, and with it, everything that fans have been waiting for. Exactly like the original, it features a unique setting, a plethora of rampaging around in a massive blue suit of armor, and the execution of a perfect hack-and-slash game combining its combat in a manner just how the fans would have wanted it.

Ultramarines are fighting for humanity in the face of aliens, internal political strife, and the psychological toll of battle. This aura is visible the second you boot it up while battling for control of worlds that other galactic empires have staked claims to, to reclaim and hold, or to destroy altogether. The bloodbath that follows our hero as he travels across the universe is more than we hoped for.

The second Warhammer 40,000 game, Space Marine 2, takes place in the year 42. The Imperium of Man has begun a galactic, ten-year battle to recover planets that have fallen into enemy hands. The story starts from the point of view of a marine from the Deathwatch who is sent to the planet Kadaku during a violent Tyranid invasion. Despite brief breaks between chapters and narrative progression, the story moves quickly.

The game exceeded my expectations for the epic storyline in the Warhammer universe. The unique writing style and meticulous delivery will not get any accolades. It strikes quite close to home for those who are into Warhammer. There are a lot of mini-explorations and disputed zones throughout the game, and you have to pause every so often to fight your way through them.

Captain Titus makes a triumphant return to this story. Once upon a time, he was this famous Marine. Accusations of heresy were leveled at Titus during the first game, leading to his inevitable interrogation. At the beginning of this game, however, he is back with the ultramarines after serving with the Deathwatch and completing several assignments.

This plot twist works well since the ultramarines are based on a system mostly based on trust and honor. Returning just heightens the suspicion that Titus's teammates already had for him due to his earlier decisions. They would never stop doubting it, even if he were found not to have been implicated in heresy.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has three game modes. The Campaign mode offers the game's main story, the PvE mode called Operations, and a multiplayer PvP. Space Marine 2 seems like a mashup of several genres, even in its basic form. The Campaign mode has the same fundamental feel as the Warhammer 40K: Space Marine; you stomp about in your power armor and, depending on the scenario, switch between melee and ranged combat. In the PvE mode, a significant portion of enemies are swarms of Tyranids.

These hordes of lesser Tyranids can be eliminated with a single. The PvP mode has six-player battles in scenarios including Annihilation and Seize Ground. Apart from the difficulty settings, the types and locations of enemies in the PvE stages also vary somewhat. You can see the nice difference when you switch between the various difficulties of campaign mode.

When you jump in, you can choose from six classes: Tactical, Assault, Vanguard, Bulwark, Sniper, and Heavy. Each class has its unique loadout, which you may alter, and its specialized equipment. Things like jetpacks, storm shields, iron haloes, camouflage cloaks, launchers, and more sprang to mind.

Like the original, you'll only have to carve out a way to these features; otherwise, it's pretty similar to other horde shooters that have come out recently. The movement and motion in combat are quite realistic. The feeling of blocking, seizing foes mid-attack, shredding them to pieces, and then utilizing their pieces to take out other enemies is incredible. These warriors are more than just soldiers; they are heroes.

The game always provides the sensation of weight, energy, and motion. The combat in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 combines distant and close-quarters strikes, so you can easily switch between blasting enemies with guns and close-quarters weapons, such as the Chainsword, Combat Knife, Power Sword, Thunder Hammer, the Chainsword.

Perhaps most importantly, the Power Sword is the most balanced melee weapon and is ideal for slicing through hordes of enemies. Weapons include the Plasma pistol, Heavy bolt pistol, Bolt Sniper Rifle, Pyreblaster, Multi-Melta, Melta Rifle, Plasma or Heavy Plasma Incinerator, Heavy bolter, Occulus Bolt or Instigator Bolt Carbine, Bolt, Stalker bolt or Heavy bolt rifle, and more.

As Titus, you can also parry and dodge enemy attacks. Dodging stronger strikes or parrying lesser ones allows you to escape damage altogether. The unrelenting speed of battle remains constant regardless of your actions, as the movements allow you to smash enemies or shred them to pieces.

Alternate playthrough options allow you to assume the roles of different classes and archetypes of characters. While it's nice that the game shows you the colors of unblockable enemy attacks and other indicators, you can still play without the HUD if you focus on the game world, the sound, and your characters' actions.

Similar to the original, you'll face off against more resilient enemies that are harder to hit. This is where the game starts to resemble the Souls genre, if that's the right word. You can now choose to focus on a single enemy and engage in melee combat, dodging or parrying their highly predictable attacks. This mechanic apparently fits the Souls-like games. One of the most important methods is maintaining agility and parrying and evading attacks.

As in the original, you can fill up your armor bar over time, but you can only heal using stims or Titus's special ability to restore your health. Now, executions are exactly what they sound like finishing moves against more difficult foes where you identify the most stylish way to eliminate them from the gene pool, restoring one or two armor bars in the process.

You may choose between a primary weapon, a sidearm, and a melee weapon—the usual stuff for Warhammer 40,000. Gun strikes are similar to this melee assault; they can be executed swiftly after lesser enemies are knocked to the ground or parried by a more powerful enemy at the same moment, and they often restore some armor points.

In theory, this makes perfect sense, but in practice, you have difficulty crushing enemies instead of knocking them over, and your parrying and dodging skills aren't always smooth when faced with larger foes. Further, you seem to be unable to parry certain strikes altogether. During boss battles, it becomes practically necessary to utilize it since almost all of the bosses' attacks in this area rely on it.

Weapon selection is also crucial since it tracks your expertise with each weapon and shapes your Marine's efficiency in battle, healing, and other areas. The more you use a weapon, the more you'll learn it until you're an expert. As one would anticipate, a wide variety of attribute bonuses are available for each weapon class. By completing specific tasks, you can unlock more upgrades.

It may become overwhelming with all the experience, unlocking armor items at varied success rates and unlocking full suits of armor at different success rates, on top of mastery points and rewards. Because of this multi-tiered structure, particularly about armor, abilities, and weapons, assembling a strong squad isn't only about maximizing individual strengths and finding the optimal pairings for each task. Trying out various configurations does give the game a unique vibe.

Compared to other games, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 gives you an overwhelming number of enemies at once, and the game really shines regarding the overall number of enemies on screen, particularly the ones you can fight. The game does an excellent job of displaying these massive sights colonized with hordes of creatures rushing down slopes in pursuit of ramparts.

Vast genetic monstrosities occasionally reinforce these hordes, and it gets a little daunting sometimes dealing with those attending to the abundance of lesser enemies to kill. During these moments, the game doesn't seem like a regular single-player campaign, particularly when contrasted with the original game. Even though it was designed for multiplayer, it seems more like a co-op campaign where you're forced to complete it alone.

As you go through the missions or the multiplayer, you'll level up and acquire experience and currency in Space Marine 2. With this, you will unlock and equip different ultramarines with different gear. You can acquire several armor pieces, such as greaves, breastplates, and backpacks, by completing missions successfully in both PvE and PvP modes.

Each piece of armor requires numerous sets of seven tasks to unlock. Considering that there is a different unlock timeline for every piece of armor. If your second mission is successful, one may open seven levels later, while another may unlock three and ten levels later. You should simply keep track of everything, as it could be a little confusing about what's unlocking the wind. Hovering over any of the parts does trigger a little warning.

Gaining levels and experience points also grants access to chapters and the colors that go with them. These chapters include Chaos Marine chapters, chapters from Unknown Foundings, and more. Remember that to unlock the armor, you must complete objectives or participate in PvP matches. Even if you fail a mission, you will still get experience and points for every purchase. However, to unlock armor, you must succeed.

You may level up as each marine class benefits in gear, team, core, and finisher. These categories also let you level up at a faster rate. You have the option to purchase the newly unlocked talent or just retain the points and not purchase any abilities at all. Every class has unique abilities; some may influence the squad more, while others can make a player more valuable in certain contexts.

Visually, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a masterpiece. Saber Interactive did a perfect job recapturing the original game with a new-gen aesthetic, allowing the game's presentation to be spot-on. The whole presentation is impressive, and the more you progress, the more the narrative gets even better. The texture work is top-notch, with abundant detail in every aspect of the game, including armor sets, character appearances, enemies, landscapes, and more.

Though some locations seem familiar to the old ones, it's not an issue, as most have branching paths to explore, and the game always puts something new into the mix. The visuals are greatly aided by solid voice acting. Captain Titus was voiced by British actor Mark Strong this time, and he did a great job. And all the NPCs, no matter how good or bad their characters are or how well they speak, pull it off well, maintaining the gravity of conflict without making it seem artificial. The music is fantastic and goes well with the game's different settings.

Ultimately, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is simply amazing. Even if you haven't played the original or are unaware of the Warhammer lore or the franchise in general, you'll still get a taste of the game's heightened thrill after playing it. The endless warfare made the Space Marines so fun to play, and Space Marine 2 is the ideal setting for those who remain faithful to the franchise. This is a story of redemption, revenge, and ultimate responsibility. If you like action-adventure games, you must not hesitate to play Space Marine 2. It has enough to keep you entertained, even when playing alone or with friends.

Check out the Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Early Game Guide & Tips and all the Space Marine 2 guides on the game page.