Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 Review – Praise the Emperor

Sequels can sometimes be tricky. Sure, they can be a sure bet thing if the first title does well, but what about if a sequel doesn’t appear for over a decade? When the first Space Marine came out in 2011, it was released during a time were “dude bro” shooters were the crème de la crème in the gaming industry. However, it was quickly overshadowed by its competitors and left by the wayside for a long time.

Over time, Space Marine started garnering a following and became a cult hit. Now, 13 years later, the sequel has been released to see if it can stand tall in an era of non-stop game releases. Suffice it to say, the Emperor of Mankind is giving and has blessed Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2.

Developer & Publisher // Saber Interactive, Focus Entertainment

Platforms // PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

MSRP & Release Date // $59.99 (PC) | $69.99(Console), September 5th, 2024 (Early Access), September 9th, 2024

Reviewed On // PC

Space Marine 2 is Picking Up Where It Left Off

Space Marine 2 is a sequel 13 years in the making. Continuing where the predecessor left off, players assume the role of Demetrian Titus, a decorated Space Marine who’s part of the Ultramarine Chapter. Like other Space Marines, Titus is a superpowered human with extraordinary strength and healing abilities, which affords them to live for hundreds of years. 

The plot of Space Marine 2 follows a Tyranid splinter fleet from Hive Fleet Leviathan. The fleet invades the Imperial-controlled Recidious System, causing Archmagos Nozick Beta-12 of the Adeptus Mechanicus to request assistance in defending the forest-rich planet, Kadaku, and safeguarding “Project Aurora.” 

Titus, now a seasoned Deathwatch veteran, is sent with his Kill Team to protect the project. However, he is the lone survivor of his team, but he still manages to launch a virus bomb against the Tyranids before being mortally wounded. Ultimately, Titus is rescued by the Ultramarines and is returned to the Battle Barge ship. 

The Plot and the Characters 

Although the Space Marine 2 story beats are quite simple, they are executed pretty well with some surprises for both seasoned Warhammer 40K and newcomers alike. It avoided any convoluted lore and was generally easy to follow. Without going into spoiler territory, the plot nicely sets up the game’s PVE and PVP modes through the Eternal War theme.

Although the characters may appear one-dimensional at first, in reality, Space Marines are not ordinary people. They are indoctrinated to be the Emporer’s elite fighting force. Their life, purpose, and duty are all bound to the Emporer of Mankind. Naturally, that is transmitted in every facet of their lives and accurately reflected in the game’s voiceovers and characters’ demeanor. That is why all the Space Marines act and speak as they do, they’re bound to the Emperor.

While the game does a great job of filling new players in on Titus, it could have fleshed out his backstory out a little more. Especially to provide more context on the reason why he’s repenting through the Deathwatch Chapter for interacting with a Chaos Power Source from the first game.

Solid Melee Combat and Shooting Mechanics

In a way, Space Marine 2 feels like it was ripped straight from 2011. Except with a coat of new paint, or in this case, modern tech, to elevate it. Mechanically, SM2 is eerily similar to its predecessor, the hack n’ slash and shooting mechanics are ever-present. However, it just feels so refined and satisfying.

Players can shoot their primary and secondary firearms at any time. However, if you want to aim down the sights, you press the mouse scroller button. It was strange at first but quickly became second-hand the more I played. Shooting felt good overall, there was plenty of feedback, and aiming was smooth at the default mouse settings.

Each weapon of the 11 primary and three secondary weapons had a unique feel. From the classic Warhammer 40K Bolt Pistol to the Plasma Incinerator, each weapon had its advantages for any given situation. My particular favorite was using the Pyreblaster flamethrower. It was a joy to engulf Rat Swarms in flames, though mainly for stylistic purposes.

Melee attacks are differentiated through short and long presses as well as in-between pauses. There are three melee weapons, all having unique movements, speed, and damage output. The chainsword is the seminal melee weapon of the Space Marine and is an all-around solid weapon in terms of damage and speed. Meanwhile, the Thunderhammer is slow but does amazing AOE damage, useful if you find yourself surrounded by Tyranids, which happens regularly. There are even executions à la glory kills that are always brutal, visceral, and captivating. In addition, if you land a heavy melee attack on enemies, this sets up a nice counter shot that deals out instant death or heavy damage on larger Tyranids. However, what surprised me the most was the parry and dodge systems.

Similar to Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham series, players will get an indicator of when an enemy attack is counterable. This is denominated in light blue, while orange means that your character should dodge out of the way. A perfect dogde also opens up a free and devastating counter strike. Now, you can do a slight step dodge by moving back and pressing the space bar or a full-on dodge roll by pressing the spacebar in any other direction.

Sometimes, if you see that an enemy is about to attack, no indicator will appear, but you’ll instinctively know to press the counter to block their incoming attack. However, this is a bit inconsistent because sometimes you’ll feel that you input the counter button at the precise time, but only to get hit. Though with some practice, you’ll learn to mitigate these non-prompt counters. Overall though the counter/block mechanic was truly enjoyable and well-implemented.

Space Marine 2 is a Meaty Experience

To put it bluntly, Space Marine 2 is a beefy offering in terms of modes and replayability. The game consists of a campaign, a PVE Operations mode, and PVP. Both the campaign and Operations mode support three-player co-op play. While linear, the campaign harkens back to simpler times.

A Campaign That Doesn’t Drag

The Space Marine 2 campaign is a straightforward, nostalgic, and enjoyable endeavor. The campaign would not look out of place from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era of games. The level design has a clear formula and doesn’t stray too far off the path. Defined corridor segments with invisible walls connect to unique sections such as Tyranid swarm encounters, defending points of interest, and boss encounters. Moreover, some segments will utilize the booster jet pack as Titus will need to reach different heights to progress. There is just enough objective variety in the campaign to keep it fresh, but only just barely. Luckily, any campaign mission doesn’t overstay its welcome and that factor helps out. Overall, the campaign mode was well-paced clocking in at around 12 hours, and hardly felt like a slog.

The Machinus Divinitus mission in particular stood out. The last section of the mission pitted you to protect a core from multiple swarms of Tyranids that throw themselves in it to destroy it. Without getting into spoilers, the final moments of the mission reveal why Project Aurora was a top priority for the Imperium, because Titus’s curiosity gets the better of him similar to the first game.

In between missions, Titus and his crew return to the Battle Barge ship, which also acts as a hub area. It’s where players can customize their Space Marine and seamlessly switch between the game’s modes.

Operations Mode

One of the modes on offer is the Operations mode. Operations is a co-op mode that’ll pit three Space Marines to go and complete missions with different difficulties. The higher the difficulty the more the payout in class, weapon XP, and cosmetic currency.

When Saber released its road map ahead of Space Marine 2‘s launch, it showed that the Operations mode is a big part of their plans. The mode becomes accessible to players after the first campaign mission. But there it’s here where Saber is banking that the player base will come back for more.

Operations mode is where players will choose from different six classes, each dining their own unique weapon sets and perks. It’s also in Operations mode where players will use their customized skins to deck out their Space Marines. Players can change individual gear such as gauntlets, helmets, and more. Players can also unlock new perks for the different classes as well.

Currently, Operations has six missions with a similar mission structure and level design to those in the campaign, but with some caveats. More specifically, operations missions incorporate more random hectic encounters from Tyranid swarms and bosses, which make things more interesting and push Space Marines to their limits. Especially when set to higher difficulties, expect a lot of chaos (pun intended). These missions can last between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the difficulty level you select.

Since I gelled well with the basic gameplay loop, I can see myself sinking tons of hours in Space Marine 2‘s Operations mode. Especially since some cosmetics look fantastic and there’s always something to unlock for each class. If early Steam numbers are anything to go by, the game will have a healthy following. Now, it is up to Saber to make sure that it can keep its player base interested and happy.

For now, Saber did announce they have plans to release four seasons that run up to winter 2025. The game is currently offering a season pass retailing for $40. The season pass includes multiple cosmetic packs and weapon skins for each of the four upcoming seasons.

PVP – The Eternal War

Space Marine 2 has its own PVP, which is appropriately dubbed the Eternal War. Two teams of six players dish it out in different classic game modes such as CTF and Domination. Players can use all the same weapons and abilities found in each of the six classes. Surprisingly, each player can only select one of the six classes. In other words, there can only be one sniper, one heavy, and so on. Because most players gravitate towards the Tactician and Heavy classes, those are usually picked first, leaving the scraps for the rest.

It’s worth noting that the animations and mechanics don’t translate that well to other human players. Especially the Vanguard’s grapple hook ability, as the animation looked rough and wasn’t as intuitive as when you grapple a Tyranid.

In a way, the PVP mode felt nostalgic, but in a completely different way. Back in the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 generation, many single-player games had tact-on multiplayer games. They were there just to tick off a checkmark on a list. Eternal War kind of feels the same, though based on Saber’s roadmap, there are plans to develop PVP as well.

Stellar Graphics in Space Marine 2

Saber Interactive worked some magic to make Space Marine 2 look as good as it is. Powered by the Swarm Engine, the game looks absolutely phenomenal and is filled to the bone with exquisite details. Character models are highly detailed and filled with nooks and crannies that are expected of Space Marine decals. Best of all, the game’s art style remains so faithful to Game Workshop that it’s almost as if the figurines have sprawled to life.  

The forest environments are quite impressive, they are filled with lush vegetation and look quite life-like. While structures can look sprawling and quite imposing. Some of them are filled with industrial clutter, while some buildings are littered with corpses that have taken me aback a couple of times. Buildings have a grand scale to them similar to Darksouls’ art style. Especially since they look imposing, cruel, and dangerous.

I even appreciated the retrofuture art style that remains with Space Marine 2‘s tech. Traveling to the Armoury Hall, you’ll find the Armourer squeezed between rows of 4:3 screens covered with Matrix-like green text. In addition, the Thunder Hawk gunships that transport you to missions look imposing and phenomenal with plenty of details to uncover.

Smooth Animations

When it comes to the animations, I was quite taken aback. Sure the Space Marines are massive superhumans, but they move quite nimbly. It was easy to maneuver them and their animations were consistent. Especially the transitions to and from executions are quite smooth with no jankiness in sight. The only exception is pulling off certain abilities during the PVP mode which doesn’t translate the same animation smoothly as in the PVE modes.

Solid Performance Overall, But with Some Caveats

My rig is comprised of a Ryzen 7 5700x CPU paired with a 6950XT GPU and dual channel of 16 GB 3200 mhz of DDR4 RAM the game performs admirably. When not in intense combat situations, the game is hitting above 90 FPS without any use of an upscaler. 

The reason I ditched FSR 2 was because of the stark difference in detail level. With FSR 2 on, environments looked quite low-res and washed up. Character models remained decently detailed, however, but everything around you looked like it was smeared in petroleum jelly. I hope Saber introduces FSR 3 soon as it could even further improve upscaler visuals. In contrast, in native resolution- which in my case is powered by a 1440p monitor- everything looked sharp, lush, and oozed with atmosphere. Even draw distance looked impressive, especially when you see multiple hordes of Tyranids swarming your way like a tidal wave about to engulf coastal towns. If you ever played Saber’s previous title, World War Z, then you know what to expect.  

High Settings Are the Way

Wherever possible, I tuned most of the visual settings to High -ultra settings are marginally better and pretty useless- and the picture quality was stupendous. I made sure to remove motion blur because let’s face it, it looks terrible on most non-racer games. Suffice it to say, the game performed admirably. Even during chaotic moments where dozens upon dozens of Tyranid swarms that come your way, the performance still held up above 60FPS. It seems that even on lower/ older hardware, Space Marine 2 is getting praised for its optimization, despite missing some of the latest upscaler tech. 

Surprisingly High CPU Usage

Surprisingly, CPU temps and usage were initially quite high. During my review, I noticed my Ryzen 7 5700x was being used as high as 85% and temperatures were hovering above 80𝇈C. Some content creators speculate that this is probably due to the game’s complied shaders during gameplay. When you first boot up Space Marine 2 has a mandatory shader compilation process when booting up the game for the first couple of times. However, eventually, CPU usage evened out to below 70%, which is still high, though temperatures remained relatively toasty at 80𝇈C. If this is concerning to you, keep in mind that using an upscaler can reduce overall usage.

Inconsistent AI

When it comes to playing Space Marine 2 solo, the AI can be inconsistent. Usually, players can depend on the AI to revive them. But sometimes, the AI will just go into full derp mode and leave you to die without reason. It can be especially frustrating when playing missions on higher difficulties.

Space Marine 2 Audio Design

Similar to the visuals, Space Marine 2 spares no expense in the audio design department. Each Space Marine has a burly voice that only speaks of duty and the love of the Emporer of Mankind. While the other characters performed admirably that even the Emperor would be satisfied.

The soundtrack is composed mainly of orchestral tracks. No doubt their purpose is meant to glorify Space Marines and their devotion to the Emperor of Mankind.

Cross Platform Reality 

To enable cross-platform functionality, Space Marine 2 requires installing and logging into Epic Games online services client. While I personally don’t have any issue with this, some Steam purists might get slightly annoyed by the requirement of an external client installation. However, players can bypass the Epic Games Onlive Services if they want to opt out of cross-platform and still play with their friends. It is ironic that as open as PC is as a platform, some still prefer everything to be only on Steam.

Limited Accessibility Options

When it comes to Space Marine 2, accessibility is quite limited and many have expressed disappointment. Issues of poor colorblind filters, and inconsistent audio and subtitle implementations are some of the key accessibility issues that were mentioned. There is also a lack of motor-focused and audio-impairment accessibility options for players. This means that the game will likely be missed by those with related disabilities. This is a shame because other games have been putting more effort into making their games as accessible as possible. 

In response to the criticism, publisher Focus Entertainment reached out via social media to take feedback on where to prioritize improvements for accessibility options. It’ll be interesting to see how the game’s accessibility options develop in the near future. 

Final Thoughts on Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2

Space Marine 2 is a time capsule to a simpler time but with a whole new coat of paint. It’s a no-frill third-person shooter/melee hack ‘n’ slasher set in one of the most decorated sci-fi universes. It doesn’t stray far off its predecessor and builds upon it in every conceivable way. Clearly, Saber put a lot of love and attention into the game and respected its source material to the tee, creating a meaty package that will keep you busy for some time. Praise the Emporer of Mankind, for he is giving.

Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 Final Score: 8.7 / 10

Pros

• Great Combat Mechanics
• Stellar Graphics
• Tons of Content and Goodies to Unlock
• Respectful of Source Material
• Consumer-Friendly Monetization

Cons

• Limited Accessibility Options
• Countering Can Be Inconsistent
• PVP Feels Like an Afterthought
• Inconsistent AI
• Some Might Not Like the Epic Online Service Client for Cross-Play
• Doesn’t Feature Latest Upscaler Tech