Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 preview – the best bug hunt
Future soldiers with no necks and broad shoulders make their video game comeback thanks to Saber Interactive’s sequel to a 2011 cult classic.
I think it was when I walked up to one of the many hundreds of bug-like Tyranid enemies squiggling around on screen, and decapitated it using its own spike tail (that I'd just ripped off) that I knew the kind of ride I was in for with Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. The clue is in the title, really. This is a sequel to the now defunct Relic Entertainment’s 2011 cult classic, where you play as one of the titular hulking soldiers engaging legions of foes in both ranged and melee attacks amidst a far-future war based on the Warhammer licence. It’s bloody, it’s brutal, and wonderfully unapologetic about it.
My hands-on gameplay preview session at Gamescom 2023 only lasted around an hour, but in that brief time I was amazed at how well a pure third-person shooter of this style holds up today. I admit, I've never played the original, but minutes into playing the sequel it's clear that I've been sleeping on the series. I’m tempted to play the original to see what I've been missing.
You once again play as Titus, whose voice actor has been recast from Space Marine's Mark Strong to Clive Standen, who's best known for his role in NBC's Taken series. The demo began with me dropping down onto a ravaged planet where I was tasked with holding the Tyranid hordes at bay, and repairing two orbital guns. Doing so took me to the trenches, the swamp, and then a wrecked base where we were forced to make our final stand.
The combat feels great. Whether I was wielding the shotgun-like Meltgun that immediately sets clusters of Tyranid alight, to the more conventional bolt rifle – every weapon felt amazing in the hands, with a good sense of feedback that really made me feel like I was doing serious damage. This isn’t a cover shooter though, and it quickly became apparent that without anything to hide behind, retreating became an equally a viable tactic, that's essential when reloading, too.
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Come get some
If there’s one aspect to the gunplay that is a bit disappointing, it’s that ammo isn’t necessarily in abundance. Rather than have the hordes of Tyranids drop bullets as they fall under my meltgun and chainsword combo, ammo is found in crates, salvaged in between these highly intense firefights. That goes for alternate weapons and those all-important health injectors too. When my ammo ran dry mid-fight, having to switch to my weedy pistol felt like it sapped the excitement a bit, but in practice it’s probably the more strategic choice so as to not let Titus and co. feel too powerful.
Speaking of which, damaging a Tyranid enough offers up the chance for you to engage them in an Execution manoeuvre. Once they start pulsating red, they're primed for a gloriously gory kill animation. It’s very reminiscent of the glory kills featured in Doom, except here Titus guts Tyranids purely for the cinematic joy as opposed to the chance to glean health or ammo rewards.
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 will support three-player online co-op at launch, but my Gamescom preview was limited to the single-player story mode. My two AI teammates largely did a good job assisting, though a bug did cause them to give up reviving me after the first try. Fortunately, it’s an issue Saber Interactive is aware of.
I came away from my brief time playing Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 pleasantly surprised. While The Coalition over at Xbox is seemingly allergic to announcing a new Gears of War to scratch that third-person shooter itch that, Saber Interactive has created an equally hulking contender that not only fills that gap but looks set to stand apart on its own.
The Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 release date has yet to be confirmed outside of a vague winter 2023 window. Here’s hoping it’s sooner rather than later, though, because the game is primed to make kicking alien butt cool (and gritty) again.
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