Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines 2 is probably the most faithful adaptation of a Warhammer video game ever made. You’re paying for a very good product, but there’s not a lot of money in the box. Ask any Custodians or Grey Knights player, though: this is the quintessential Warhammer experience.
Created by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment, Space Marines 2 In many ways, Warhammer is a Warhammer fan’s dream game. In recent years, we’ve seen a number of excellent new games using the IP: Boltgun, Rogue Trader, Speed Freaks and Darktide. You could easily say that we’re in the golden age of Warhammer video game adaptations.
But Starfighter 2 is in a league of its own; it’s the best of triple-A shooters given the budget it deserves. I think Saber Interactive did a great job bringing the dark world of 40k to life, incorporating so many styles and characters that this game is a must-buy for any die-hard 40k fan. However, by the time I finished the campaign and the ops mode, I was left wanting more.
Manage Cookie Settings
That’s because there’s so much here that’s really, really good, but also really, really short. I’ll start with the campaign first, which is a real feast. You’ll get about six or seven hours of missions, spread across three planets, and you play as Titus, a Lieutenant who’s just returned from Deathwatch. He’s just returned from a 100-year tour of duty away from his Ultramarines brothers, and he’s been brought back to help fend off a Tyranid invasion – and to crush a Chaos plot right under everyone’s noses.
The existence of the Tyranids and Chaos was revealed in detail in the game’s trailer, but there are still many wonderful surprises hidden in the campaign. Fans of each of the factions in Starfighter 2 will be excited to see certain units appear, either as enemies you need to eliminate or as small NPC Easter eggs scattered around the environment.
As for the story itself, I do firmly believe that you need to experience the original Starfighter game to get the most out of it. This may sound obvious (it’s a direct sequel), but given that the original game was released all the way back in 2011, you might want to check out the YouTube video before you start. Even if you don’t, you’ll get a good idea of Titus’ motivations, but some of his early interactions can feel a little… dry. Everything comes full circle in the end regardless, but if you want to get a deeper understanding of this game, spend some time playing or studying the original first.
Six hours isn’t much, but what you get is Very The details are rich. I spent a lot of time looking around the environment, admiring all the little surprises scattered around. The architecture of the Imperial buildings is perfect, even the Astra Militarum sentinels parked in various bunkers. The sound of heavy bolters, with just the right amount of recoil, echoed through the metal interiors. Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus sent droids to perform menial tasks around the ship. The environmental designers, audio designers, and intellectual leaders at Saber Interactive reached out to me through my PS5, pulled me across the screen, and transported me to the 41st Millennium.
But there are new surprises too – things I never expected to see in a 40k action game. The funeral of a space marine, slightly off the critical path, is a prime example that is still fresh in my mind. You don’t have to add these things, but the developers did, and it makes the game feel very, very special.
I do think that using the Thousand Sons as the main enemy is a strange choice. This is probably the best depiction of the Chaos faction ever, and frankly, better than Thousand Sons players deserve. It’s refreshing to see Chaos portrayed in another light than the “bleed for the Blood God” screaming berserkers and bored Black Legion goons, and the little details I can’t stop gushing over make them all the more likable. The way the warp powers are portrayed is cool, and the fact that the regular Ruby warriors spew magic dust instead of blood is a cool detail that nerds will understand (and regular, untainted people will lust after).
I think only Saber Interactive could have pulled off something like this. Fans of the company’s recent World War Z game will recognize the game’s swarm system, especially when the Tyranids start climbing over each other to crawl over walls. Saber’s combination of dedication to the source material and technical know-how ultimately results in large-scale battles you can engage in, where you can fight alongside smaller human allies against hundreds of space bugs rushing towards you. Many times, you’ll feel like you’ve been placed right in the middle of a piece of Warhammer art by John Blanche or Karl Kopinski.
Action benefits from a lot of the love that went into the campaign, but it’s given even more charm thanks to some genuinely hilarious banter between the three Space Marines. It’s a weird one, though; Action makes up six “side missions” that run in parallel with the main campaign, but these are by no means optional narrative additions. Quite the contrary, they provide important context for the whole scheme of things. In fact, I think Action is a better ending to the Tyranid threat than the main story. That’s crazy. For the best experience, play these missions planet by planet alongside the main story.
You should replay these games with friends (if you have any) or other random online players, and while the linear missions remain largely the same, some famously powerful enemies are mixed in each time to keep things fresh. In one game you have to fend off a Lictor, and the next a Neurothrope appears and fires energy blasts at you. It’s a small thing, but very much appreciated.
Customization also comes into play during the action. There are six different classes in total, each with unique abilities and weapons at their disposal. Each class interacts well with each other–snipers hiding in the back need the front line to protect them, so the Vanguard can grab a large melee weapon and start slashing, while the Heavy can fire hundreds of rounds at incoming troops. In a tight squad, you’ll feel like a true elite space marine kill team, which is probably the biggest compliment it can get.
Then there are the cosmetic upgrades, which would make any 40k fan blush. All the major loyalist chapters are here, along with a few fan-favorite mini-champions (even the original Dawn of War Blood Ravens). You can unlock these using currency earned through action or PvP leveling up, which is fine, except it uses the same currency as skill tree unlocks. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather not have to choose between in-game power and having my Iron Hands Marines look just right.
As your weapons and class armor level increase, you also unlock more elaborate decorations, which goes a long way toward making veteran players look great. It’s nice to look fully decked out in a variety of costumes after a hard day or two of work. The lore is accurate and player-centric, and you’ll love seeing it.
But at the moment, I can’t give the same praise to the multiplayer. Prior to the ban, Eternal Conflict’s PvP sessions weren’t scheduled for reviewers, and cross-platform play was disabled—meaning I was left to drift along on my PS5 while PC gamers maxed out their frame rates and cooked eggs with their CPUs. So despite waiting in a six-hour queue over the weekend, I didn’t get to play the game mode.
What I can say is that, as a whole, Space Marine 2 doesn’t have a ton of “disc content” on release. The campaign lasts six to seven hours, with a single-act playthrough taking twice that long. Yes, you can (and should) play through it multiple times, but the missions are the same.
Multiplayer is obviously the long-term draw, but you get some 12-player modes that will tide you over. Customization is great, but I’m sad to hear that the choices for Heretic Astartes (Chaos Space Marines, or badass Space Marines for entry-level fans) are extremely limited. Yes, you only play them in Eternal War, but no armor/weapon upgrade path for a skin you play 50% of the time? That’s too bad. I don’t care how cool the Storm Giants in White Dwarf Magazine 5362 are, throw them out and give us some World Eaters options, please.
Now, it’s worth noting that the game has an official roadmap, and there’s more content on the way. But it’s mostly cosmetic until 2025, and then Horde mode will be added in Season 4. The game desperately needs this, although additional PvE and PvP additions in early 2025 would also be a nice touch. Please give Chaos Marines some love at some point.
Space Marine II is a successful game. It is a must-buy for Warhammer fans and absolutely recommended to anyone who loves the game. I hope you consider yourself part of this outstanding group. Space Marine II is one of the best Warhammer games ever made, and one of the most dangerously plastic drug-like entry-level games I have ever seen.
Space Marine 2 launch September 9available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. This review was conducted on a PS5 with a code provided by the publisher.
