Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II

Originally, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II was not a game remotely on my radar. I've never been into the Warhammer lore and the original was a long time ago, of which I never played. A good friend informed me of this upcoming game and I watched a couple videos and was sold (it doesn't take much). A Gears of War clone that I was [incorrectly] perceiving as similar to Helldivers 2 with a war map and all. 

I was wrong on that latter point, which was honestly a bit disappointing, but I wasn't wrong about it being a fun Gears clone that does a lot really well, while also being held back by its decision to be very old-school. Some will no doubt scoff at that because old-school is precisely what they're looking for at this juncture, to which I say: to each their own!

As time is running short before arrival of a baby, instances I would normally go long (such as a game review) are now going to be kept short[er]. Space Marine II is a fun game that has a lot going for it, even if it i) never truly wowed me and ii) will not have much lasting power into 2025. Again, that latter point will be user-dependent, but regardless of baby, I don't see myself revisiting this game a whole lot once some upcoming larger ones release next year. 

World War Z vibez

That doesn't really matter, because what you see is what you get with Space Marine II. It's a lot of uber-buff dudes in wildly heavy armor, chunking around maps, eliminating hordes of alien creatures. It doesn't hide its influence but rather leans into it, differentiating itself in key ways. While certain things like the sprinting, active reload, and grenade arcs from Gears are missed, Space Marine II improves and does many things better. 

For starters, the environments in this game are perhaps its biggest achievement. They vary more than you would expect and aren't overly drenched in browns, grays, and tans. Instead they're often vibrant colors, rich with detail and packed with (what I'm assuming) is Warhammer lore. They're gorgeous to look at even if things close up aren't always matching the same graphical fidelity, and - given there's a war going on - there's always some sort of carnage, attack, counter-attack, etc. happening in the background. All this extra movement is impressive and feels truly "next gen" given that a lot of times, open vistas and backgrounds are more stationary than anything. There's also a much heavier focus on melee combat than in any of the Gears games, so much so that I was probably 50/50 in terms of ranged/melee balance as I played the game on nearly any format. This combat is fun, featuring awesome weapons (sword and hammer FTW) and some even cooler executions that, somehow, never got old. As stated, it never WOWED me, but as a component of the gameplay, it was a neat feature. 

Is there a pegging joke somewhere here?

Other gameplay, particularly in the campaign, remains old-school in a detrimental way. The shooting is run-of-the-mill and guns don't feel all that different from one another aside from a few standouts. Grenade throwing is borderline bad, and the "special powers" are extremely limited in the campaign. Additionally, in this mode, there's no leveling up, customization, unlocks, or skill trees. Just straight up moving from one level to the next. And while the visuals, backgrounds, and colors are impressive, there's hardly any gameplay variation aside from: run here, shoot this, hit this button, ride this elevator, defeat this horde. At the very least, previous Gears games would have some variation of level design throughout, and when comparing it to something like Uncharted (not 1:1, I know), it's in even more stark contrast. Couple that with a story that didn't grab me (which could be more related to me not being familiar with Warhammer world/lore) and the campaign was a bit of a slog, if I'm being honest. One element worth shouting out though are the incredible cutscenes...most are very badass! 

I found that Space Marines II opens up once it attempts some more traditional things. There are side missions (PVE), often more difficult, that you can play with others and select particular classes. Similarly, there's a PVP mode where you can select classes and play against other players. These classes are pretty unique and feature skill trees, cosmetic design options, and more. I'm a very campaign-first person, so once I got to these sections, I was baffled to see all the options that are seemingly completely left out of the campaign. 

Lots of gorgeous details in those vistas

Co-op missions are fun, and have varying difficulty. I found these better than the campaign because I could play with the different classes. And while these classes feel limited (many of them can't carry a primary weapon despite being huge buff dudes), they're equipped with worthwhile powers. Combine those with powers from your squad mates and you have some interesting combos. XP earned here is shared with XP from the multiplayer portion - a wise decision - and while upgrades are on the slower side, customizing your armor is easy to quickly get colors that you'd like. The whole armor customization component is overwhelming and underexplained, but once I figured it out, I was having a good time making a unique color scheme for each little piece of armor, and the color options - not to mention the later unlocks - can result in a very badass looking protagonist. 

The PVP multiplayer is fun too, though it's nothing that I'll play for hours on end. The customary, "hold this point" modes are the best, and most common, and the weapon balance feels mostly ok (except for those with the Power Fist unlocked). That said, I don't think I was ever in a game that was close, so I think there's some lobby matching issues at play. I was either on a winning team that was crushing the other side or a losing team that were the ones being crushed. Perhaps that's anecdotal, but multiplayer modes are the best when they're consistently close as opposed to being blowouts. 

Rare moment of gameplay variation...and subsequently
one of the game's coolest moments

At the end of it all though, I did enjoy Space Marine II. Part of me still wishes it was this gameplay/world/combat with a Helldivers mission approach, but as it stands this is a good game that's a little unremarkable. I'm sure fans of Warhammer will love it, and I'm happy for them. For the rest of us, in a rather slow gaming year, it's a fun distraction, but one where I wish it had done several things better if it wanted to stay in my play-cycle for several months. 

CONS

• The campaign lacks features from the rest of the game and feels limited in its variation
• Weapons can tend to feel same-y
• Grenade throwing is bad
• The story and protagonists are generic for this game type, though those invested in Warhammer lore may get lots of extra mileage
• May be personal opinion, but feels like missed opportunity to copy Helldivers 2 format. Would add a ton of life to this game
• PVE and PVP modes are fun (see below), but lack staying power
• PVP modes are unbalanced, anecdotally

PROS

• The vistas and backgrounds are detailed, gorgeous, and make it feel like there's a war around you
• Great use of color that was unexpected but appreciated
• Solid core gameplay that mimics the greats but adds elements - like melee emphasis - to differentiate itself
• Awesome executions
• Enemy variation is limited, but seeing hordes pile atop one another is always daunting
• Other modes like PVE and PVP are fun and offer a greater variation of gameplay and skills
• Customization is impressive once you get the hang of it
• Stunning graphics most of the time and top-notch sound design

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10

Enjoy some additional screenshots from my playthrough!