- Notice: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 campaign mode spoilers
I know it's not a popular opinion, but I think Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 deserves more nominations than it has at the GOTY and more awards than it will win throughout its history. Even with its flaws, it will always be one of the best games of 2024 and a benchmark among cooperative experiences. And that's without leaving aside its campaign mode, which is a brutal and hilarious show.
There is no being or argument that can get me off this ship… and much less after the two Operations that have arrived post-launch: Completion, focused on the Tyranids and related to the main story; and Obelisk, a mission connected and parallel to the main story during the final battle against the forces of Chaos. In fact, most operations are missions that are carried out at the same time as others that we carry out during the campaign.
Although I did not fall in love with Operation Obelisk as madly as Completion (because I am more of a fan of the Tyranids than of Chaos), it did manage to make my jaw loose and make me drop the controller at the end to applaud. I find it amazing that Saber Interactive gives away these missions, which are brutal and beautiful spectacles, and that other games like World War Z charge 10 dollars for the new Acts, as has recently happened with Las Vegas. And I say this without bitterness because it is worth every penny.
Extending the epic in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Operation Obelisk returns me to the planet Demerium, specifically to a key point in the campaign against the Thousand Sons carried out by Titus and his companions during the main story. This time I do it with my character, Bulwark class, and wearing the new armor of the proud Dark Angels chapter, who were the First Legion of Space Marines created by the Emperor for the Great Crusade. Their Primarch was Lion El'Jonson.
I disembark on Demerium as Lieutenant Titus fights to destroy the protective shield of a large Obelisk. During the campaign it is narrated that you need to find three consoles and turn a small miniature of the Obelisk to deactivate it, but you only turn one and the rest happens off-camera. Well, this is the story of the group that contributed to turning another of the mechanisms.
I advance unstoppably and resolutely, shield in front like a wall and the energy sword charged and ready to attack the forces of Chaos. Two marines accompany me: a Heavy with his heavy machine gun and an Assault with a hammer that makes the earth rumble with each attack. Along the way I find charred blue tanks, victims of Chaos attacks.
It doesn't take long for the new enemy to appear for the first time. Their name is Tzaangor Enlightened, Chaos troops who attack from a magical flying disc. The first one manages to land several hits on me until I learn his set of movements and start dodging. They escape my reach as they fly, but they are easy prey for my partner's machine gun. Several of them see my sword and shield up close as they receive executions, ranging from beheadings to being impaled with their own magic spear.
The fights against Chaos are a minor attraction in light of the scenarios. The skyline of Demerium features blues, purples and pinks that illuminate the dark stone ruins and the enormous battle taking place both on the ground and in the air. There are explosions in all directions. The work of Saber Interactive in collaboration with Games Workshop at the design and art level is superb… and worthy of nominations for awards that have not arrived and will not arrive. It continues to leave me speechless after several months of raids and +100 hours of play.
The irony is that the best part of the operation happens underground. Demerium is a tomb world, housing planetary-sized cemeteries. Duty compels me to descend into the darkest catacombs, now corrupted by the darkness of Chaos. At this point it doesn't surprise me that Saber Interactive's level of detail and craftsmanship doesn't decrease one bit.
Proof of this are the elaborate tombs and statues that seem to represent different important figures. My knowledge of the universe Warhammer 40K It is not rich enough to even identify what position or type of human they belong to. That doesn't stop me from appreciating its beauty as I advance with my shield raised. You never know what is hiding in the dark.
The catacombs reveal the central focus of this operation: a relic whose light keeps the corrupting darkness of Chaos at bay. It is not a simple decoration, but the mechanic around which most of the mission revolves. There is no mystery: the group must stay close to the bearer of the relic as they advance through the labyrinth of corridors that make up an immense network of tombs. Needless to say, the Chaos resistance is voracious and treacherous.
I hesitate to leave the relic after crossing the catacombs and seeing the sky of Demerium again. I look back for a moment, but the communicator's instigations are like a riding crop urging me to move forward as quickly as possible. And so I do, although I have to deal with a Chaos puzzle: huge masses of land must be aligned to reach the final stage, where a Chaos mage awaits, protecting the console with a warp shield.
The truth is that the battle is not particularly complicated. It costs more to destroy the shield than to kill the magician himself, who falls under the cuts of my sword. I spin the small Obelisk, thus contributing to a victory that I know is certain. The value of this operation is not the contribution to victory, but knowing a story that occurs off camera during the campaign and of which you only hear reports on the communicator.
It is a feat that Saber Interactive was able to box in Titus to lengthen the campaign a little more, as many video games do. However, he chose the coherent and laborious route: creating an entire side story (for free) to tell how another squad of Space Marines helped us, like Titus, achieve victory. It is a very good way to make post-launch content, since within months or years we will be able to relive the story by mixing the main campaign and operations in chronological order. Everything is connected, and I love that!
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