Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Preview

Imagine a boot stamping on a human face for all eternity. Now imagine that boot attached to an eight-foot tall superhuman strapped into a suit of armour that weighs the same as a battletank. Got that image? Good. Now imagine a spaceship, one kilometre long, large enough to use an entire cathedral (literally) as its bridge. That spaceship is full of those superhumans and certainly full of those boots. It’s also the smallest in the fleet.

This is the scale that the developers of Battlefleet Gothic: Armada are trying to emulate. Not unlike the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer 40k universe, Tindalos Interactive faces a veritable slew of potential pitfalls and defeats. Announced in January 2015, the game will be hitting shelves and distribution platforms later this month, giving Warhammer fans everywhere the chance to captain their very own space-faring fleet.

Like every other title that nabs the Warhammer licence, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is based upon a tabletop game. Launched in 1993 and discontinued in 2013, the Battlefleet Gothic spin-off focused on the dastardly incursions of Chaos Space Marine ruler Abaddon into the the Gothic sector of human-controlled space (hence the name). It is from this that Armada draws its inspiration.

Armada places the player in the captain’s chair of the Imperial Fleet and outlines the rather daunting task of stopping the broiling masses of galactic Chaos from swallowing whole star systems. The game’s campaign (of which only a few missions were available for this preview) focuses on defeating various heretical and alien fleets that crop up around the sector, interspersed with main story missions that require specific conditions to be met.

Along the way, captains will earn renown and experience which can be put towards upgrading their fleet in a wide variety of ways, including boosting the crew’s abilities, adding armour and the ever-popular option of bolting on more guns. Ships can also be customised with different colours and motifs. As you add, remove or modify different sections your spacecraft will change in shape, size and compensation level.

The ships in the Warhammer 40k universe aren’t your average spacecraft, either. This isn’t the space opera of Star Wars or the sleek and shiny sheen of Star Trek. Warhammer 40k prides itself in its “grimdark” atmosphere, and the battle fleets in Gothic are no exception. Capturing the detail of these vessels was surely a crucial goal for Tindalos Interactive and in that the developers have excelled themselves. Every nook and cranny of each craft is detailed and recreated. Zooming in on the ships mid-flight is a joy as every spire, every deck and every weapon mounting is true to the models from the tabletop game (themselves ultra-detailed).

Battle in Armada is conducted on a 2D plane. Both fleets deploy on opposite ends of the map, which can be scattered with environmental hazards like mines, gas clouds and asteroid fields. Though you may be disappointed to hear that 3D combat is unavailable, the game’s skirmishes are intricate enough without having to add extra dimensions. Micro-management is the name of the game here, as each ship in your fleet has a variety of different abilities, stats, strengths and weaknesses.

Though it may seem familiar to those who have played titles such as Homeworld or Sins of a Solar Empire, the interface in Armada goes into surprising depth for those used to lighter RTS games. With each of your ships you can select an engagement range (from 3km to 12km), whether they prioritise their front-facing weapons or their broadsides, whether they fire from their port or starboard flanks and what enemies they should engage.

The intricacies don't end there, as enemy vessels can be attacked in a number of different ways. You can command your craft to attack the engines, weapons, decks and hull specifically, or let them fire at targets at will. Each specific target, when damaged, has an effect on the enemy - from slower movement speed to broken shield repairs.

When battle is joined proper all of this can be slightly confusing, so Tindalos Interactive has provided the player with a “cogitator” button that, once pressed, slows the action down to a crawl to allow time to think. It’s in these moments that the visual appeal of the game can truly be appreciated. With only the lower two classes of warship available in the preview (frigates and cruisers), it’s tantalising to imagine what entire fleets of huge battleships clashing might look like.

In trying to blend the dice-roll turn-based statistics of a tabletop game with a face-paced RTS title, the developers could have got a lot wrong. At times the flashes of gunfire, laser-blasts and missiles mixed in with status updates like “fire onboard”, “crew dazed” and “boarding action” can become slightly intimidating. However, after a few rounds of frantically pressing every button available, the UI and interface becomes far easier to navigate and the various abilities, statuses and alerts more understandable.

The game's multiplayer, at this stage, offers up a series of battles against other players currently in the beta. I found myself matched up against similarly new players throwing everything they had at me in the first few minutes. Battles in Armada are a marathon, not a sprint, however, and after some teething problems I was soon chewing my way through opponents by using patience, maneuvering and (if I say so myself) a little tactical nouse.

There’s no sound in space, yet to rob Armada of its cacophonous glory would be quite an error. In the midst of battle the booms of cannon, fizzing of laser and the downright dakka-dakka of weaponry really sets the scene, especially when combined with a suitably stirring background score. The voice work in the game deserves particular praise, too, as the actors manage to catch the haughty, menacing demeanour of the Imperium, the grunty fun of the Orks and the disturbing malice of Chaos especially well.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada has come out of nowhere somewhat and shown how to really utilise an IP for all it's got. Tindalos Interactive seems to have nailed the atmosphere and ambiance of the Warhammer 40k universe, combining it with an engaging battle system and expansive customisation mechanic. It remains to be seen how well the game's campaign mode pans out, and whether it will be able to deliver in terms of longevity, but for now Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is looking like a game the God-Emperor of Mankind Himself would be proud of.