Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2 is lastly right here after nearly a yr’s delay. Among the many seemingly lots of of Warhammer video games launched in over the previous few years, House Marine 2 is a standout. The excessive manufacturing high quality and cult traditional standing of the unique have fan expectations excessive, and we’ll check out whether or not Saber Interactive delivered.
Struggle is severe enterprise
Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2 places you again within the boots of Demetrian Titus. He’s spent the final century within the Deathwatch as a Blackshield, a House Marine with no legion. Nevertheless, Titus is allowed to rejoin the Ultramarines after efficiently slowing a Tyranid invasion on the planet Kadaku (and practically being killed within the course of). To avoid wasting his life, he undergoes the Rubicon Primaris process, reworking him right into a Primaris Marine and making him taller, sooner, and stronger.
The story is serviceable and facilities across the mysterious Venture Aurora, which the Imperium believes may assist them lastly win the warfare in opposition to Chaos. The sport leans closely into the extreme and grim tone of the Warhammer 40k universe, which can really feel a bit one-note after some time in comparison with different W40K productions. A contact of darkish humor or extra various character interactions might have added some much-needed depth.
Titus himself hasn’t modified a lot. He’s nonetheless the stoic, gravelly-voiced hero from the primary recreation, and whereas his character is well-acted (by new actor Clive Standen), there isn’t a lot improvement over the course of the story. The supporting forged does their job, however they don’t go away a lot of an impression, which is a disgrace contemplating the quantity of fan-favorite characters within the W40K universe.
Shoot, slice, repeat
The core of House Marine 2’s attraction lies in its fight. When you’ve skilled the unique recreation, you’ll discover that not a lot has modified by way of gameplay mechanics—and that’s each a energy and a weak point. Like its predecessor, House Marine 2 is all about mowing down waves of enemies with an arsenal of professional quality weapons after which ending them off with brutal melee assaults. The fight is fast-paced, visceral, and undeniably enjoyable. Whether or not you’re blasting Tyranids to items with a Boltgun or slicing by means of them together with your Chainsword, the motion is relentless and satisfying.
Motion is a bit weightier this time round. House Marine 2 nails the sensation of being an unstoppable drive on the battlefield. Transferring by means of the environments, you are feeling each step as Titus’s heavy armor clanks and thuds, supplying you with an actual sense of presence. The weapons, too, have a satisfying heft to them. Boltguns blast with a thunderous roar and Chainswords rev as they rip by means of foes. Each impression sends enemies flying in a bathe of blood and gore, with the executions you’ll be able to carry out on weakened enemies being the spotlight of the spectacle.
Nevertheless, whereas the fight is undoubtedly enjoyable, it lacks depth. The weapons, although various in look and sound, provide little mechanical selection. It’s principally a matter of 1 gun firing sooner, having a bigger journal than one other, or this blade being faster to strike however weaker than one other. After a number of hours, you’ll seemingly discover a few weapons that fit your playstyle and keep on with them for the remainder of the sport.
The melee fight, whereas visceral and satisfying, can develop into repetitive over time. Whereas there are parries and dodges that break up the hack-and-slash gameplay, there are few new mechanics launched previous the preliminary hour or so to maintain issues contemporary. The core expertise stays primarily the identical from begin to end, with little in the way in which of evolution or surprises.
A ravishing, twisted fantasy
One space the place House Marine 2 actually excels is in its visible presentation. The sport is a big step up from its predecessor, with extra detailed environments, higher character fashions, and a extra vibrant shade palette. Gone are the drab, gray-brown tones that characterised the primary recreation; of their place are lush alien worlds, towering gothic cities, and war-torn battlefields that really feel alive with element and ambiance.
The sport’s artwork course is top-notch, capturing the grimdark essence of the Warhammer 40k universe whereas injecting extra shade and selection into the environments. You’ll tromp by means of alien jungles stuffed with unusual flora, battle your means by means of crumbling city landscapes dotted with gothic structure, and battle throughout desolate wastelands beneath ominous skies. The sense of scale in these environments is spectacular, with large buildings looming within the background and battles raging on a number of fronts. The sport does a superb job of constructing you are feeling like a small a part of a a lot bigger warfare, with human troopers and large warfare machines combating alongside you in opposition to the Tyranid menace.
The visible enhancements lengthen to the character fashions as properly. Titus and his squadmates are decked out in intricately detailed armor, full with battle scars, emblems, and different adornments that give them a way of historical past and persona. The enemies, too, are well-designed, with the Tyranids wanting suitably grotesque and menacing. The sport’s use of lighting and particle results provides to the ambiance, making every battle really feel intense and chaotic.
Regardless of the visible enhancements, some areas nonetheless really feel a bit too linear and constrained. You’re usually funneled down slender paths with little room for exploration, making the sport really feel extra restricted than it ought to. Whereas the environments are superbly crafted, the shortage of open areas or alternate routes breaks the phantasm and makes the degrees really feel extra like set items than residing, respiratory worlds.
We’re legion
Exterior of the 12-hour marketing campaign, which could be loved solo or co-op after the preliminary mission, there are two multiplayer modes.
Everlasting Struggle is a PvP mode, which was so sparsely populated throughout the overview interval that I had points discovering a recreation. I’m guessing that, like me, most of these with early copies had been centered on finishing the marketing campaign.
Operations serves because the post-game content material for House Marine 2. On this mode, you’ll be able to take part in six further PvE missions separate from the principle camapign. The hook right here is that you would be able to choose from six lessons of House Marines, every with distinctive loadouts and skills. You may as well customise your armor with cosmetics and improve your weapons. Finishing a mission grants you some foreign money, which may then be used to buy extra upgrades and cosmetics.
Whereas Operations mode is enjoyable, the missions happen in environments repurposed from the marketing campaign, and don’t provide something in the way in which of selection. When you’ve performed by means of them as soon as, you’ve seen all they’ve to supply. It’d have been nice if there have been some RNG right here the place possibly you battle completely different eneimies or there have been completely different paths to take by means of every stage, however that’s not the case.
Remaining Verdict
Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2 is a strong however unremarkable sequel. It delivers on the promise of brutal, satisfying fight and provides some nice visible moments, nevertheless it doesn’t push the envelope in any important means. The sport stays true to the method that made the unique a cult hit, nevertheless it doesn’t do a lot to evolve or innovate on that basis. The story is respectable, the characters are competently written, and the visible presentation is spectacular. Nevertheless, there’s a way that the sport is taking part in it protected, sticking to what labored earlier than slightly than taking dangers.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s overview coverage explains, a rating of seven equates to “Good.” Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2 is a profitable piece of leisure that’s value testing, however it could not attraction to everybody.
Disclosure: The writer supplied a digital PC copy for our Warhammer 40,000: House Marine 2 overview.
