10 Things I Learned About Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2

It’s been a while since I was as fired up for the release of a non-sports or pure fighting game, but Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 had me watching the clock for early access.

I was not previously a fan of the series. I was aware of Warhammer but hadn’t played anything from any aspect of the universe. Keep that in mind as you read this because it comes from the perspective of a completely new gamer to the series.

After slashing and blasting through the first 2 hours of the campaign on PlayStation 5, I’m ready to share the ten things I’ve learned about Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2.

Big and Beautiful

From a visual standpoint, I first noticed the scaling of character sizes; from the massive protagonist, Titus, to the varying sizes of the antagonist, Tyranids, to the sprawling environments, SM2 is a big and beautiful game.

After a while, the stages begin to feel a bit samey, but that does little to diminish the game’s initial beauty.

Wonderfully Uncomfortable Combat

The swarm technology in SM2 was born from what you see in World War Z. Saber developed both titles, and this approach fits excellently in this experience.

It’s chaotic, epic, scary, and downright uncomfortable at times as you are overwhelmed with what sometimes feels like an infinite number of Tyranids at a time. It felt like playing an interactive version of the Quiet Place prequel with thousands of destructive enemies bearing down on you.

However, Titus is an extremely powerful character with effective melees and weaponry, so you can usually blast and slash your way to a reprieve. But they’re coming back, and that’s part of the fun.

This Looks And Feels A Lot Like Gears of War and Dynasty Warriors

Warhammer sometimes feels like a few different games, but the two that most commonly came to my mind while playing are Gears of War and Dynasty Warriors.

The look and feel of Titus makes you feel he could fit right in with Marcus Fenix and Co. (though there is an actual size difference, it doesn’t appear that way on the screen).

The way enemies swarm is reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors, especially once you are surrounded. SM2 doesn’t offer as many whirling dervish attacks that eliminate enemies like a tornado, but there’s always a way out of the immersion of Tyranids.

The Story Has Some Layers, But There Isn’t a Great Deal of Onboarding

Playing through SM2 as a late-comer to the series feels like you started watching a sequel to this epic film that everyone else has seen, and almost no one wants to fill you in on the details.

However, you’re digging the experience so much that you’re resigned to following up later after the movie goes off. I’m not sure I love that approach, but I understand there is a delicate balance when onboarding new users to an existing IP. How much storytelling and backtracking is too much?

Thankfully, the action is good enough to keep me on the attack and perhaps distracted from what I don’t know about the story.

Camera Can Get Wonky With Big and Close Enemies

I found the cameras’ initial movement a bit too sensitive. I adjusted that within the first 5 minutes of gameplay. Even afterward, there were times when I was pinned against a wall or object, and the camera couldn’t get behind my character as a large enemy had closed in on me.

I’ve seen these frustrating situations in many third-person shooters. This issue has been prevalent in gaming for decades, making it obviously tough to handle.

Settings Offer a Good Mix of Customization

As I mentioned, I was able to adjust the camera sensitivity, but that’s just one of the many options available in the settings menu. You can also adjust whether Titus wears his helmet, invert the camera, and select several other cosmetic and gameplay-related options.

It may seem like a small detail, but when you get into the nitty gritty of a game experience, these options are the things you appreciate.

Pacing For Weapon Distribution Feels Good

Titus doesn’t start his journey with the biggest and baddest weapons. That concept is pretty standard in gaming, but sometimes developers screw up the pacing when it comes to making the more powerful weapons accessible to you.

SM2 rolls out the more powerful guns at just the right time. Just when I began to think my right thumb and trigger finger were going to get tired because of the melee attacks and the standard pistol, semi-automatic and automatic weaponry became available to give my hand a rest and add more power to my attacks.

Normal Difficulty is Fairly Easy, But It’s Good For the First Playthrough

For me, the SM2 difficulty felt good at normal. Again, I’m new to the series and as interested in progressing through the story as I am in the gameplay.

I probably died or failed three times in the first two hours of gameplay, which wasn’t frustrating and stopped just short of being too easy for my tastes. Quite honestly, if I didn’t need to go to bed so that I could get up early to write this article, I might have played even deeper into the game.

As it is, Normal is a good starting point for most gamers, and there are two higher difficulties if you want to challenge yourself after the first playthrough.

Multiplayer Offers Some Unexpected Layers, But We Need to Talk About This Content Map

One of the most exciting aspects of SM2 is the potential of its multiplayer options. The depth and variety of these options are truly surprising.

However, the current content map could use some improvement. I understand the publisher and developer may want the user to play through the campaign first, but the rollout of multiplayer options is way too slow.

Seeing a few more multiplayer options at launch would have been nice.

My Interest is Piqued By Season 4’s Horde Mode

While I’m not thrilled with the content’s rollout, the gameplay and combat are so good that I’m especially interested in Season 4’s Horde mode, which will include a new enemy and weapon.

Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed SM2 and envision finishing it over the weekend before devoting some time to multiplayer and perhaps a second playthrough.