We had the opportunity here at Cinelinx to review Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and we’re here to let you know all about it.
I was delighted to get the opportunity to review Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for Cinelinx. Everything about the game looked incredible, especially since it was emphasized that no prior knowledge of Warhammer 40,000 was needed to play the game.
While the game allows for both solo and 3 player co-op, for this review I played through the campaign solo in Easy mode. I played the PlayStation 5 version of the game.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Developer: Saber Interactive
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Release Date: September 9, 2024
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a sequel to the 2011 game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, but you don’t need to know anything about that first game to get started. The story is set in the 41st millennium and follows the ongoing story of Demetrian Titus, the protagonist of the first game as he rejoins the Ultramarines and finds himself mixed up with a secret weapon known only as Project Aurora.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 tells the player everything they need to know as they go along. Instead, it’s broken into pieces between various battle missions. And in the beginning of the story background information isn’t really necessary as you’re flung headlong into combat right out of the gate.
That leads to one of the best parts of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. The combat is gloriously bloody chaos. Even in the beginning when the player is just learning the ropes of combat, the early waves of Tyranids are annihilated in waves of blood and gore that will delight the most hardcore of gamers.
As for the style of the combat, it can only be described as a cross between the combat in Doom Eternal and something set in the world of James Cameron’s Aliens. The combat controls are simple enough and before the player knows it they’re turned loose to kill waves after wave of bloodthirsty creatures.
The controls are designed in such a way that’s very easy to switch between melee and ranged combat at will, though there are definitely times when one style is more effective than the other. There’s an almost comical amount of enemies to fight through at times, but with the weapons the game provides it’s easy to feel almost invincible in the midst of battle.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 does a great job of laying out where to go next during the combat missions, which are the backbone of the campaign. The objectives during these missions are straightforward and to the point. The one factor that might trip players up is that some of these combat objectives involve holding out for a specific period of time or preventing a given objective from reaching a failure point.
These objectives seem easy enough, but with multiple waves of enemies coming in at multiple points, it quickly becomes clear a strategy is needed to maintain control of the situation. The good news is that failing an objective doesn’t set the story back too badly, all it does is send the player back to the most recent checkpoint to try again. Considering how hardcore the world of Warhammer 40,000 is known for being, that’s quite generous.
Outside of general gameplay I was pleased to see Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 includes several accessibility features, including a feature that helps color-blind people to better play the game. As an autistic gamer, I will always advocate for games to include features that help as many as people as possible play the game. For that matter, while it’s not so much an accessibility feature, I also deeply appreciate how the game’s Easy mode keeps the combat balanced so that it feels challenging without being overwhelming, especially for someone new to this type of combat.
Then, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the music heard throughout the game. Admittedly I don’t know much of anything about the overall lore of Warhammer 40,000 but I was pleasantly surprised to hear a solemn, almost religious tone to the music in places, even during combat. Though, given the way religion (or at least a type of religion) permeates the character’s lives in the story, perhaps that’s to be expected. At any rate, the style of music elevates the overall gameplay from a solid action story to an epic saga where it really does feel like the fate of the world is at stake.
All in all, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is easily one of the best games to come out in 2024. The world is beautifully realized, the combat is engaging without being too difficult, and the story, once it gets going, readily pulls the player along for the duration. If you’ve ever wanted to dive into the lore of Warhammer 40,000, this game is the perfect place to start.
