Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 review: Is the gory sci-fi action game worth playing?

The previous Space Marine game came out in 2011 on PS3 and Xbox 360. That one was made by Relic Entertainment, but the new one comes to us from Saber Interactive (World War Z).

That’s not the only difference, either, with the previous game’s lead actor Mark Strong being replaced in the new game by Clive Standen (who played Rollo in the TV show Vikings).

Standen plays Titus, an elite warrior in the Space Marines, a chunky-armour-wearing military force who are battling somewhat endlessly against some alien nasties called Tyranids.

That is, basically, all you need to know about the story. The Warhammer lore is dense and deep, but this reviewer is a total noob, and I’m pleased to report that this lack of prior knowledge did not stop me from dropping into the game and having a good time.

Action is clearly the main focus here, with Space Marine 2 offering a pretty unique blend of ranged combat and melee.

When your enemies are a decent distance away, you’ll want to use big ol’ guns and powerful grenades to keep them at bay.

The shooting is pretty solid, and the introduction of new weapons throughout the campaign will keep presenting you with new challenges.

For example, you’ll be let loose with a flamethrower at certain points, which offers a nice change of pace.

When your foes get closer, you’ll want to swap into melee mode. For me, this is where the game really shines, with parry timing becoming a critical tool in your arsenal. Time a parry perfectly and you’ll create an opening for a powerful return volley.

In melee mode, you’ll also be presented with opportunities for 'executions', over the top takedown animations that are just absolutely glorious in their gory-ness. As well as looking absolutely epic, these will also refill your shields.

You’ll certainly want to keep an eye on those shields, and your health bar, because both can reduce dramatically and quickly if you’re not careful.

The real showpiece of the game is Saber's Swarm Engine, a piece of technology that absolutely packs the screen with enemies.

If you played World War Z, you’ll know roughly what to expect here, as the alien hordes clamber on top of each other to reach new areas and potentially overwhelm you.

This technology is so impressive, and it adds a real tension to the game's action sequences. If you don’t get the ranged bits right (using grenades and guns to blow holes in the swarm), you'll really struggle when the horde reaches melee range.

The enemy variety is pretty impressive, as well, and there’s a certain flow state you'll enter once you learn which attacks can be parried and dodged, and which enemies will threaten you in which ways.

All in all, the mechanics of the combat are really great. If you’ve ever enjoyed a DOOM game, a Helldivers game, a Gears of War game, or even something like Outriders, you’ll probably have a great time blasting through the alien hordes here.

You can play alone or with friends in a robust campaign, and there are other modes on offer, too.

We particularly enjoyed the Operations Mode, a PVE experience where you tackle side story missions that sit alongside the main campaign. There are also PVP experience available, which should give the game a decent shelf life.

As much as the minute-to-minute combat is epic and exciting, you could argue that the mission types are a bit repetitive and even border on cliches at some points.

By the third time you’ve defended an important power source from the horde, you might find yourself wishing for something a bit more structurally interesting.

That being said, the campaign does gradually introduce new elements – like jet packs! – to keep things from going completely stale.

Another qualm I have is with the characters in the game. I don’t find many of them very memorable, with a number of the main cast being quite tropey (the grizzled veteran, the idealistic newcomer, and so on), which doesn’t give you much to cling onto from an emotional investment point of view.

Despite that, there’s no denying that Space Marine 2 is a good time. If you’re an action game fan that enjoys a sci-fi setting, you’ll happily spend quite a few hours blasting and tearing through Tyranids. And what more could you really want?

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 launches today (9th September) on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. We reviewed on both Xbox consoles. You can order your copy now.

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