Platform: PC
Developers: Streum On Studio, Cyanide Studio
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
MSRP: $39.99
Introduction:
I must admit, I am a Warhammer newbie. I have seen the series from afar for many years, but it had never really captured my attention in a way that made me feel like I had to see what all the fuss was about. Space Hulk: Deathwing sort of just fell into my lap, and my expectations when I began covering it weren’t terribly sky high. It wasn’t until Focus Home Interactive released an uncut 17-minute gameplay demo that I really started to look forward to it; and now that I have played it from start to finish, I am happy to say that I was not disappointed.
Granted, this is coming from someone who is a blank slate in the ways of Warhammer, so I am not privy to the characters, factions, or lore altogether. In that sense, the fact that Space Hulk: Deathwing skimmed over any remotely cohesive narrative doesn’t bother me one bit. I was happy to take the game in as a co-op tactical shooter, where all I had to worry about was shooting monsters in the face and keeping my guys healed.
As far as interactions go, Space Hulk: Deathwing does an excellent job of keeping the player invested, never letting them be a passive observer and taking the lead in every situation you come across as you traverse the dilapidated space barge from one objective to the next. No, Space Hulk’s goals almost never vary much from go here, press a button, now go here, but again, for me, it hardly mattered. I was in the midst of enjoying what I can only describe as a Horde Mode in motion, which makes up about 95% of what Space Hulk: Deathwing is.
Now, let’s break it down.
Space Hulk: Deathwing effortlessly captures the feeling of being an outrageously bulky Space Marine.
One of Space Hulk: Deathwing’s best assets are its attention to detail, and it all begins with how if feels to control your Space Marine. Your giant metal boots stomp on the ground, and you mow down Genestealer after Genestealer that gets in your way with your Storm Bolter rifle or the Mace of Absolution (once you unlock it). Most enemies fall satisfyingly quickly, but it never feels too easy since 6-7 more follow right behind it. Doorways and walls shatter like glass when you decide to smash your way through rather than lock the door behind you, and although it is a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, it just feels right.
Your weapons are just as bulky as the character you control, and for the most part, they all play differently, which makes it tons of fun to experiment with each new weapon you unlock. Figuring out load outs for each of your characters to find that perfect balance is just as fun, and once you have all of the weapons at your disposal, you’ll see that some weapons end up working better than others. Which weapons you choose are oddly dependent on whether you decide to play solo or with friends, since you’ll come to find out that your companions are not as reliable as you’d like.
Space Hulk: Deathwing’s companion A.I. is spotty at best, so if you can find friends to play with, do it.
If you choose to play through Space Hulk: Deathwing alone, be prepared to do some babysitting. Your two companions, Brother Barachiel and Brother Nahum often serve as little more than a distraction for the enemy hordes and don’t seem to have the mind to ask for or give healing, so you always have to keep an eye on their health gauges. I can’t tell you how many times I would overcome an encounter only to realize that one or both of them had been knocked out, so I would have to burn a Psygate just to revive them.
Psygates serve as outs for when things get too hairy. They teleport you to safety so that you can heal and readjust your loadout on the fly. Unfortunately, you only get three of them per mission, so you learn to stay on top of your companions rather quickly. Obviously, this problem is nullified if you play with friends, so doing so is highly recommended.
Space Hulk: Deathwing has strong art direction and attention to detail, but falters regarding its polish and getting players invested in its story.
I haven’t seen too many games with the level of detail that Space Hulk: Deathwing puts into its environmental set pieces and (especially) weapons. When light reflects just right off of your Force Sword, you will see an inscription that serves as a reminder and motivation for your character in the darkest of times. It’s just a shame that the game doesn’t adequately express why what you are doing is important in the grand scheme of things.
I have seriously needed to look up character names every single time just to remember them since none of them ever do anything to stand out. Barachiel and Nahum have almost the exact same personality and serve only as vessels for their combat roles and narrative context; the latter of which is feeble and underdeveloped. It’s a shame because the story was advertised to be much more than it is leading up to release as the campaign was written by Black Library author and Dark Angels specialist Gav Thorpe. While in the technical sense it is true, there’s nothing substantial about what goes on in Space Hulk: Deathwing that makes you think, “man, someone who knew what they were doing totally wrote this.” Whatever narrative context you do get, generally comes in the form of briefings between the missions, which fails to drive home anything remotely engaging.
Verdict:
Space Hulk: Deathwing is a good shooter that needs to be looked upon with reasonable expectations. As a solo game, it’s tough to fully endorse to a wide range of gamers due to its lackluster story and A.I. babysitting. I did, however, find the game to be enjoyable overall, as I felt that I was dictating every decision, which is what a game that describes itself as “Tactical” should allow.
That said, there are moments where you will need to bail out your A.I. companions in situations that aren’t anything too taxing, which is where the babysitting aspect shines through. But, as I’ve already mentioned, playing the game with friends alleviates this issue, and if you have any appreciation for Warhammer, you’ll likely enjoy the name drops and atmosphere.
