Starfighter 2 opened the door to one of the richest sci-fi IPs for thousands of people, and I hope future games explore even stranger places.

Space Marines 2 seems to be the hit of the moment. It has already achieved impressive player numbers with early adopters upon its launch on Steam, and has surpassed those numbers once again with the game’s public release. The results are manifold. Not only have 40K fans been given a loving world to enjoy that they have invested so much time and money into, but a whole new group of 40K newcomers have also been given a warm welcome into the far future created by British artists and game designers in the 80s.

As a long-time 40K fan, it’s been fascinating to see the reactions. One example was when Forbes writer and Destiny 2 know-it-all Paul Tassi tweeted his reaction to seeing the robot cherubs and candlelit rooms, which was a great reminder of the dark and rich flavors that permeate 40K media. Space Marines 2 is full of those flavors, and I hope it opens the door for the brave to journey into stranger depths of the canon.

There’s no doubt that Warhammer is full of all sorts of fun, engaging things to do. Saber Interactive did a great job introducing us to a portion of that IP through the eyes of the Ultramarines, and it was a smart choice. Not only are they the most generic Chapter of the Space Marines, they’re also the poster boys. These big blue guys do it all. But the other Chapters make them seem bland by comparison. The Blood Angels are space vampires. The Dark Angels are space knights, and the Space Wolves are, you guessed it, space Vikings who may or may not be wolves themselves.

One of the criticisms of the Ultramarines is that they’re a bit bland. Whether that’s entirely true is debatable, especially given the sensational lore generated by Guillerman’s recent reappearance in the tabletop game’s 40K setting. But they do lack the edge or unique style of other Chapters. You can get a taste of this diversity in the opening mission of Space Marine 2, too! Players new to the IP might not notice it, but the members of Titus’ Death Watch squad are clearly from other Chapters. The axe-wielding Space Wolves Marines you see for just a few seconds exude a bloodlust that isn’t seen elsewhere in the game. This isn’t a shortcoming of Space Marine 2 in any way, but a window into wilder waters.

The game does a great job of that, teasing those in the know with little snippets of the wider worldbuilding. Just jump into PvP and look at the Heretic skins. Look at them. Yes, in the review I wish there was more breadth in a great game, with multiplayer following suit as a tight, wonderful package, but what’s presented with these characters is fantastic. The characterizations are spot on, both visually and in the voice acting. Chances are, a player with a new interest in 40K will see a World Eater or Night Lord Marine and say, I want some of that, too.

Me too. Space Marines have been beloved over the years and I’d like to see the game go even further. There’s an obvious reason why they’re so beloved, Space Marines are incredibly popular. After all, that’s why they have the most models on the tabletop. But there definitely needs to be a balance. Between Space Marines 2 and Kuju Entertainment’s Fire Warrior. That game was a first-person shooter focused entirely on Tau that was a bit of a bummer but had a lot of heart. It was also brave enough to move away from the big armored guys that pop culture is full of.

Space Marines 2 is a great entry point into this kind of content. We’ve already seen the Tyranids, and we know how cool they are (and how they inspired a lot of other alien races in the game, like the Zerg), and now’s a good time for them to show off their talents, since they just recently got a big update on the tabletop. But let’s look at something really weird. Let’s look at more Dark Mechanicus stuff. Going the route of Rogue Trader, give me Dark Eldar. Show me Tau, Necrons. On the Imperial side, let’s throw in the Sisters of Battle or some Imperial Agents. Or go completely Chaos-side and delve into the Distortion and Renegade chapters. What’s Huron Blackheart been up to lately?

There’s a lot here, and there’ll be more to explore as time goes on. I understand that the realities of running a business and selling massive video games require a certain amount of adherence to popular stuff, but the real appeal of Warhammer is how massive it is. So here’s a message to future game developers working on 40K games – give us something weird! Sure, put a space marine on the cover. Just make it a salamander or something.