Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Is A Hidden Gem

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has finally been released for all major consoles and PC after 13 years without hearing a word about it since Relic Entertainment’s hidden gem. Space Marine was a well-received yet short-lived game of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era that ended on a cliffhanger. Finally, after such a long wait, Relic delivered a proper follow-up on Captain Tittus’ story.

Developed by Saber Interactive, which also made World War Z and A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, Space Marine 2 is the kind of game that will make everyone a 40,000 fan without them knowing. Whether you’re a casual newcomer or a hardcore fan of the series, you will soon see what makes Space Marine 2 the 40K game fans always wanted.

Is the game good? In a word: yes. However, if you want to know more about what you can expect then let’s strap on in for a journey down the grim-dark universe.

 

Space Marine 2: There Is Only War

The story takes place over 200 years after the first game. After being accused of being corrupted during his last mission against the forces of Chaos, Titus finds himself summoned back to battle.

Titus was undercover as a Deathwatch marine under his alias Nullus during this time. He learns that the Tyraids, monstrous insect-like aliens who all serve under a single hivemind, plan to target the planet Kadaku.

As if that wasn’t enough, Titus then finds out that the forces of Chaos may now be attracted to Kadaku, too. Needless to say, Titus is reinstated as an Ultramarine and made a Primaris to investigate.

His new companions, keep close watch on him. Soon, however, Titus and his men enter a great battle  to help the remaining guardsmen push back the Xenos. When the traitorous Thousand Suns Chaos Marines show up, they realize that a much more sinister work is at hand.

 

Space Marine 2: Titus Is A One Man Army

Just like the first Space Marines, Titus is a walking tank with a large arsenal from the 40k universe. He wields various bolter guns, lasguns, plasma rifles, and even a melta gun and heavy bolter. Players must also balance out with melee weapons, such as the iconic chain sword, power sword, and thunder hammer. 

The game bears similarities with World War Z, as the Tyranids frequently attack players in large hordes. Much like that game, too, the Tyranids will go as far as pile up on top of each other to get players from a high vantage point. For both boss fights and overall survival, dodging serves as players’ best strategy. Enemies come from all directions and players need to be fast.

Space Marine 2 gives players two health sources: main health and armor. To replenish armor, players need to perform glory kills. For main health, well,  medkits exist. However, those are very rare to come by. Hence, Titus’s best chance is to unlock the player’s inner Dark Souls player.

 

Unique Gameplay: Better With Battle Brothers

Space Marine 2 adopts a rather unique take on gameplay. In many ways, it feels likee a co-op game that can be played single-player. After all, at least two other characters stay with with Titus at all times. Yet, the game is difficult in the sense that the battles can quickly become overwhelming. 

As for the NPCs, their AI is… not great. They specialize in the weakest attacks and failing to help the player out, so Titus is essentially on his own. Granted, in the first Space Marines game, players also had no help. Still, there was a bit of fairness when it came to regaining health and gaining a leg up. Here though? Not so much. Players battle at the mercy of enemy AI. Even on the normal difficulty, expect to die a fair number of times.

If AI companions don’t sound appealing, playing with actual other people does benefit the experience. Not only does this make it more entertaining, but also makes it feel much more like Darktide. 

 

Is Space Marine 2 Too Short? 

The first Space Marine was a great game, but a short game. The story flowed very linearly, and the main campaign took the average player anywhere from five to six hours.

Of course, not every game has to include hundreds of hours to be good. Yet a high price point might put off some players to games that don’t offer as much immersion time.

While longer than its predecessor, Space Marine 2 has only ten to fifteen hours of the main story.

Players face only six maps through which to journey. The missions can really be divided into these three categories:

• Holding out for survival against a large horde
• Fighting a boss character
• Hitting a button to activate a beacon

As for the multiplayer option, there are options to do PvP modes and play against some players and PvE to play with friends. In fact, players can even customize and build their own Space Marine. Not to mention they can even replay previous missions with loadouts, just in case players didn’t have enough the first time.

 

Not a Deal Breaker, But–

While Space Marine 2 is an excellent game, it’s still far from perfect. The game looks and plays beautifully with virtually no game crashes due to graphics.

The main problem is that the game is always online every time, even during the single-player campaign. Even though there is a co-op option for three players, it seems like the progress is only given to the host of the game. The developers most likely made this to prevent people from cheating, but even still, it makes grinding much more annoying. This online game also depends on the host’s connection, making it more of a risk to disconnect.

The lack of smaller details makes Space Marine 2 a bit of a letdown. In no place will you find a bestiary, codex, or even concept art of any of the characters and enemies you encounter. It seems like a minor complaint, but considering this is a series that is all about complicated and well-written lore, well, the omission of something like an encyclopedia seems like a head-scratcher.

In addition, don’t expect characters to have Cyberpunk 2077 expression levels and facial animations. Instead, the facial animations of the characters remain basic at best. Stoic, very stoic, angry stoic, and serious. Yet given the dark and intense setting, it’s rather fitting. After all, 40k isn’t exactly a place of sunshine and rainbows, and even though 40k isn’t technically a horror game, plenty of horror elements abound. 

Probably the biggest letdown is that Mark Strong did not reprise his role as Titus. It’s a bit of a shame since he played the role of an Ultramarine very well, so the fact he’s been recast is a bit hard for longtime fans to swallow.

 

The Emperor Approves

Space Marine 2 is an exciting and intense game that keeps players on the edges of their seats. There’s plenty to do even if the campaign is linear. The developers have released a season pass and are working on DLC as we speak. Meaning there will be plenty of multiplayer content for those who want more of the Space Marines!

This game is far from perfect, but then again, it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes, we all have that power fantasy of being a one man army to take on hordes of demons and aliens in a grimdark setting. Players definitely get that experience from this.

Space Marine 2 has everything the last game had and then some. Between fighting off hordes of Tyranids, taking on the Thousand Suns, and proving everyone who accused Titus wrong, the Emperor approves.