It’s been a long eleven years for fans of the original Space Marine and now Warhammer 40K is back with the launch of Space Marine 2. Is it a worthy sequel to the beloved title? Or is it heresy and should have been exiled to deep space?
Mad World
I never played the original Space Marine, which launched on seventh generation consoles in 2011, but I’ve always been intrigued by the Warhammer franchise itself. With its deep lore, hardcore fan base and beloved titles across many different mediums, Warhammer has captivated fans for years. It has finally got me hooked with the release of Space Marine 2. Developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment, Space Marine 2 takes place in the age of the Dark Imperium. During the 41st Millennium, the Imperium of Man have launched a crusade with the primary goal being reclaiming previously lost planets across the galaxy. For someone who has never played a 40k game, this introduction felt daunting and intimidating with a lot to digest but for fans of the series, they will feel right at home. It is from here the game then introduces the main protagonist Titus. Because of the events of the previous game, Titus had been exiled to the deathwatch and barely escaped a mission alive. After being reintegrated into the Ultramarines, Titus is given the command of two marines, Sergeant Gadriel and Brother Chairon. These characters form both the core of the plot and focus as well as the focus on co-op as three players can tackle the story as soon as the prologue has been completed.
From here, the game becomes mission based across three separate planets as the trio of marines deal with the main threat in the game; the Tyranids and the forces of Chaos. Tyranids are an alien species hellbent on consuming biomatter, whilst the forces of Chaos are cultists which return from the original game. Each of the missions that take place in the 8 hour or so story follow an extremely linear pattern as you fight through swamps, gothic cathedrals and underground bases. The campaign and the story may be extremely hard to follow for new players but fans will be able to find easter eggs and nods to other sections of Warhammer at every corner. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the campaign it did not blow me away with its plot.
It follows predictable paths with the conflict in the squad, along with the enemies’ motives, leading to a satisfying if slightly sequel baiting ending. It has some great set pieces and boss battles that help create tension and raise the stakes for the characters. Some of the best parts of the campaign are within its environmental storytelling and the background conversations that take place in the game’s main hub, the battle barge. It’s frustrating to me that sometimes there is such a vast amount of serious dialogue between the squad that you are wishing and hoping for a glimmer of comedy or light-hearted conversation like Gears. With this game taking clear inspiration from the Gears Of War franchise, they perhaps could have leaned towards the emotional storytelling Gears is known for. But if you are after a brutal, bloody and action-packed Warhammer story, this is the game for you. It’s important that gameplay and complementary modes help to propel the action and boy do they!
Slice, Dice, Kick Down the Door
As I have mentioned, Space Marine games have taken clear inspiration from Gears, and this is abundantly evident in gameplay. Controlled from a third person perspective, you move and evade like Marcus Fenix does, and it feels fantastic. Gunplay feels weighty and meaningful and the game’s melee system is just an absolute blast. Slicing through the impressive amount of enemies that can appear on screen is so much fun, I could literally do it all day. Due to the swarming enemies on screen, there is no cover system like Gears but it’s not needed, as you are almost constantly under assault from enemies during the missions. I wouldn’t say there are a vast amount of weapons at your disposal but each weapon feels different and helps to diversify your gameplay options. You can customize loadouts in between missions from bolt rifles, flame shotguns to plasma pistols along with melee options such as a power sword. Also, during the missions, Space Marine deploys an old school mechanic of weapon caches and ammo pickups you can find throughout the levels which I loved as a refreshing throwback to games of old. As I mentioned previously, the game offers three player online co-op, which is the optimal way of playing as the bots in this game are downright terrible at times! I am so glad I played with friends for the campaign.
Alongside the campaign, the game launches with two other significant game modes: Operations and Eternal War. Operations is a mission based PvE mode in which you and two other players (or bots) complete objectives that tie into the main campaign as they use similar locations and have dialogue from Titus during each mission. Coupled with operations is the ability to use the class system. There are six classes available that range from melee-focused like the Bulwark, Vanguard and Assault, to gun-focused such as the Heavy, Sniper and Tactical. These classes are fantastic and create so much replay ability for the players. Whether you want to fly around crashing down into enemies with the Assault class or mow Tyranids down with the minigun heavy class, the choice is yours. Coupled with the fact that you can fully customize both the armour and loadout for these classes, the level of choice and option for the player is staggering. The one negative I have for Operations is that there are only six missions currently, thus making missions feel stale quickly. But with the road map Saber have released, showing more for the near future, this should be quickly rectified.
The third and final mode available in Space Marine 2 is the PvP mode; Eternal War. This 6v6 online mode sports three different game modes: Annihilation, (your standard deathmatch) Seize Ground (standard domination) and Capture and Control (akin to the hardpoint modes in COD). These modes are fantastic and offer great variety to play against other players, alongside the six classes you can use. It’s just a shame that there are only currently three maps on offer for these modes. Each map reminded me of a classic Quake map in its design which I loved, but I wish there were more maps available. Gameplay wise, not much changes from the other modes apart from it can be more frenetic and frantic in a positive way. I will definitely be back for more in this mode, as balancing and optimization wise, I experienced few to no issues at all – a fantastic PvP mode.
Inter-Planetary Beauty
Let’s get this out of the way: Space Marine 2 is a graphical marvel! Environments look stunning and so detailed with each level offering huge set pieces with most emphasis being on the background environments. I have never played a game that has so much going on in its environmental storytelling; it’s fantastic! Ask my friends I played with; I talked ad nauseam about how I loved stopping and admiring events that are occurring in the distance. Swarms of enemies attacking our allies or buildings collapsing or exploding; this is a new benchmark for storytelling through set pieces and environments. Character and enemy models are superb, in particular Titus whose armour and decals look phenomenal. In addition, enemies look varied, allowing you to understand the difference in classes, whether the enemy is a melee-wielding or ranged opponent. Cutscenes are mostly in-game which look great and help raise the stakes for the characters, whilst the CG cutscenes look great and help set up the context and objectives for the missions. Character animations and executions also deserve a special mention as there are so many different executions you can perform which are brutal and bloody – it’s great! The only issues in terms of performance I experienced were failure to load into online lobbies, sometimes resulting in having to reload the game which was frustrating. There is also some minor stuttering during PvP but for the majority of the game it ran at a smooth 60fps on performance mode on PS5.
Sound design and soundtrack are also strong points for Space Marine 2. Every bullet fired feels powerful whilst the noises of flesh being cut by any of the melee weapons is disgusting as you mow down each enemy. Evading actions sound like they are a big exertion for each character and the grunts and swings during the melee combat highlight the desperation of war for these marines. War never changes. As previously mentioned, executions also sound fantastic! Alongside the wonderful sound design is the superb voice acting that is on display from the diverse cast. Whilst sometimes it feels like they’re taking themselves too seriously, they are still top notch. The soundtrack for Space Marine 2 is best described as a powerful orchestral score but it is sometimes underused. During climatic moments, the score roars like a triumphant battle cry for the players. It has this gothic Lord Of The Rings feel to it and it is amazing. I just wish the soundtrack was more consistent and memorable for me as I struggle to remember the music itself outside its orchestral highpoints. But for fans of Warhammer the score will make them feel right at home.
Verdict
Space Marine 2 is a triumphant return to this beloved chapter of the 40K franchise. Superb combat and weighty game and gun play help raise the stakes for a enjoyable if not ground-breaking story that sometimes takes itself a little bit too seriously. Great customization options and great PvE and PvP modes further this strong package that is just a blast to play. This game is not revolutionary in what it is trying to achieve and it doesn’t care. It wants you to have a good time and boy did I! Superb visuals and strong sound design and music also help you truly feel like an Ultramarine. FOR THE EMPEROR!
