Okay, to be honest, I've always preferred Age of Sigmar Warhammer, but that doesn't mean I don't love 40k. On the contrary, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE 40k.
So it was no surprise that I could hardly wait for the new Space Marine 2, and even though I haven't played the first one (don't worry, I've watched everything and studied the complete lore for that period to be ready).
Although I wasn't completely hyped because I'm more of a Dawn of War fan (even that disaster of a third one was relatively fun), I bought Space Marine at the first opportunity, that is, with my paycheck, so I could enjoy this edition and I can say it was epic… The first two missions.
Light spoilers ahead, you have been warned.
Introduction
The first mission in Space Marine 2 immediately hits the core of what this title promises: chaos, spectacle, and brutal action.
The mission begins with the arrival of a Deathwatch kill team, led by Blackshield Nullus, in the Recidious system. The goal is to investigate a distress call from the Adeptus Mechanicus from the jungle world of Kadak. This planet is known to be inaccessible and deadly, with dense vegetation and extreme weather conditions. However, the real reason for the call is not revealed until the team's arrival – the place is home to a secret mechanicus project "Aurora," the nature of which players are just beginning to discover.
As the Deathwatch transport ship enters the atmosphere of Kadak, the game starts with tension: a Tyranid swarm detects the vessel.
Now imagine the shock! The transport ship is shot down before the team can execute a controlled landing.
You definitely didn't expect this!
Of course, Nullus goes outside, separates from the team, has to find them, everything gets complicated, find some Aurora project, blah blah.
Irrelevant.
THE GAME LOOKS BRUTAL! By brutal, I mean really brutal!
The planet looks incredible and when you see the first Tyranid swarm you'll be like this:
The lighting effects on the planet are also impressive. Sunbeams pierce through the jungle canopy so that at times the planet looks alive, with roots moving at the edges of your field of vision and strange sounds coming from afar.
The only downside is that after a while the visual magic starts to fade a bit. The planet remains impressive, but the sense of wonder begins to diminish as the same types of enemies and environments repeat.
The first sequence of the mission introduces the player to the combat system. Armed with a classic Bolter and Chainsword, Nullus faces hordes of Tyranids – mostly Termagants and Hormagaunts.
The combat is intense and designed for the player to understand how relentless a threat the Tyranids are due to their numbers. The first major battle takes place in a clearing in the jungle, where Nullus must defend himself against waves of enemies while searching for survivors.
After the initial skirmishes, Nullus finds the remnants of an Adeptus Mechanicus base. The location is devastated, and the swarm has destroyed everything inside. In the base, he discovers fragments of information about Project Aurora, a mysterious attempt to exploit Tyranid biomass to create weapons or a defense system.
The mission reaches its climax when Nullus arrives at the center of the base, where only a few surviving servitors remain, who are attacked by a Carnifex – a Tyranid colossus. This battle is the first true "boss fight" sequence of the game. Titus must use every part of his equipment and the environment to defeat this massive threat.
After an intense battle, Titus manages to destroy the Carnifex, but not without a cost. His armored body is pierced, and he discards his helmet to reveal that it is actually… TITUS FROM THE FIRST GAME!
Yes, we all expected that.
I won't spoil any further, it's time to talk a bit about the rest of the game.
Positive Aspects
The game is solid overall and definitely worth playing, with its greatest strength lying in the fantastic interpretation of the Warhammer 40K universe, especially the portrayal of Space Marines. Fans have been waiting for a modern action title themed around Astartes for decades, and in that aspect, the developers have truly hit the mark. However, beneath the surface of the shiny presentation lie issues that cannot be ignored.
First of all, Space Marine 2 is a visual treat. The environments are detailed and atmospheric, from ruined imperial bases to organic Tyranid biomass covering the landscapes. Light effects, such as rays of sunlight breaking through the dense canopies of the Kadakua jungle or the glow of Tyranid structures, contribute to the sense of scale and threat.
Captain Titus looks cool in armor – the damage on the armor is visible, and every color and texture looks like it belongs to a real warrior from the future.
Small things, like the chaplain's sermons or conversations among NPCs, further bring life to the world. These details showcase fidelity to the lore of the 40K universe and make the game incredibly immersive. From a technical standpoint, the graphics deserve a solid 9/10 – they are impressive and fundamentally define the game's atmosphere.
The campaign is solid, with exceptional voice performances, writing, and atmosphere. The late sequences where you participate in massive battles alongside other Astartes are particularly impressive. However, the linear nature of the campaign limits replayability, and the enemies quickly become repetitive.
A small note. The campaign is good only because of the Space Marine part; the enemies are a disaster, but more on that later.
Boss fights, although visually spectacular, often boil down to simple tricks – like using krak grenades to quickly deal with a Carnifex, or running in circles and pressing the right button in a quick time event.
Innovative!
Oh, and the operations are cool, at least the first one; the rest are all the same, just like the missions.
Negative Aspects
Despite the impressive presentation, the gameplay in Space Marine 2 has serious flaws that undermine the overall experience. The combat mechanics, which are crucial for a game of this type, often feel dysfunctional and unconvincing.
You have three mechanics: dodge, parry, and hit with a sword/knife/hammer/chainsword. That's it. Forget the bolter; it's useless. Any of them, you have 10-15, they are all the same.
The main part of the gameplay focuses on melee combat, but even that feels limited and unconvincing. You have the option to use various melee weapons like swords, hammers, or the iconic Chainsword, but they all suffer from the same problem – the impact feels unsatisfying. The animations are exaggerated, but there is no weight to the attacks. Enemies often ignore the stagger effect or interrupt your attacks as if you were an ordinary soldier, not a Space Marine. Instead of feeling power and dominance, melee combat often frustrates due to poor responsiveness and animations that lock you in place while enemies retaliate mercilessly.
Shooting is yet another disappointment. The Bolter, the iconic weapon of the Space Marines, feels like a toy gun here. Whether you use the basic bolter or one of its variants – there are about 10-15 – the feeling of use is lukewarm. The sound of firing lacks power, enemies do not react convincingly to hits, and the damage is so low that you are often forced to empty an entire magazine to eliminate a single enemy. Shooting is simply ineffective, so the player instinctively reaches for melee weapons which, despite their problems, at least deal more damage.
The parrying and dodging system does not work consistently, which frustrates players, and the melee combat, which should be the core of the Space Marine experience, feels weak and lacks weight. Instead of a feeling of power as you cut through enemy hordes, combat often gives the impression of a cheap arcade game without depth.
The sense of power of the Ultramarines is further weakened by the lack of weight in every aspect – from footsteps and strikes to weapon use. Shooting is monotonous, without satisfying feedback, and melee strikes feel weak as if they are being done by the Imperial Guard, and not some cool regiment but, say... the Mordians.
The game systems often work against the player: enemies can ignore staggering effects and retaliate with strikes while you are still in the animation of your own attack. Lame.
The mission design is generic and linear, and the enemies are repetitive and predictable. Waves of Tyranids, although visually impressive, quickly become boring due to a lack of variety.
The lack of cover in the game is also questionable, especially considering the complexity of battles, which often forces players to avoid combat instead of facing it. I mean, we had a cover system in Dawn of War 1.
Finally, multiplayer and cooperative modes leave much room for improvement. Insufficient content and poor weapon balance reduce the appeal, while the lack of innovation makes the game feel noticeably inferior compared to other modern shooters. The game, despite impressive visuals, fails to provide the expected depth and weight of the combat experience.
Tyranids, although visually impressive, quickly become boring. As the main enemies of the game, their presence leaves an impression of unfulfilled potential.
Waves of these aliens, which sound terrifying on paper, boil down to generic "grunts" that repeat the same predictable behavior patterns.
Chaos is even worse. After a week of playing, I realized that I can't even remember the name of the main Chaos leader, which is a sign of a bad story in itself. Instead of being a threat that keeps you on the edge of your seat, they feel more like dust in your apartment that you need to vacuum, but you just can't be bothered.
Chaos troopers, on the other hand, are completely disappointing. As someone who was incredibly excited to see what the Chaos Space Marines would look like, I was met with genericness. Instead of exuding corruption, power, and chaos as they should, they look like simple reskins of enemies from any other game. The lack of diversity in their design and behavior further exacerbates the situation – encounters with them do not evoke any excitement nor provide a sense of epic battle between the loyal and the corrupted factions of the Space Marines.
On top of that, the game does not meet the basic expectations one would have from a title at this price point. Many things that should be standard for a game of this caliber and theme are missing.
Where are the larger battles, more complex enemies, diverse missions that explore the depths of the Warhammer universe?
Yes, you have large battles, but only visually. Most enemies are graphical duds that convince you the enemy is there, but in reality, they are not; you are fighting against 10-20 enemies.
For the price they are asking, the game feels incomplete, with minimal content and diversity that would justify the investment. After finishing the campaign and a few hours in multiplayer, I felt like I paid a premium price for a half-finished product.
If you don’t have friends to play with, Space Marine 2 quickly turns into a frustrating experience due to the incredibly dumb AI of the bots. Instead of being useful support, the bots behave like useless static NPCs, often forgetting the mission objective or ignoring enemies that overwhelm you. Their contribution to the fight is minimal – they barely deal damage, and you often have to save them instead of them making the game easier for you. Instead of the feeling of an epic battle side by side with powerful allies, you end up in chaos that feels more like a bad joke than a real challenge.
The difficulty of the game thus becomes artificially inflated. The game is not "hard" because it requires skill or strategy – it is hard because it leaves you at the mercy of opponents, while the AI teammates uselessly wander the battlefield. The situation gets even worse in more intense sequences where coordination is key, but the bots simply do not keep up with the pace of the game.
Fortunately, I had two friends with the game who knew how to hit the target; otherwise, I would have given up very quickly. Only then does the game show hints of what it could be – chaotic but fun fighting against hordes of Tyranids. However, the fact that you need real people for the game to be playable indicates a serious problem in the campaign design.
Final Impression
TL;DR: Although Space Marine 2 is visually and thematically impressive, the game suffers from balance issues, repetitive content, and limited diversity. The campaign is short and linear, while PvE and PvP offer too little content for lasting appeal. The game leaves the impression of a beta version, with potential for improvements through future updates.
Long read: Space Marine 2 brings an impressive interpretation of the Warhammer 40K universe, with seamless graphics and an atmosphere that captures the essence of what Space Marines represent. From the monumental structures of the Empire to the design of the Tyranids, the visual representation of the game is spectacular.
The details and dedication to the lore are 10/10, a fantastic experience.
However, beneath that shiny surface lie problems. The campaign, although intense, is short and linear, with repetitive enemies and a combat system that often favors melee over bolters.
PvE and PvP content is scarce and quickly becomes monotonous, with limitations in the class system and impractical balancing. The game leaves an impression of incompleteness, with technical issues and a lack of variety that threaten its longevity.
Despite this, Space Marine 2 manages to provide a visually and thematically powerful experience. The game is a promising continuation of the series, but it requires significant improvements to justify its full potential. For now, this is a game for franchise fans, but not for a wider audience looking for lasting value.
I just want to say that I regret buying the Ultimate version because I don't believe I'll ever turn it on again.
