REVIEW: ‘Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’ Is A Gift From The Emperor (PC)

The grinding of a chainsword ripping through chitinous plate. The screams of a horde of Tyranids as they clamber over one another to form a tower of bodies to scale a wall. A cacophony of barking bolters trying to hold back a tide of xenos scum. Such is the soundtrack to the adrenaline-fueled bloody action of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 from developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment. It underscores a game that is filled to the brim with brutal action, breathtaking scenery, and an incredible amount of content for players to chew through. To put it as bluntly as a thunder hammer, Space Marine 2 sets a new high point for 40k tie-in games.

Space Marine 2 follows the Ultramarine Demetrian Titus, kicking off almost two centuries after the first game. After atoning for his sins from the first game, Titus is demoted to lieutenant and is quickly sent to help recover dangerous Adeptus Mechanicus research from a planet under assault by Tyranids. Things grow ever more complicated, though, as his previous ties to the research are revealed, and the corrupting presence of Chaos becomes involved as well. The story is far from ground-breaking, but it stays engaging throughout its approximately ten hours of gameplay. It also does an admirable job of filling players in on Titus’ backstory if they didn’t play the first game, so no worries if you missed that one when it released more then a decade ago.

Where Space Marine 2 really shines is in its gameplay and presentation. Gameplay is all about combat, and it is the game’s most impressive aspect. Combat is a constant dance between melee and ranged, defense and aggression. Players have two weapon sets that can be swapped between with the press of a button. One is a melee weapon like a chainsword or combat knife paired with an off-hand weapon like a bolter pistol. The other is a primary weapon, such as a stalker bolt rifle or a melta gun. You can still perform melee attacks with your melee weapon while the primary weapon is equipped, but switching between melee and ranged takes much longer. In addition, players are equipped with various types of grenades and a rechargeable ability that helps define the play style in a given mode of play.

Most of Space Marine 2‘s combat challenges the player with fighting off hordes of enemies that vastly outnumber them. This helps push players to utilize their full loadout while forcing them to approach combat in a way that feels true to lore-accurate space marines. Players can dodge and parry attacks, which, when done with perfect timing, rewards players with dealing massive amounts of damage by shooting an enemy’s weak point as a follow-up. But players also have to switch to their primary ranged weapon frequently to deal with the ranged attacks of distant enemies or to shell out more damage to tankier targets.

Finding a balance between melee and ranged attacks takes some time to master, and it can be admittedly frustrating if you start on a difficulty higher than normal. But once everything starts to kick into place and the flow of combat becomes more realized, it is thrilling. It walks the line between a modern DOOM and Dynasty Warriors in a way that is unique and undoubtedly Warhammer.

Space Marine 2 is also elevated by its gorgeous presentation. The world of Warhammer 40k has never looked more beautiful or fully realized. Cutscenes are cinematic and fully packed with details that will make any lore nerd squeal, and there is enough variety to make the game feel like a love letter to the setting. And that care also extends to the gameplay, helping it feel more impactful and exciting in turn. Everything from the sound design of a bolter round exploding against the armor of a chaos space marine to the massive spurts of blood while carving through a crowd of Tyranids and the slow, heavy jog of a space marine in full plate comes together to make the game a pure joy to play.

Space Marine 2 isn’t just satisfied with giving players an intense campaign to play through. Not only is the story fully playable in three-player co-op, but it also includes two other modes: Operations and Endless War. Operations is a three-player co-op mode that runs parallel to the main story, allowing players to level up and customize six unique classes. Endless War, on the other hand, is a PvP mode that allows players to step into the armor of chaos space marines to fight it out in three different game modes with teams of six. Both of the modes offer a new way to engage with Space Marine 2, with the custom classes each offering a different way to approach combat. With Saber Interactive already announcing a roadmap for free content coming to the modes as well, they promise to extend the game’s playtime greatly.

Considering the entire package, Space Marine 2 sets a new high bar for Warhammer 40k games. It showcases the setting with more intricacy and beauty than even its most successful kin. Its gameplay is extremely rewarding and uniquely engaging. It has been a long wait for Space Marine 2, but the emperor is good, and the wait has proven more than worth it.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 releases on September 9 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.