Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II Review

It is the grimdark future. Chaos is everywhere. And the Emperor demands order. The Imperium of Man sends out elite soldiers, tasking the Space Marines with these demands. The loftiest of which fall at the feet of one Lieutenant Demetrian Titus; Hero of 2011’s Space Marine. After serving penance with the Deathwatch, they return to the Ultramarines and uncover plans that even the best Psyker couldn’t anticipate.

Or at least that’s what I understood.

The latest title from Saber Interactive is a beautiful monstrosity of the grimdark world of 40K. Shepherding players into the boots of Titus, you’ll team up and take on a Tyranid threat which may hide the real villain behind its voracious swarms of hormagaunts, gargoyles and carnifexes.

After a handful of tutorial missions, you join a lobby once aboard the Battle Barge. From here, you can find other players to form a three-man troop, play B-Side missions that run counter to the main storyline for additional PvE, and engage in PvP mode; Pitting Blood Angels against Salamanders and more. These later modes provide players with the ability to customise their own marine and serve the Emperor and all mankind.

Playing the storyline, you play as Titus in that stunning blue Ultramarine flair alongside Chairon and Gadriel. Both names which play on the religious themes of Warhammer 40K (and may elicit some overthinking of their parts in the war.) As this troop, your job is to shoot and serve the Emperor. That’s it. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it. And considering that it would most likely only take three Ultramarines to take over our own planet, it says a lot about the difficulties you’re about to run into.

Biology taken into consideration, there is no stamina bar. There is armor and health, but this typically downs players who can be revived during the action. There are also stims which heal and have a capacity limit. Understandably, because I see no pockets on those suits. There are also other means to assist you on the field to be discovered as you play.

As is the way of the Ultramarine, there are weapons galore for both long range and close quarters. That’s right, Space Marines aren’t afraid to get hands-on. In fact, I don’t think they’re afraid of many things at all! Combat Knives, Bolt Rifles, Power Swords and my favorite, the Melta, all serve players for whichever style they wish. Pair these with grenades, which also come in a wide array, and “field tactics” which are Space Marine II’s special, then you are more than well equipped to bring order. My only irritation coming from the lack of a cover system. Just something about this particular game calls for a cover system, especially early missions where stacks of containers are your walls, but you don’t stick to them. You simply take your place behind them in safety. But it feels like I’m nitpicking to speak on such a minor mechanic.

The crunch and feedback of all of these weapons provide sensational responses through the DualSense controller on the PlayStation 5. Especially the melee weapons. There’s a certain heft behind the trigger as you go to swing, really feeding back the brutalized action taking place on screen.

The game presents the story brilliantly and provides players with lore to interact with throughout. I easily believe Saber has onboarded more fans to Games Workshop’s beloved franchise. This title does more than just one thing right. Despite frequent comparisons and some calling it the ‘Helldivers killer’ (which didn’t work out for HAZE), it is similar yet distinctly its own. The standout being the impressive numbers of Tyranid on-screen. While there are lulls in battle, these are quickly ripped apart by a huge swarm that needs your attention. When used to tell the story, it redeems what I believe Helldivers lacks: an active voice.

Stunning visuals, great voice acting and easy to pick up and play from the start, Space Marine II suitably lives up to the hype it garnered. And if all it needed was a 13 year break to deliver on its beloved predecessor, then I only hope the wait for the next part is a little bit shorter.

FOR THE EMPEROR!