There is almost no more developed universe in sci-fi video gaming than Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. Especially in the 40K universe, there is so much lore covering its millions of planets and billions of people and creatures that it’s pretty easy to drop new stories into the human-controlled Imperium pretty much anywhere without worrying about breaking canon. But even in that vast expanse, the near-immortal space marines still hold a fascination among most people who enjoy that universe, probably going back to its Games Workshop tabletop origins where space marine miniatures fought endless battles against their ork rivals. Players tend to look for them, even in Warhammer 40K titles that are not specifically about the marines.
For example, the most recent game set in the Warhammer 40K universe was Rogue Trader, which is a really well-done if a bit plodding RPG. In Rogue Trader, players are a rogue trader who is kind of a cross between an explorer, ruler, spaceship captain and all around fabulously wealthy tycoon. Besides the emperor, you play as one of the wealthiest people in the Imperium, with your own battlecruiser and private armies. But even then, despite having billions of subjects under your rule, you only have a single space marine at your disposal, if you are able to unlock them about half of the way through the adventure.
In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, your character, Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, is a near-immortal, hulking giant of a human, as is just about everyone else you work with. The game is technically a sequel to the 2011 Space Marine title, although there is no need to have played that in order to jump into the action here. Right from the start, Titus is reinstated in the Ultramarines, acting as a battlefield squad commander in some of the most challenging fights against the endless hordes of Xenos monsters.
Most of the time, players will be given missions that involve traversing very deadly battlefields to get to a specific location. This is followed by either the need to defend a key point against a massive wave of nearly endless Xenos or having to complete an objective like powering up the components of a special weapons system while also under constant attack. Some missions combine all of those things together, which other than giving players very little time to catch their breath, are extremely fun and challenging to try and tackle.
One thing that really sets Space Marine 2 apart from other shooters is the fact that the levels are incredibly intense. Yes, they are mostly linear, but that kind of makes sense given the nature of the battlefields and the various fortresses and buildings you will be traversing most of the time. The hold-at-all-costs part of those missions are extremely exciting and fun to play, with Xenos literally crawling on top of one another to form tower-like ladders to try and reach you if you are above them. You can cut those fleshy towers down by pumping them full of bolter and bullet shots, or chucking grenades down onto them. In a lot of ways, Space Marine 2 plays like another of developer Sable Interactive’s titles, World War Z, right down to the massive tower of bodies building mechanic. The big difference is that there are Xenos instead of the World War Z zombies, and lots more of them to boot.
Another thing that sets Space Marine 2 apart from other shooters is the fact that Space Marines are special. Near immortal and protected by armor that is the equivalent of a tank, they are very difficult to kill, and yet, they are so strong and well trained that they can move almost like a ballerina when needed. You have a choice of quite a few different two-handed or dual wielding loadouts, but one of the best that I found was having a bolter pistol in one hand and a chain sword in the other. That allowed me to take a few potshots to eliminate weaker enemies and then spin around with the noisy chain sword flashing in the light before striking down to either take out bosses or to perform finishing maneuvers on wounded Xenos who refused to stay down. You actually can heal up by triggering finishing moves, so Space Marine 2 encourages you to engage in gory, third person combat all the time in order to improve your survivability.
If playing alone, Space Marine 2 will assign you some NPCs to round out your small squad. Those AI-characters are pretty smart too. They can take care of themselves and actually help you out during most of the combats. I almost never had to worry about them, although a few times I did have to revive them when they got overwhelmed by enemies. That could have been my fault, however, as I was not paying enough attention at the time as the battlefield shifted with new waves of Xenos.
In general, the NPC Space Marines were a lot better at keeping alive than NPCs from other games like Crime Boss: Rockaway City. And if you are fortunate enough to have friends who play shooters, you can also tackle Space Marine 2 as a cooperative experience, which is probably almost overpowered with a few good human players. Dedicated player versus player (PvP) modes are also available for those who like to battle it out using extremely powerful weapons, almost like gods going to war.
There is also a light RPG aspect to Space Marine 2 in terms of the upgrades you can earn. There are six unique classes with about 20 or so available perks for each one. You earn those perks and then add them to your weapons and skills. And a huge customization engine allows you to make your multiplayer character look however you want, although some customizations do need to be purchased as part of a DLC.
Space Marine 2 is one of the most exciting shooters to come out in a very long time. It’s been years since a shooter actually had my heart racing a bit as I was playing. The levels and battlefields are extremely challenging, as one would expect if the Ultramarines were being called in to help out. The fact that players are basically a graceful main battle tank meting out death and destruction against hundreds of the Imperium’s enemies is highly addicting too. The bottom line is that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is fun of to play and in a way that too few titles are these days.
Developers: Saber Interactive
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox Series X