Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Review — A Guilty Pleasure

Having never really delved into the Warhammer series before, something always attracted me to the original Space Marine game 12 years ago. It was at the peak of the Gears of War franchise and shared many traits with it. The problem was that it was released within a month of Gears of War’s initial final act and the end of its trilogy, which couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Now, all lights are green—no Gears games in sight—and Space Marine 2’s time to shine is now.

Space Marine 2 uses the ‘Swarm Engine,’ the same engine used in the zombie horde game World War Z, so you know all hell will be unleashed. The environments are atmospheric and varied, from the city’s gothic aesthetic to the dense swamps.

The game begins with a distress signal calling for aid as one of the many planets is under attack. You and your ‘kill team’ are dispatched to release a virus into the atmosphere to slow down the invading forces. As the team heads down to the planet’s surface, they are attacked by a horde of aliens, and everyone is separated due to the crash. You play as the character Titus, and as you attempt to locate your comrades, you find them individually, only to be disappointed by all the death around you. You fight bravely and eventually release the virus, but it’s too late. Your final stand against what’s left of the enemy eventually overpowers you, leading to a killing blow. Fortunately, backup arrives just in time, and they manage to rebuild you into a Space Marine to keep you alive.

As you are briefed on your next moves, you learn of the reservations the leaders have in regard to your ‘reinstatement.’ Not having played much of the original title, a recap would have been helpful, considering the last game was released 12 years ago. This was very confusing as I was sure that the main character you were playing as was the same as the original game’s hero. As the game progresses, you are given small snippets of information surrounding Titus, such as his being part of a ‘Death Watch’ and being over 200 years old, which seems to earn him respect among his new team members.

You are then briefed on the impending invasions on the many planets and given your initial marching orders to aid in getting the planet’s defences back online.

As you play through missions in Space Marine 2, there is a direct route to follow to your next objective, but there are also hidden paths you can take that will lead you to ammo, new weapons, health, and Dataslates, which are audio logs. While you can get knocked down during battle, your bot or co-op companions can revive you, but only a certain number of times.

I was surprised by how melee-heavy Space Marine 2 is. I was expecting a cover-based shooter or an emphasis on shooting, but it plays second fiddle to dodging, parrying, and combos with your starting weapon, the Chainsword. As you progress, you will find different guns and hand-to-hand weapons. The guns are most effective when a horde of enemies is running toward you, allowing you to thin out the numbers before engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Additionally, if you parry an enemy or dodge at the right moment, you can trigger an event where you can one-shot kill them. If you shoot them enough, they will flash red, allowing you to approach them and perform a ‘Glory Kill,’ similar to recent Doom titles, where you viciously rip the Tyranids (the main enemy) apart in a brutal manner. No matter how many parry kills or executions you complete through the many waves of enemies, it never gets old.

You have two gauges for health: one for armour and the other for health. Both are rechargeable after combat settles down, and you move to the next section to progress the story. Initially, Space Marine 2 is very point A to B, as you won’t be able to step off the beaten path, and there is only really one direction to go.

Space Marine 2 can be played online co-op with friends or single-player with bots, so you will always have companions to join you on your missions. The banter between characters helps fill in some story elements about Titus as well as providing insights into the missions.

There are many weapons to pick up along the way, from handguns to a variety of bolt rifles, which can have different secondary shots or effects, such as zooming or grenade launchers. But my absolute favourite was the Heavy Bolter, which you would drop once the ammo is depleted. This weapon was so much fun to use, mowing down the legion of enemies swarming you as its fire rate increased the longer you held down the shoot button. Additionally, you could pick up different melee weapons, such as the Chainsword or a combat knife—guess which one I used the most?

Many of the initial missions and battles consist of securing areas or getting weapons and defences back online to fight the onslaught of attackers, trying to turn the tides of war. However, no matter how many you take down, they just keep coming! After each mission, you return to your headquarters to receive your next mission.

Eventually, you will unlock an Armory back at the command base, where it is recommended to return periodically to update your load-outs and discover new weapons. This allows you to change your default starting weapons for each mission and provides all their stats, ranging from firepower to accuracy and range, giving you an informed decision about what your weapons are capable of. There are also options to amend your appearance and special moves.

Throughout the game there are operations or missions that require the combined efforts of two squads. In Space Marine 2, you can find out and play as the other team to see how the story unfolds from their perspective by playing the missions in a mode called ‘Operations Game Mode.’ These are like side missions that can be selected to play at any time from a computer. When these side missions are selected, you get your pick of classes. There are six in total, each with a different set of skills varying from Assault, Sniper, and Heavy. These appear to be RPG gaming stories intended to be played multiple times to gain experience, level up the classes, and unlock new skills and weapons, as each mission offers a variety of unlocks. It almost seems like when you’re going back to the base, it’s a multiplayer lobby.

While many of the Tyranid enemies are repetitive, with swarms and more brutish ones that sometimes require a dodge as their attacks are too powerful to simply parry, there are boss battles at certain times that require patience and perfect timing with all your skills to take them down. I found these to be a fun way of breaking up the long stretches of endless fodder to kill along your travels to your objectives.

Eventually, you gain access to a jump pack in Space Marine 2. These offer three different options: Ascend, which is a simple jump extension to reach higher areas; Ground Pound, which allows you to aim at groups of enemies below and pound down on them, doing an area-of-effect drop; and a brief hover during your jump, allowing you to aim and shoot. This can be a reprieve from the many swarms attacking you. These abilities are bound to the ability button (Y and Triangle), so there is a cooldown period required to use them.

While I would say that the facial animations and graphics of the characters are the low points in an otherwise very impressive showing, the armour and environments in Space Marine 2 are detailed and engaging. The battles taking place in the sky, along with the varied environments—ranging from swamps and forests to abandoned bases overrun by nature—are quite impressive to look at. It’s just a shame that the faces appear to be cut and pasted from the original Xbox 360/PS3 versions of the game. The environments tell a story through the dead bodies and overrun facilities, giving players a sense of past conflicts.

The main characters and teammates in Space Marine 2 are voiced quite well for being big, burly men in huge armour. While they are not poets, they do a great job telling the story, whether you are overhearing them from a distance or through direct conversation. There is always something to keep listening to in case you miss important story details. The same can be said for the other main characters you meet at the stronghold who are in charge. They speak with conviction and authority. While I’m not familiar with any of the voice actors, they do a good job for most of the game, keeping you engaged in what they have to say when they deliver their lines.

While I never invested much time in the original game, after playing through Space Marine 2, I went back and tried the original. The combat was a huge improvement with the latest game. Aiming and moving around was much smoother and better, whereas, with the original, I felt a lack of control compared to this latest game in the franchise. They really stepped it up for this title.

Having played the game before the servers went live, I didn’t have the option to play multiplayer, but I could tell there was potential for more fun with others. While the bots on your team do an admirable job of helping you clear out enemies, the banter and conversations could help with on-the-fly tactics, adding to the overall experience of the game. So, while you can play this game solo, it could be fun to add replayability by playing through it with friends down the line.

The combat in Space Marine 2 is initially fun, and for the most part of the game remains that way. You can’t help but sense its repetitive nature. While I’m a fan of these mechanics most of the time, especially in this game, I could understand if players tire of the rinse-and-repeat combat style.

Overall, Space Marine 2 has quite a lot to offer, from the main storyline involving over-the-top characters with secrets and fleshed-out stories to side quest missions offering a different experience while still remaining relevant to the overall arc. In a time when people are eagerly waiting for the next Gears of War, Space Marine 2 will certainly scratch that itch. It is only held back by the requirement of an online connection and the repetition of combat. While doing an admirable job with its offering of weapons and customisation, this is a game worthy of a look and could potentially be a great game night with friends.

Along with a 4-season roadmap offering a huge variety of new game modes, including PvE, cosmetics, new difficulties, and a horde mode, it seems that Space Marine 2 is here for the long haul.