A little under a month ago Saber Interactive released their latest game, the highly anticipated Space Marine 2. Revealed at the 2021 game awards, the excitement for this game has been steadily rising ever since among warhammer fans. Now almost 3 years later it has arrived and it was more than worth the wait. From the simply stunning vista’s and surprisingly deep customization system it seems a foregone conclusion that the game is a resounding success.
The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and both ,newcomers to Warhammer 40k, and old fans have been celebrating the success of the game. The formula Space Marine 2 follows is deceptively simple. A short 7-8 hour campaign, 6 replayable missions with 6 diverse classes, and last but not least, a simple pvp system. The main story campaign is short, especially compared to most other story driven games. I don’t think this is a weakness of the game however, while it might only be 7-8 hours long, it is a very dense and well paced story. There is no filler and the action and excitement keeps rising all the way until the end. During the main campaign you send other squads of marines on their own missions that run in tandem with yours, hearing their updates on the comms and seeing their influence on the battlefield.
These other missions take the form of the operations, a separate gamemode where you can pick 1 of 6 classes with their own weapons and abilities and fight the enemies of the imperium your own way. Every weapon and every class has its own skill tree which allows for a high degree of customization both in look and way you want to play. This trend continues into the actual customization of your looks, you can unlock little trophies and trinkets to put on your armor to show off your prestige. Beyond that you can spend the currency you earn by playing the game to buy upgrades for your gear or new armor decals and colors, named of course after the official paint colors for the warhammer minis. So you can create your marine to your own highly specific wishes, whether you want to rep one of the existing chapters or make your own custom marine, it's all possible through the in depth customization. I haven’t mentioned the pvp yet and that is not because it isn’t good. It's a very simple pvp mode, traitors vs loyalists, 6v6 and either TDM or capture zones. It’s a basic and fun gamemode and while it's not the main focus of the game it is more than enough for some fun with friends. All these features deliver a surprising breath of fresh air to the gaming scene and with an expansive roadmap planned by Saber Interactive, I am certain we’ll keep hearing about the success and triumph of Space Marine 2.
