Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Review

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is the continuation of the previous entry of the franchise from 2011; this time around, you begin your journey as Lieutenant Titus many years after the happenings of the first. Developed by Saber Interactive, you'll recognise their gameplay with ease upon the opening tutorial sequence, with the signature Swarm technology from World War Z in full display.

This experience comes to you in three different game modes: Campaign, Operations, and Eternal War. We'll touch on each one individually, but for the sake of this review's length, I'll primarily focus on the first two, which feel like the main selling point of Space Marine 2.

The narrative continues years after the original entry, and despite having no experience with that game, it was pretty easy to follow along. You play as the now-promoted-from-his-previous-demotion Lieutenant Titus in the never-ending war against the Tyranids. The opening tutorial familiarises you with the gameplay, while the cinematic thereafter gets you in touch with your inner Ultramarine — it's easy to follow and, quite frankly, a pretty great introduction to the franchise (from my experience as a newcomer, at least).

This 10–12-hour campaign takes place throughout a seven-day period of the war, where, quite frankly, everything gets turned upside-down. You'll take control of a new squad (of which two friends can take one slot each), and you'll embark on a journey full of war and bloodshed, with surprisingly heartfelt moments sprinkled throughout. It's not best-in-slot when it comes to narrative, though some enjoyable twists, turns, and fights never deduct from the experience.

It's fun getting acquainted with each of the characters, and whilst playing either as the protagonist or one of the other two, you'll come to know your personality overall. Each character has a unique playstyle, and even some in-game events are unique for others, which means that you could play through this whole campaign three times and have some differences in the way you approach everything.

Scattered throughout four difficulties (Easy, Normal, Veteran, and Angel of Death), you get a wide range of opportunities to experience the gameplay the way you want to. In my blind hubris, I began in the hardest (as I always do throughout reviews to gauge the range of difficulty), experiencing the Tyranid rage at its fullest. Enemies will deal a lot of damage, and you'll have to take advantage of perfect dodges and parries to return equal hurt to the stronger foes while getting swarmed becomes shockingly easy. In Angel of Death, teamwork is paramount, where you'll want to focus on different areas from thinning the swarm to dealing with the toughest foes coming (and yet to come); the struggle is palpable and extremely enjoyable...

...when it works. Built around the idea of having two other players possibly join you means that youare tasked with carrying two AI companions throughout each of the six campaign missions you'll undertake. While they'll do just fine for most of the combat sequences, the places where an objective is very specificshows the faults in their programming, and it turns the game from an immersive war simulator into anything but. Protecting particular sections of the map, preventing enemies from reaching a location, or even targeting some of the highest-damage-dealing foes is all beyond the capability of your Battle-Brothers, and it feels like you'll have to take on every role simultaneously.

It's a shame, as the most epic quests you'll partake in require the best of teamwork. Yet, I learnt the difficulties of dealing with AI mates; I was forced to change my build to be a Jack of All Trades, carrying a sniper for long-range enemies and a basic pistol to thin hordes before dealing with them in melee. The fun objectives were frustrating to deal with solo because there was too much to do at any given moment, so I reduced the difficulty to Veteran, which certainly bettered the solo capabilities, but I wouldn't say it enhanced my gameplay experience.

This — in particular — was a shame; the gameplay experience of playing as an Ultramarine isn't easily replicated, with super-human strength and overcoming all odds taking centre stage. The game really makes you feel immersed in the war, both in terms of the narrative and gameplay, but I can't help but feel that nagging sense that it would be significantly better in co-op, which I know not many will be able to experience. It's not game-breaking — not at all, as I still vastly enjoyed my experience and heartily recommend it — but I'd say that if you can partake in the war effort with a friend or two, you're better off not going at it alone.

The second mode feels like the other prime focus of Space Marine 2 — Operations. The missions you'll undertake as Lieutenant Titus are only half of the campaign, as you'll be able to undertake the other ones as two individual Ultramarine squads: Veridian and Talasa. Each time you hear the protagonist give an off-screen mission to one of these two teams, you'll be able to partake in them as part of the Operations game mode, which feels epic knowing how the experience unfolds from all perspectives.

This mode is also 1–3 player, giving you the opportunity to partake in the campaign missions, though matchmaking is — unfortunately — mandatory for those who prefer solo experiences. You have six missions to participate in, and you'll be able to take your "customised" Space Marine by selecting one of six classes. Customisation is minimal, as you won't be able to choose your appearance (there is a mandatory appearance for all six classes), but you can change armour and weapons, giving you some agency over this.

This is an infinitely replayable mode à la Left 4 Dead, World War Z, or Back 4 Blood. You pick your class, get your weapons, and head out into the same missions with different enemies and swarms each time. The way Space Marine 2 handles it is by your level — there are four difficulties ranging from Minimal to Ruthless, and you're expected to undertake higher challenges with your levels (with the highest giving a recommended level of 15).

Levelling up a class means playing through the Operations mode with your favourite one, as levels aren't universal but instead stuck to your specific class. Each mission gives you EXP that contributes towards increasing your strength, as you'll unlock perks for the Perk Tree, consisting of 24 you can unlock from levels 2–25. It's a progression-based system that will empower you to play more Operations and climb the ranks until you are at the hardest difficulty, with more expected to come according to the Space Marine 2 roadmap released.

Operations feels similar to the Campaign mode, and I quite enjoyed it, though again, I found it a shame to see this under mandatory matchmaking. Even halfway through a campaign, you might get a new player joining your ranks, which limits those who want to play alone or with just one other person.

Eternal War has been... complex so far. In the sense that, as a 6v6 mode, I haven't really been able to find a match. Or even a single player to wait in the lobby with. Though I really wanted to touch on all of the modes in-depth, considering the limited number of players due to the nature of the embargo, I haven't had the opportunity to experience this at length... or at all.

The thing is, I really enjoyed my time with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Every time I sat at my computer, I was glued to the next fight or encounter; whether you're experiencing the Campaign or Operations modes, it's a pretty enjoyable time, yet I can't shake the feeling that I wish it was more friendly to solo players.