I’m a big Warhammer 40k fan; what’s not to love about the grimdark future of the 41st millennium? With hundreds of hours spent on the Dawn of War trilogy, Mechanicus, and the original Space Marine, it would be an understatement to say that I’m excited to see Titus return in Space Marine 2. I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on ahead of its full release. No stone was left unturned, no Tyranids were left standing, and while I ended my preview with decidedly mixed feelings, I’m still intrigued to play more.
My one-mission campaign preview starts at around Space Marine 2‘s midpoint. I play as the returning Captain Titus, now demoted to a lieutenant following his interrogation at the hands of the Inquisition. Chairon and Gadriel, two Space Marines of the Ultramarine chapter, are assigned to my squad to help defend the city while pushing deeper into Tyranid-infested ground.
As I walk through the crumbling guard encampment, I’m stunned by how beautiful the game is. Fallen debris has devastated the massive stone walkways before me, and on one side guardsmen huddle around a Chimera while an officer gives a rousing speech befitting of an epic action game. Yet, in true 40k style, a quick glance to my right shows a firing squad gleefully executing a group of guardsmen charged with cowardice. A golden, hooded statue stares down blankly at the chaos as the sky fills with Tyranid flyers.
After soaking in the atmosphere, I push onwards to a nearby lift, then begin my descent into what truly feels like hell. This short elevator journey, like every other in the game, grants our three squad members some downtime to chat, get to know one another, and fill out the world’s backstory. As the lift grinds to a halt, I find a selection of weapons in a drop pod that can only be described as a toy store for fans of Warhammer 40k games. Bolt carbines, stalker bolters, power swords, and plasma pistols fill my view as I struggle to pick the perfect combination for the unknown threat ahead.
I wrench open a titanic gate and enter the first combat arena of the preview. Tyranids begin to flood in from every angle, and my chugging frame rate does little to dissuade my excitement. Firing my heavy bolter into the oncoming horde feels great; its beefy sound and the impact of its shots confirm I’m doing real damage. But when the Tyranids close the distance, my excitement sadly changes to disappointment as I realize the melee combat just don’t feel good.
I always play single-player games on the second-highest difficulty mode, as it tends to offer the right amount of challenge while still allowing for a variety of playstyles. For this preview, I tested all four difficulties and didn’t find the close-quarters combat rewarding in any of them. Enemies would react the same to being crushed with a thunder hammer, sliced up by a combat knife, or blasted with a plasma pistol – it all felt very static, spongy, and samey, which is disappointing given its importance.
After the fight, I destroy some debris blocking my path, kicking it down with all the might my E key can muster. The mission continues in much the same fashion then hits a nadir whenever a boss appears. The first is a Carnifex, a monstrous creature built to take and deliver damage unlike anything else on the battlefield. It charges me with all its might, and my first thought is to use the pillars dotted around the battlefield to stop it in its tracks. Unfortunately, it glitches through the pillar or occasionally loses interest in me altogether. The fight drags on as I roll around the arena searching for more weapons and ammo.
The final boss is a Rubric Sorcerer called Imurah, a ten millennia-old Space Marine who lives on to destroy the Imperium of Man. Imurah spawns Rubric Marines and Chaos Demons, which fill the arena and make getting around that much harder. His standout attack comes from his shield that, once hit, turns into an unblockable beam that sends you flying. Certain Space Marine 2 enemies boast unblockable attacks signaled by an orange symbol above their heads. Whenever this starts up, you know to dodge out of harm’s way as quickly as possible. With Imurah’s unblockable attacks, however, the game wants you to keep shooting and aim for the eye on his shield. This conflicts with everything you’ve learned about the system up to this point, which makes the fight more frustrating than challenging.
Thankfully, the game’s Operations reel me back in. This is a mission-based PvE mode for up to three players that is refreshingly dynamic with its objectives, in-depth class system, and impressive customization options. I play two missions: one has me undertake the campaign mission I’d already experienced from a different perspective, killing a Hive Tyrant to aid Titus in his mission, while the other has me traversing an alien jungle to set off explosives and kill a Tyranid horde. I notice small changes in how I need to complete objectives across each difficulty setting, which shakes things up with each new playthrough.
You play as one of six classes, each with unique abilities, loadouts, strengths, and weaknesses. Tactical is your jack-of-all-trades class with the most variety in his weapon selection; Assault is your close-range powerhouse, equipped with a jump pack, small sidearm, and melee weapon; Heavy lets you use weapons like the heavy bolter, which costs you movement speed; and the similarly chunky Bulwark sports a shield and sword, but no primary weapon. Topping it all off is the Sniper; a glass cannon who can one-shot foes with his high-powered rifle, but has a lower armor rating.
My personal favorite is Vanguard, which lets you take on enemies from a distance before grappling into the fray. Customizing loadouts is also intuitive and feels like a reward for investing in both the class and its weapons. My guilty pleasure of the preview, however, is the armor customization. Painting each armor component individually with unique color schemes brought back memories of designing my first miniature. Each armor section has multiple options to unlock through gameplay achievements and time spent in Operations. You can cash in your in-game currency on additional colors, decals, and on rare occasions, armor unlocks. I also spotted a DLC tab within the heraldry section, meaning more niche chapters could arrive later down the line.
My time with Space Marine 2 has left me conflicted. Operations is a blast, the class system and loadout customization are great, and I love tweaking my armor to my heart’s content. I don’t doubt Saber has worked tirelessly to refine Operations, but as good as the PvE offering is, I’m not a ‘forever game’ person; I want to step away from a game and say I’ve finished it. The campaign is therefore important to me, so I’m sad to say it just doesn’t feel right in its current state. A combination of performance woes, flat melee combat, middling to poor boss fights, and a potentially tiring gameplay loop has left me feeling a little cold.
With my preview finished, it’s time to settle in for the wait until the Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 release date on September 9, 2024.
