“Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2” excels at focusing on key aspects that make a video game enjoyable. Despite its lack of variety and innovations, the brutal Tyranid slaughter is incredibly fun. Here’s why the PS5 version succeeds in delivering an engaging experience.
A campaign at the core
Set during the Indomitus Era, the fourth Tyranid War forces the Recidious System into action under a bloody regime that oppresses humanity. You take on the role of Lieutenant Titus, who is promoted to an Ultramarine. Your oath of loyalty leaves you no choice but to fight.
The campaign of “Space Marine 2,” the centerpiece of the shooter, is introduced with a cinematic sequence. You can experience the dialogue in various languages, including English, German, and even Japanese.
The story is told compellingly, drawing you deeper into the narrative with impressive scenarios that, due to their sheer scale, tell their own stories. Completing the campaign takes between 8 to 12 hours depending on the difficulty level. The game guides you through linear levels with few alternative paths.
The mission structure quickly becomes repetitive: annihilate waves of enemies, interact with objectives like locked doors or bombs, kill more aliens, restock ammo, and repeat. Despite the monotony, the satisfying combat system, intuitive controls, and intense action make it reminiscent of successful 2010s games. Best of all, you can play the campaign solo or with up to two friends, with AI-controlled soldiers aiding solo players.
Brutal and engaging gameplay
In “Space Marine 2,” you push the heavy Ultramarine armor through linear levels from a third-person perspective, with each step felt through controller vibrations. You hack alien creatures with melee attacks or shoot them with firearms. Since you are often overwhelmed, tactical play is essential; use the chainsword to create breathing space and deliver final blows with precise headshots.
Defense is also critical. You can block specific alien attacks with perfect timing to trigger a parry, resulting in a powerful melee shot. This execution inflicts significant damage and is stylishly presented. When an enemy is incapacitated, you can execute them with a particularly bloody and brutal finisher, which regenerates part of your armor, adding a tactical element to the battle and enhancing gameplay depth.
The controls may initially seem overwhelming, but they are manageable. You will quickly adapt and feel invincible as you cut through enemy hordes with perfect parries, finishers, and heavy weaponry.
While the chainsword is excellent for destroying Tyranids, firearms provide extra enjoyment. Pistols and rifles not only sound powerful but also feel substantial. Every bullet that lands in an alien brain is gratifying.
Don’t expect much variety. However, various enemy types force you to adjust your tactics. Swarms of small, agile Tyranids fill the screen with chaos. If you’ve played “World War Z” (2019), you’ll recognize these overwhelming enemy waves. Larger alien warriors must be staggered with parries and finished off with targeted executions. From the air, toxic spore mines or hungry gargoyles attack, best handled with firearms. A balanced mix of melee and ranged techniques is crucial.
Missions, PvP, and future updates
After finishing the campaign, your duty as an Ultramarine continues with “Operations,” side missions that tell the stories of the Talasa and Veridian battle groups. These missions overlap with the campaign’s narrative.
You can complete Operations with friends or players worldwide. Inviting allies for the next mission is straightforward, requiring just two inputs. Since these side missions are designed for replayability, you can play as one of six classes, which adds new dynamics to the gameplay and prevents repetitiveness.
While the sniper operates from a distance, eliminating enemies with precise shots, the Destroyer plunges into enemy hordes with raw power. The Attacker then mows down the weakened aliens with a variety of weapons.
You can also customize your armor with cosmetic features or upgrade your favorite weapons through repeated use. Unlike the campaign, this allows for personalizing your Ultramarine to your liking.
For those seeking more, you can test your combat skills against other highly skilled soldiers in a PvP arena and “6v6” modes.
Upon the release of “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2,” an extensive roadmap was revealed, promising new content until 2025. Upcoming additions include new PvE missions, weapons, enemy types, PvP arenas, and modes, including a Horde Mode, all available for free.
Technical performance on PC
“Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2” boasts many visual highlights. The graphics are generally attractive and detailed, with the Warhammer universe presented beautifully. Textures are sharp, battlefield scenes are vividly brutal, and massive enemy hordes fill the screen. Backgrounds, when you pause amid the chaos, almost seem to tell their own stories.
Unfortunately, the PS5 version struggles with an unstable framerate despite the “Performance” mode, which prioritizes frame rate over graphics quality. Although this is somewhat forgivable due to the numerous Tyranids in battle, occasional stutters in quieter moments are disruptive. The PC version runs significantly smoother on high-performance computers.
Overall, “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2” feels like a game from ten to fifteen years ago, in a positive way. It lacks innovation and variety but focuses on core elements of a good, entertaining video game. Fans of the Warhammer universe will find it immensely enjoyable, and newcomers might become fans themselves.