We had the opportunity to test the long-awaited game by Warhammer 40,000 fans, Space Marines 2, for just over an hour. After an absence of 12 years, does this return live up to expectations?
Over the years, many Warhammer games have been released, but not all of them have met with the expected success. Some have frankly disappointed in terms of quality, but the TPS Space Marine 2 stands out. Sequel to an opus that won over fans for its fidelity to the universe and its captivating gameplay, does it live up to the original? Here are our first impressions after an hour of playing the game.
Live my life as a Space Marine
We started the adventure by choosing the lowest level of difficulty to familiarize ourselves, because the first part was renowned for its complexity. In total, four levels are offered, offering a good margin of challenge. As in the first Space Marine, the story follows Captain Titus, veteran of the Ultramarines, one of the most iconic chapters of the Space Marines. If in the first opus, Titus and a handful of super soldiers were sent to Graia to fight the orks, this time, the challenge is to counter the Tyranid threat on the jungle planet of Kadaku. It is one of the greatest perils for the Imperium.
As a reminder, the Tyranids are an alien race that is both aggressive and voracious. Like a devastating swarm, they travel across the galaxy, consuming all life in their path. Each Tyranid is designed for a specific function, whether it’s melee combat, ranged fire, or support. They are all psychically connected to one entity, the Hive Mind, which orchestrates their movements with a unified will. It is precisely this aspect that the developers have explored, drawing on their experience acquired with the game World War Z and the management of hordes of zombies.
From the first moments on Kadaku, we are confronted with whole waves of tyranids ready to fight. After a brief cinematic reminiscent of the style of the Predator film, the game plunges the player directly into the action without a tutorial. Embodying Captain Titus, respected by his peers, we are accompanied by two “brothers”, Chairon and Gadriel. Each has its own armor and life gauge. While they can defend themselves, you, on the other hand, often benefit from their help. They do not hesitate to rescue you heroically.
When attacked, the empire strikes back
Titus starts out with two guns and a melee weapon, a knife whose size rivals that of a grown man. As in the first game, the trick is in the smooth transition between close combat and ranged fire. After a few minutes, the situation thickens and our team is surrounded by a horde of thirsty Tyranids. The fights are intense, bloody and brutal. For those looking for smoothness, this is clearly not the recommended game. As eliminations progress, our fury gauge increases, allowing us to unleash overpowered attacks. It is also possible to give orders to our allies, although their AI can sometimes leave something to be desired. In online co-op, the experience surely gains in intensity. But it was unfortunately not available during the demo.
But solo, the immersion is total. Space Marines are known for their ruthless combat, and there’s no exception here. Grenades, various weapons and supply points are at our disposal. The TPS, at least in this demo, offers semi-open environments. Checkpoints guide our movements to complete the objectives. To punctuate everything, the studio offers dialogues going straight to the point, using all the possible synonyms of the words “kill” or “crush”. As we mentioned, Space Marines don’t have time to fool around.
A very beautiful and very epic game.
What is immediately striking is that to support its epic appearance, Space Marine 2 has a very impressive graphics engine. It is sublime and precise in any place and at any time. We witness grandiose battle scenes where hundreds (yes, hundreds) of Tyranids attack us. Empire soldiers retaliate with tanks and guns; it is a real war. If initially close combat seems perilous with only a simple knife, our brave Titus quickly finds the famous chainsword so beloved by Warhammer 40,000 fans.
From there, the combat becomes even more brutal, and the melee clashes more interesting. Besides the classic opponents in swarms or hordes, there are also special or elite enemies that are significantly more difficult to defeat. Aficionados will recognize them as the Hive Tyrants. These tyrants serve as commanders for all Tyranid forces on a battlefield due to their unique synaptic link to the hive mind. In Space Marine 2, they fight both hand-to-hand and with organic weapons that shoot huge balls of bio-plasma. It is a real challenge to face and avoid.
extreme difficulty
It’s also quite surprising that even at the lowest difficulty level, the game is so complex. It’s very simple: in 1h15, we died a good ten times. We can chain attacks, parries and rolls, but we find ourselves constantly surrounded. It’s hard to say if it’s pure power balancing or too many opponents, but something is off. It’s too difficult and it becomes infuriating. The enemies are so numerous around you that it becomes impossible to extract yourself via a roll or perform a parry. The only solution is to let yourself die so that an ally comes to relieve us.
Too bad for a Space Marine. It’s a shame because from what we’ve seen, the game has everything to please. It’s beautiful, it’s respectful of the universe, it’s full of winks, and it’s enjoyable in the combat phases. We’re just going to have to seriously modify the difficulty. The game isn’t described by the developers as Souls-like, and that kind of challenge isn’t usually what TPS enthusiasts expect. Here, there is a clear evolution compared to the first opus, and this may destabilize some players. Especially if the communication is not good.
WE WAIT FOR IT… WITH CURIOSITY
Space Marine 2 is a bit like a slap in the gums after wisdom tooth surgery. We suffer for 20 minutes of intense combat, and when we think we have a break, the game assails us with many other opponents to push us to the limit. It’s violent, beautiful, epic and very faithful to the Warhammer universe. But as it stands, it’s WAY too complicated. The game is expected on PS5, Xbox Series and PC exclusively within the year and by then hopefully this will be resolved.