For blood, glory and the Emperor! Take a page out of The Codex Astartes and join your fellow brothers in war. Find out more in our Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review!
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 – developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment – is a much belated sequel to 2011’s Space Marine. A gruesomely detailed third-person, hack’n’ slash shooter.
Saved by the bell…literally!
The dense world of Warhammer 40000 is intimidating for newcomers. Still, the sheer fun in mowing down swarms of aliens with friends – like some giant, mechanical, fascist buzzsaw – is incredibly satisfying. I’d say it’s biggest success in a word: Immersion. Sweet, sweet gothic-horror immersion. Its fun, proactive gameplay, and the terrible beauty of its alien biomes make for a satisfying experience. To not buy Space Marine II is some serious heresy…
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review – Story
The Warhammer franchise 40K has its own rich lore to help it carve out its own identity from every other shooter. In the campaign, you play as Demetrian Titus, a massive superhuman space marine who fights on behalf of the Imperium of Man. Titus is re-inducted into the Ultramarines chapter after a 100 year stint in this 40K’s version of the gulags, and is tasked to fight the Tyranids. The previous entries xeno race was the Orks, but this time the Tyranids are our main focus to take down.
The cathedrals are so immense they nearly reach space! Yes I’m serious!
The main yarn is compelling. The world absolutely stuffed to the gills with interesting lore and symbolism, but the guts of the plot itself is on the simpler side. A tale of brotherhood, and banding together to defeat the true enemy. This was fine to me as A) Not every story has to be complex B) The plot felt like a vehicle to show off the universe in all it’s grimdark scifi glory. I was invested in the fate of Titus and his comrades, Gadriel and Chairon, and the main campaign is a nice handhold into multiplayer.
The enemy wishes to fight, brothers. Let us indulge them!
Newcomers to the 40k universe may have to do some study to understand all the new proper nouns being ping-ponged around. You can really feel the weight of the universe’s history, and complex faction upon faction of waring xenos. There’s also merit in plunging into the universe with no prior knowledge as none of this is presented in a way that leaves the uninitiated feeling lost. As the story reaches the halfway point, twists and turns begin to appear that cause this seemingly easy mission taking down Tyranids into a galaxy wide threat.
Pretty sure the big glowing rock is bad…
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review – Gameplay
The combat feels pro-active, where you regain health by executing enemies in a glorious gory splatter, instead of hunkering down behind cover. A parry system has also been implemented that rewards well-timed dodges with chunky executions and staggers. The animations are fluid, but has a real meaty feel that makes you feel one with the Ultramarine. There are a range of weapons to choose from before you start each mission and are peppered throughout the map as you make your way to your objective.
So many choices so little weapon slots…
Your main equipment consists of a melee weapon, main and side gun plus grenades to really break up those hordes. Each of these have several variations for those who have preferences like choosing between a sniper or an assault rifle. Titus also has a special ability that lets your squad deal more damage for a limited time and whilst you can’t change this in the campaign, this becomes very handy in the other multiplayer modes.
You call that a knife? This is a knife!
As you undertake missions the one thing that stays relatively the same is your mode of transport, and that is your towering glutes shoved into that bright blue armour. You will be walking and running a fair bit during Space Marine 2 however it feels much smoother than the original and the time between combat scenarios are always very small. There are a few times you get to use the jump pack which is a welcome change of pace and becoming death from above with a giant hammer is always a fun time. Although the lack of tank driving is very disappointing.
Please can we pilot this in the next game?!
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review – Visuals
The visuals and environments are nothing short of stellar. Every inch of the worlds you visit and their biomes seemingly hand-crafted. If you’re into gothic horror scifi, eat your heart out. I find that some games are bloated with content that just looks bland, content for content’s sake, but Space Marine 2 feels like the antithesis of this, with the attention to detail for each individual environment phenomenal. You can feel the weight of these massive beefcakes as they run around punching, shooting and stabbing, dwarfing any humanoids. And boy is it one hell of a fun power fantasy.
Ahh I love the smell of war in the morning!
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review – Audio
The audio design in Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 has been widely praised for its immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the intense atmosphere of the game. The sound effects are particularly well-executed, with each weapon having distinct and powerful audio cues that make the combat feel impactful and visceral. The game’s soundtrack also captures the grandiose and grim tone of the Warhammer universe, further drawing players into the dark, war-torn setting. The ambient sounds and environmental audio also contribute significantly to the overall experience, reinforcing the scale of the battles and the vastness of the Warhammer universe.
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review – What Else?
Whilst the relatively short campaign mode lets you play with 2 other friends, the other multiplayer modes are completely different. Firstly, the Operations mode is basically the campaign with extra customization options. As you go through the story, Titus will command other squads to complete assignments that occur adjacent to the main missions. These are the Operations which let you see what the other team gets up to.
Basically a second campaign!
The customization comes in the form of 6 different Classes that each have their own weapons and special ability. You can also unlock purely cosmetic armour parts by collecting them in each operation and by increasing the difficulty . As you play, your marines and weapons will level up, giving you better chances of surviving on the more punishing settings. Completing missions also net you with currency that can be used to buy colour sets to apply to your uniquely designed armour.
Red slays Tyranids faster yes?
The last gameplay mode is called Eternal War, at least that’s what it felt like waiting for a session. This is clearly the most under-cooked part of Space Marine 2, which is a shame since a 6v6 marine fight sounds intense. There are minimal upgrades and some customization similar to operations but nowhere near the same quantity for obvious balancing reasons. There also doesn’t seem to be any skill or level-based matchmaking since a lot of the time my level 3 Bulwark got shredded by a level 35. Also, having a good team is paramount in the 3 available modes, Annihilation (Team Deathmatch), Capture and Control (King of the Hill) and Seize Ground (Domination). Whilst this gives you some basic objectives across the half a dozen maps, they are fairly derivative and uninspired.
The uninspired PVP modes are very disappointing
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Review – Conclusion
Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 successfully delivers a thrilling and visually spectacular experience that should please both fans of the Warhammer universe and third-person shooter enthusiasts. The game shines with its dynamic combat system, which balances brutal melee and ranged combat, making encounters feel intense and rewarding. The use of Saber Interactive’s Swarm Engine allows for awe-inspiring battles against massive hordes of Tyranids, creating some truly epic moments.
Ultramarines…assemble!
Whilst the campaign isn’t overly long or deep in terms of story, it shows that it doesn’t need to be. By taking itself not too seriously and letting up to two friends join you on missions this is the perfect way to sit back and mow down a bunch of xenos for the good of the Imperium. Also the developers have promised a long term road map which will keep fans coming back for more until the inevitable Space Marine 3. For the sake of the Emperor lets just hope its not another 13 years.
So, why should you play Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2?
- You want well-crafted, meaty combat
- Beautiful environments and battle maps aglore
- Gothic horror scifi power fantasy
- Any 40k fan would love this (Including Henry Cavill)
But why shouldn’t you play Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2?
- Horror and gore are not your jam
- A bit overwhelming to those new to the francise
- Third person shooters don’t do it for you
- Short campaign and lacking PVP
A review code was kindly provided by Focus Entertainment for the purpose of our Space Marine 2 review. You can check out our other reviews here and if you haven’t already, be sure to join the Qualbert Discord to find out about the latest game and review updates!
