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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 GBAtemp review
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Name: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Item: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Rating: 9.5
Author: Chary

Product Information:

Release Date (NA): September 9, 2024
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Developer: Saber Interactive
Genres: Third-Person Shooter
Also For: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Game Features:

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

Ultramarine, ultra-violent, ultra fun.

After over a decade, fans of 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 1 can finally rejoice for they have been given a direct sequel. The project was not helmed by the original developer, Relic Entertainment, but instead Saber Interactive has been given the task to bring this series back to life. And they have done so in spectacular fashion.

You, the player, resume your role as the stoic Ultramarine, Lieutenant Demetrian Titus. 200 years have passed since the original game, a timeframe that may confuse anyone not familiar with 40k lore (such as myself). Although it isn’t required, I cannot recommend enough to watch a couple videos on YouTube summarizing 40k lore, and the history of the Space Marines. Warhammer 40k is an incredibly rich and detailed series that is quite fun to learn about.

You begin your journey slaying hordes of Tyranid swarms, using an array of both guns and melee weapons. Including a chainsword (which predates Gears of War, before any mention it). In fact, much of the game will have you slaying massive hordes of enemies. Sometimes hundreds. Saber Interactive once again proudly shows off their Swarm Engine, and once again shows just how awesome it can be.

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Each mission is fairly linear, but does contain the odd nook or alternate pathway that will lead to ammo, weapons or the odd collectible. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is much more about endless slaughter than it is worrying about where you need to be at any given moment.

Combat is fluid and intuitive. You will mostly be using your melee weapon to eviscerate hordes of enemies, with the odd one being preferable to gun down instead. For particularly pesky hordes, you have an array of grenades at your disposal. You can change your loadout before a mission, but each mission itself contains an appropriate arsenal to suit every situation. Parries are crucial in this game, and are incredibly satisfying. Rewarding you with massive damage, while executing a weakened enemy is how you regenerate your armour.

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There are also special abilities you can use. For the campaign, the three main characters (controlled by you and up to two friends) each have their own ability, but in PvP and side scenarios you’re able to pick what you’d like. One of your options being a jump pack, which allows you to quickly dash at or away from enemies, or even launch yourself into the air to deliver and unbelievably satisfying melee smash onto whoever is unfortunate enough to be below you.

The campaign is somewhat short, though there is plenty to enjoy. Each level is incredibly beautiful, with an unbelievable amount of effort put into art and sound direction. These places feel like war zones, you can SEE hordes of enemies advancing and fighting with the Cadians on many levels. There are gorgeous buildings and structures, terrain, honestly everything you look at feels lovingly crafted and is a treat for your eyeballs. It’s genuinely quite rare that I find myself stopping to just take in the scenery, or play with the camera mode, which is also very well done.

The sounds, the music, the voice lines, everything feels cohesive and masterfully put together. I cannot praise this game enough for how it presents itself. It’s the well-spoken person in a custom tailored suit at a party. It stands out amongst its peers with ease. As someone who has never gotten into Warhammer 40k, this game is a strongly compelling argument for why I may need to change that.

Despite the campaign itself being short, you do also have an array of side missions, which put you in control of a squad who works in tandem with Titus and his crew to fulfill their mission objective. It’s a fascinating and fun idea, that enriches the experience of the campaign as you get to explore different angles and aspects of each mission.

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PvP reminds me of a somewhat simpler time of just jumping into a round or two of Halo. Each level is simple to understand, nice to look at, and yet not overwhelming nor boring. The focus is always the combat and the objective. An art that is honestly lost in a lot of modern arena shooters. You have three modes to choose from. A simple deathmatch mode, King of the Hill where there are multiple spots on the map to capture and hold, or mode with a singular objective to capture and hold that will move periodically. Each is simple, and games themselves are quite short. You play as a pre-set class and unlock weapons as you level up from playing.

There is also a pretty massive amount of customization for your character. With different colours, decals, and armour pieces all unlockable in game. There is only a single buyable cosmetic that comes from the most expensive edition of the game, every single other cosmetic is unlocked in-game. And there are many cosmetics.

As someone who generally doesn’t like the heavier gameplay of a game like Gears of War, nor often third-person shooters in general. Nor am I a Warhammer 40k fan…

I can safely say Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a contender for game of the year in my books. I enjoyed every single second with this game. It’s absurdly fun solo, with the AI companions not being too terrible, even on the hardest difficulty. The AI can certainly have their issues, especially when jump packs get involved, but overall they keep up and do plenty during each mission. And that fun is only magnified when played with friends, and I highly recommend it for a duo or trio. This game is the whole package, good looks and good gameplay. With more on the way, apparently. I can’t wait to see what else these developers have to offer. They’ve done a truly fantastic job delivering the best possible sequel to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 1.

Verdict

What We Liked ...

Fluid, visceral combat
Incredibly gorgeous visuals
Fun co-op or solo
Simple but fun PvP mode

What We Didn't Like ...

Short campaign

Gameplay

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 takes the formula the first game laid out, and modernizes it. Combat is fluid and flows well. It is unbelievably satisfying to hack and shoot your way through hordes of enemies, dealing with various configurations and scenarios. The moment to moment gameplay is visceral and weighty, and often feels like absolute chaos. And yet you are able to navigate and conquer that chaos with all the tools given to you.

Presentation

It’s hard to get much better than this. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is incredibly beautiful, lovingly crafted and has immaculate art direction and sound design. Every aspect of the game is cohesive and a gift for your eyeballs. There is a wonderful amount of detail in every level, every character, truly every aspect.

9.5

out of 10

Overall

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 delivers exactly what it sought to. Smashing through hordes of enemies in masterfully crafted levels. Each and every detail feels intentional and thought out. Saber Interactive make perfect use of their Swarm Engine to deliver incredibly fun and satisfying encounters, many of which feel chaotic and yet manageable with the tools you’re given. It’s hard not to feel immersed in your role as a Space Marine when you’re slaughtering hordes of enemies, smashing small enemies into their allies, tearing limbs off bigger enemies and gutting them with it. Using well-timed grenades to eviscerate entire hordes. Truly every piece of the moment to moment gameplay is a joy to experience. And of course, Saber Interactive deserve praise for having virtually all cosmetic unlocks in the game be done so IN the game. A practice that is becoming increasingly uncommon.

Reactions: Xzi, Naster and Blythe93

M Maximo101
Wednesday at 6:18 PM

Graphics look awesome!

Reactions: Chary

SDA
Yesterday at 11:14 AM

The one game that almost got a parfect score of 10/10 as far as I know.

SDA said:
The one game that almost got a parfect score of 10/10 as far as I know.

it cant be that perfect it doesnt even have local multiplayer. that alone should drop the score a couple notches. i dont trust review scores because alot of these people are paid to review or biased towards things that i dont care about. there is no such thing as a standard review like taking points off for not having local multiplayer should be a standard part of a review imo

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