Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Review: Glorious Carnage

Saber Interactive did what was thought to be impossible almost four years ago when they revealed Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 during TGA 2021. As a humungous fan of Relic’s Space Marine (read our retrospective here), I found this reveal to be both a moment of awe and one filled with skepticism. While Space Marine 2 was touted to be a direct sequel to the cliffhanger ending of the first game, major changes would be coming to the core gameplay. Saber, hot off the success of World War Z, would be introducing their proprietary SWARM system to the game and while Demetrian Titus would return as the hero, the hilarious Ork Boyz would be replaced by a near-endless swarm of Tyrannids. This meant that the sequel would gear towards a more serious and deadpan grimdark tone with sort of a horde-type gameplay experience. Thanks to Sandbox Strategies, I’ve been playing Space Marine 2 since September 4 and have put in more than 80 hours into the game, for personal pleasure and the sake of this review. I’m glad that my skepticism was proven wrong (well, mostly).

Band of Brothers

In Space Marine 2, players step back into the Warhammer 40,000 universe, following the story of Captain Titus of the Ultramarines. Set against the backdrop of a galaxy ravaged by constant war, the game picks up 100 or so years after the events of the first Space Marine, where Titus and his allies faced off against the Orks. Titus, now penanced to serve in the Deathwatch by the Inquisition is allowed to join the Ultramarines once again and regain the favor of the chapter and the Inquisition. The story follows Titus and his squad mates Chairon and Gadriel as they complete various objectives, trying to keep a Tyrannid invasion at bay.

While the original game was set on the single planet of Graia, Space Marine 2’s story spans 3 planets and is filled with epic scenes and set pieces exploring themes of Ultramarine badassery, duty, sacrifice, and brotherhood, quite similar to the original Gears of War trilogy. While I expected Saber to ditch Titus’ Chaos taint story arc fully, the devs surprised me by exploring the unfinished arc in their own way through the relationship between Titus, Chairon, and Gadriel. Halfway through the game, the story introduces the Thousand Sons Chaos legion and Tzaangors as part of the enemy roaster and culminates in an epic climax that is sure to make any 40K fanboy overjoyed. The downside is that there are only six single-player missions and depending on the difficulty setting, the story can be completed at around 7-10 hours. It makes you wish for more. Considering the game’s commercial success, it’s safe to assume that we won’t have to wait 10 years for a sequel.

In the Name of the Emperor

The gameplay is where Space Marine 2 shines. If you’re playing on “Normal” difficulty, Space Marine 2 is a blast whether you’re playing the campaign or the 6-mission PvE Operations. It’s still a third-person shooter but there are some changes this time. For starters, Titus is always accompanied by his two battle brothers. Unless you invite two friends to join this campaign of carnage, Chairon and Gadriel will be controlled by the game’s AI.

Space Marine 2’s combat is built on the foundation laid by its predecessor. While the original’s ‘push forward” combat went on to inspire the combat system for DOOM 2016, Space Marine 2 makes some bold changes. In Space Marine 2’s campaign, PvE and PvP modes, players can utilize a vast array of 40k weaponry such as Bolt Pistols, Bolt Rifles, Plasma weapons, Melta guns, as well as the iconic Chainsword, Power Sword, and Thunderhammer. Sadly, Power Axe, Heavy Plasma, and Vengeance Launcher are entirely missing this time around. It’d be pretty cliche to say that Space Marine 2 makes you actually “feel” like an Adeptus Astarte. But that’s exactly how the game makes you feel. From the weighty footsteps to towering over “normal”-sized critters to literally crumbling environmental objects under your feet, Space Marine 2 “accurately” represents the weight and scale of these larger-than-life characters in a grimdark setting.

The biggest changes this time come in the form of how executions work. The first game had a regenerating armor system combined with a brutal execution system that let Titus gain his health back, something which went on to inspire the glory kills in DOOM. This time around, executions do play a major role in combat, but they only give back portions of armor and HP can only be gained by using medkits. However, the game also features a risk/reward combat mechanic similar to the Rally system from Bloodborne, where Astartes have a small window to refill any lost health before it decays permanently. Furthermore, there is Gun Strike mechanic which sees Astartes pull out their pistol and take a quick shot at a weakened enemy and in return, gain a bar of armor back. But unlike executions, Gun Strike doesn’t have i-frames and the devs intended it to be a risk vs reward mechanic (we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of whether it works or not, later).

The biggest change to Space Marine 2’s combat is unarguably the SWARM system. It is a fancy word to pit Space Marines against massive hordes of Tyrannids and Chaos, creating a sense of overwhelming odds that captures the chaos of battle in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Think Vermintide, but in an actual single-player campaign. The sheer number of enemies on screen can create a dramatic and intense atmosphere, making players feel like they are truly part of a grand battle. This is especially true in the case of the game’s many set pieces that are a sight to behold. Tearing through swarms of enemies with classic 40k arsenal is an experience that words cannot fully convey.

More Carnage

If you think the campaign of Space Marine 2 is short, then PvE Operations is the right place for you. The game features six 3-player co-op missions with four difficulty settings to choose from. Operations are fully-fledged campaigns with five distinct classes and a plethora of primary and secondary weapons to choose from. Each class is distinct, having its unique abilities, and skill trees and the same can be said for the weapons. Playing Operations, one can easily tell that the game was designed for cooperative gameplay. What’s even more amazing is that, rather than being a separate, random game mode, Operations ties directly into the campaign, with the players assuming the roles of the “B-team” and working together to accomplish objectives that take place between the six campaign missions, effectively making it part of the overarching story.

If that isn’t enough, PvP makes a return in Space Marine 2. In PvP, teams of six players assume the role of either Space Marines or Chaos Marines and duke it out across three game modes (team deathmatch and two capture, and control game modes). While definitely fun, the PvP in Space Marine 2 is lacking compared to the first game. There are only a handful of maps and they all more-or-less look and feel the same. The TTK is ridiculously fast, making you feel like you’re playing CoD. Weapon selection is severely restricted and armor customization is limited to Adeptus Astartes. However, the most crucial issue that plagues both PvE and PvP is balancing. More on that below.

Balance in all Things

Balancing a game with multiple game modes is no easy feat and Space Marine 2 stumbles hard in this regard. If you’re someone who plays the game on normal difficulty, then these glaring balancing issues might seem irrelevant to you. But, for people who are in it for the long run, Space Marine 2’s PvE and PvP balancing (and even the campaign) is one big can of worms.

Simply put, Space Marine 2 favors some classes and weapons over others in a big way. For example, in PvE, the Assault class is nerfed to the point of being worthless at higher difficulties. The Jump Pack, which feels awesome thanks to its elevation and range in the campaign and PvP is severely limited in Operations mode, where you need it the most. Close-range melee is also extremely risky, making the class the bottom feeder in terms of viability. The lack of i-frames on Gun Strikes and unreliable hitboxes add more frustration to the mix. On the opposite side, you have Vanguard and Heavy, whose class abilities are way superior in both modes (to the point of being OP), and their ability to use the Multi Melta gun makes them the preferred class to play on Ruthless difficulty. Speaking of the Melta, this thing is way more powerful than any other weapon in the game, making it the only reliable gun to use in PvE. In comparison, bolters are ridiculously underpowered. The same can be said for any melee weapon that isn’t the Chainsword.

Furthermore, enemies are ridiculously tanky, to the point that you might think the devs are trolling the players. Even with the strongest weapon fully upgraded, it takes a lot of time and bullets to put Chaos Marines down in Substantial and Ruthless difficulties. Saber’s idea of increasing difficulty is just pumping the HP and armor of enemies, rather than utilizing the SWARM system effectively, something Vermintide did 8 years ago. This is the reason why experimentation is all but dead in high-level operations, as players tend to stick with only the strongest weapons in the game and avoid the rest like plague.

The balancing issues carry over to PvP. Classes like Bulwark, Vanguard, and Heavy are on a whole different power level compared to the Assault and Tactical. Heck, if played right, Bulwark and Heavy with their temporary immunity to ranged damage are borderline invincible. In addition, matchmaking is random as hell and players often find themselves in situations where a bunch of low-level players are pitted against a group of level 15 veterans. The less said about PvP weapon balancing, the better. As it stands right now, PvP is all about rushing to the class selection screen and picking the strongest classes, a far cry from the first game where each class and weapon were equally viable. To their credit, Saber is working on improving the balancing through upcoming patches but judging by their recent community update, it is clear that not all issues will be resolved in due time.

Grimdark Never Looked This Good

Space Marine 2 is a looker through and through, and that too without using fancy ray-tracing effects. The game features visually stunning locales and glorious carnage, showcasing the detailed and grimdark aesthetic of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Heck, even the cutscenes are peak Warhammer. This all comes at a cost, though. Space Marine 2 is a demanding game, especially on the CPU. My Ryzen 5 5600x struggles to maintain a solid 60 even at 1080p during intensive sequences (despite the graphics settings). I even experience micro-freezes from time to time.

Furthermore, my peers have been experiencing high CPU temps, frequent crashing, and connectivity issues. The absence of the latest DLSS and FSR tech is also baffling and the lack of Frame Generation is a missed opportunity. That being said if you have the specs to run the game in all its glory, then Space Marine 2 will surely come across as a visual treat.

Real Talk

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 manages to live up to the legacy of its cult-classic predecessor. Casual players will have a great time with the game thanks to its balls-to-the-wall gameplay and supreme visuals. If you’re in it for the long haul, the technical issues and balancing (or the lack thereof) will be a point of contention. Hopefully, Saber will be improving and adding to the gameplay while the game is still in its prime.

FINAL RATING: 83/100