Space Marine 2: A Symphony of Slaughter
How Space Marine 2 delivers a nostalgic dose of chaotic action reminiscent of the best Gears of War
CHAOS is one of the best words to describe Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. It's gritty with its bloodshed, dark with its weird lore, and constantly leaves us wondering, "How the heck did all of this happen?" Every time I saw the game, I felt the Space Marines were badass in how they carried themselves, even in the clutches of death. They show no fear, and with their anger, they can wipe out a horde—but as a team and army, they can withstand anything. It's been 14 years since the first game, and I remember why I was always intrigued by it. I kind of regret not getting into it before, but that’s why I’m so excited: they just recently released a remaster of the first game in the Space Marine series, so there’s even more to explore. The main thing that really caught my eye about Space Marine 2 was how similar it looked and felt to Gears of War, especially Gears of War 3. It was a feeling we hadn’t had in a while, like an itch that needed to be scratched, because goddamn, this game is so fun.
Space Marine 2 throws you straight into the campaign with its opening mission. It felt like I was fighting for my life because the game wanted to see if I could survive on my own before meeting my squad, who would question me but also help me on my journey to stop the CHAOS. The story is straightforward at first, but it can get pretty intense, especially all the way towards the end. Before going out for each mission, it definitely feels like it’ll be the end for everyone because of how serious the tone is and how well they convey how bad things can turn. I also like that the main character, Titus, is seen as someone who hides everything about himself, and his teammates are trying to figure out why he’s with them. The suspicion is noted, and it's interesting to be on another side of the coin, rather than being the hero with no flaws - it’s more of an antihero with a more grounded, realistic tone.
With each area or planet, you land on, it always features insane but destructive visuals. It’s like death is all around you, but there will be many times where you’ll think, “Damn, that forest is beautiful,” or “Oh no, a fallen brother… but look at that destroyed city, it's so detailed.” They did such a great job not only with the world-building but the environments themselves. It makes you wonder what it could have been if the Tyranids hadn't attacked. Speaking of the Tyranids, man, this game can amaze you at times with the hordes of enemies thrown at you, like the flying Kryll-like monsters. It's like a scene right out of Gears of War, and it’s fantastic. At first, I thought they were background scenery in certain sections but seeing them scale the walls to get to you and attack the squad kept you on your toes. I don’t know how they did it, but they were able to make you feel like you were the only people there, with the number of enemies you saw in the background, and it was low-key horrific to see how much space they took up.
The combat is literally what makes Space Marine 2 stand on its own. It’s straight out of Gears of War, but with a lot more standing tall against your enemies. It gets messy—body parts flying around as you saw through them with your blade, and new enemies come to face you. There’s never a point where you feel the need to run because of how powerful your character feels. You can fight, rip them apart, and fight until you fall. Not only do you have that awesome chainsaw sword, but you also get to use different badass guns that really just boil down to your preference because they all do a lot of damage. For example, the Melta Rifle is basically a widespread heat shotgun that clears waves of enemies in front of you, or the Las Fusil—an amazing sniper where just two headshots can finish off enemies with ease.
The enemy variety is small but not bad, given how chaotic everything can get. My favorite fights are definitely those boss battles! They were surprising, especially because we weren't expecting that at all. It can get wild but keeps you locked into the battle because of how good it can get. They didn’t seem unfair, but they did feel a little cheap at times, like how one boss chased my brother around and only focused on him when he had low health, so the rest of us were able to take him down easily. But don't be fooled; even the small common enemies can pack a punch if you're not paying attention! You can be completely overwhelmed and go down or die in higher difficulties.
Multiplayer felt incredibly nostalgic and fun to me. The loading into games and facing opponents felt very similar to Gears of War in format, just without executions and wall bouncing. It was a throwback to how my brother and I would always team up and have fun pulling all-nighters in multiplayer. Teamwork is essential to winning matches, even in something as simple as Annihilation (team deathmatch), because you can quickly get bombarded by someone flying through the sky while another tries to slash you. There's ammo scattered around the map in case you run out while fighting for your life, and awesome abilities that help you pinpoint nearby enemies or allow you to fly and slam down with your hammer.
What surprised me was the map design and its verticality. It's actually quite good but can feel a bit like cheating when it works in your favor. Everyone might be running around fighting, but you can sometimes cheese it a little, annoying the other team by hanging back and sniping at spawn or finding the right choke points and showing no mercy. When it's done to you, it is what it is, but very annoying. I genuinely enjoy the fact that you can unlock things just by playing the game, which is a rarity in multiplayer games nowadays. Furthermore, the amount of content added with recent updates is amazing, demonstrating the care and support put into this game, especially with the addition of new weapons, monsters, and maps. It was cool to see a season pass focus solely on cosmetics rather than hiding significant content behind a paywall.
Space Marine 2, to me, is one of the best action games I played in 2024 and even today! They didn't have to go so hard with this game, but they did. I'm very happy they had the chance to be nominated at The Game Awards. Space Marine 2 receives my recommendation and a rating of 5 Heretics out of 5 Tyranids. I can't wait to see what they're going to do next, especially since they recently announced they are making Space Marine 3! It's going to be just as good, if not better.