Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Review

Widely regarded as the most popular miniature wargame in the world, the Warhammer 40,000 franchise has spawned a legion of spin-off media since its launch in 1987, including a series of action shooter games. The original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011), a third-person hack-and-slash/shooter, combined the series’ established lore with Gears of War inspired action and after more than a decade, developer Saber Interactive continues the Ultramarines’ tale with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Set two hundred years after the events of the first game, players once again step into the power armour of genetically enhanced super-soldier Captain Demetrian Titus. Wrongfully accused of corruption and disgraced by his former chapter, Titus serves his days as a member of the Deathwatch, a specialised alien extermination unit, in a deliberate act of atonement. 

Whilst defending the planet of Kadaku from the Tyranids, an extragalactic species of insectoid apex predators, he obtains a near-fatal wound and is rescued by the Ultramarines, the very same chapter that shamed him so many years before. Rebuilt and upgraded, Titus is reinstated back into the Ultramarines, although demoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Accompanied by new battle brothers Chairon and Gadriel, the squad is tasked with driving back the unrelenting Tyranid hordes, to victory or death. 

It doesn’t take long for the game’s story to kick into high gear, as players are thrust straight into the middle of what is known as the Fourth Tyrannic War. Despite its fast-paced nature, Space Marine 2 still manages to offer a sufficient amount of character development, largely revolving around the new squadmates’ prudence of Titus’s checkered past, which leads to tense scenes of infighting that feel realistic in a video game narrative, and not overdone. The game also throws in a surprise twist midway through, and although this would be rather obvious to anyone with experience playing the first game, or Warhammer 40,000 in general, it still feels like a welcomed change of pace. 

The expeditious nature of the plot is also echoed in the game’s campaign design and core gameplay loop, with a squad of up to three players being sent to various locations across multiple planets. Space Marine 2 is a tightly crafted experience, prioritizing a linear level design while ensuring that there’s always something for players to encounter at every turn. Combat remains largely the same from the first title, this time with additional bells and whistles. 

Melee combat has seen the most change with the addition of a block and parry system, which adds a tactical layer and makes the action less mindless. Players can tear through the endless waves of Xenos using iconic weapons like the chainsword and thunder hammer. This time around, each weapon features a unique combo set and specialty, further adding to the element of choice depending on playstyle or role. 

To help shred enemies from afar, the game features a plethora of firearms, both returning ones such as the Bolt Rifle, as well as brand new Primaris variations like the Instigator Bolt Carbine and Heavy Bolt Rifle. Gunplay is a pretty standard affair, but excellent integration of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers makes mowing down foes feel immensely satisfying. 

What is far from satisfying however, is the game’s downright disappointing audio mixing. For what is essentially firing can-sized rockets as ammunition, the guns sound muted and lack the punchiness it truly deserves, while environmental sounds like footsteps or the voices of side characters often get drowned out by the constant action on screen. Audio logs in particular are much too quiet and do not provide subtitles, causing players to potentially miss out on the lore-establishing snippets these collectibles provide amidst the chaos unfolding around them.

Following the familiar style of zombie shooters such as Saber’s previous title, World War Z (2019), and Left 4 Dead (2008), players traverse each level fulfilling objectives while encountering swarms of basic drone Tyranids, interspersed with elite variations that Warhammer 40,000 fans might be familiar with, such as the invisible Lictor, a Tyranid with two massive claws that ambushes players from the shadows, and Zoanthropes, bizarre floating creatures that enhance the ferocity of its allies. A highlight of every mission is its culmination, an epic standoff between the squad and hordes of enemies, which is practically a staple of the genre.

Overall combat is also let down slightly due to a change in the way players regain health. Unlike the first game, performing executions no longer provides a set amount of health regained but rather refills the armour bar. Health can only be refilled by using collectable stimpaks scattered around the level, activating Titus’s special move (which requires a decent amount of downtime between uses), or quickly dealing returning damage when hit. 

Three bars of regenerating armour provides players with some protection, but the issue arises when swarms of enemies descend upon them, attacking from both close-quarters and afar. Ranged damage can easily drain the armour bar in a single hit (especially on higher difficulties), leaving the vulnerable health bar at the mercy of relentless melee strikes from every direction. Focusing on weakening elite enemies to perform finishers while being constantly flanked by smaller drones can lead to some frustration, which can dampen the power fantasy the title is clearly going for.

The game’s issues are only exacerbated further by middling performance on the PlayStation 5, falling well below its speed mode target of 60fps any time the action ramps up. Thankfully, the game still manages to provide gratifying, meaty combat despite its blunders, and slaughtering hundreds of Tyranids never gets old over the course of the game’s roughly 12-hour campaign.

Apart from the main story, Space Marine 2 also features Operations, smaller multiplayer-centric missions connected to the main plot. In this mode, players choose their class of choice, each with a unique ability, and fight through levels to earn experience to upgrade their gear. The game launches with six replayable missions, with more being added in the future. Finally, there is also the Eternal War, a competitive mode where players can duke it out for experience and bragging rights.

Rounding off the experience is a title that looks as impressive as it plays. Players will explore a variety of visually stunning locations along their journey, from the swampy vegetation of Kadaku to the awe-inspiring gothic themed cathedrals of Avarax. Textures remain sharp even in its performance mode, with impressive particle effects like blood and sparks galore during intense fights. What stands out by far is the sheer amount of enemies that can fill the screen at any point. The Swarm Engine, first introduced in Saber Interactive’s World War Z, returns with a vengeance, rendering hundreds of Tyranids at once and creating daunting hordes that are certainly a sight to behold.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 feels like a monumental achievement. It takes what players loved about the original title and dials it to eleven, adding not only a fresh coat of paint but also a massive sense of scale, wrapping everything up with a solid combat system. The title is not without its flaws, but it ultimately succeeds in providing the fundamental experience that all developers should strive for – a game that’s fun to play.