Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a polished, respectful and generous sequel that feels like a fusion of the first game’s designs with Saber Interactive’s World War Z foundations. It feels slightly out of time, but in a good way like Outriders or the more recent Evil West. Those who’ve been waiting 13 years for a sequel won’t be disappointed, but the grittier tone, a campaign built around online co-op, and increased gameplay complexity make for a sequel that loses much of the simple charm and humour of its predecessor.



Despite the title, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 shifts to the beginning of the 42nd millennium during the Indominus Crusade. Primarch Guilliman has returned to reclaim the battered Imperium of Man from Chaos and Xenos alike, but the arrival of the ravenous Tyranid Hive Fleet “Leviathan” threatens to consume everything. In the Recidious System, the Astartes and Astra Militarum are deployed to fend off a splinter fleet and salvage yet another secretive Adeptus Mechanicus project with “absolute strategic value”. As you would expect from the W40K universe, nothing is as simple as it appears and it soon becomes obvious the forces of Chaos are operating in the background, taking advantage of the invasion for their own ends.



Demetrian Titus returns having spent a century serving penance with the Inquisition’s Deathwatch for his suspected corruption during events on Graia. An early mission to stall the Tyranids leaves him mortally wounded, but he’s saved through the Rubicon surgery, reborn as a Primaris Space Marine, and reinstated with the Ultramarines under the Chapter Master Calgar’s orders – albeit under the watchful eyes of the company chaplain. As in the first game, what follows is a succession of desperate missions to save a dying system: aiding the Imperial Guard, restoring orbital cannons, rescuing key personal and data, aiding in the defence of a hive-world, uncovering Chaos plots, and ultimately discovering the truth behind “Project Aurora” and its link to his past.

As a narrative-heavy campaign, it’s compelling enough with plenty of stylish cutscenes and evolving in-game banter between Titus and his new battle-brothers... but it's also incessantly grim, devoid of any humour, and lacks memorable villains like the Ork Warboss Grimskull or the demon Nemeroth in the first game. The Tyranids are a terrifying threat but they have zero personality compared to the Orks, while the forces of Chaos seem less vocal this time aside from boss fight rants that were hard to follow mid-battle.

As a narrative-heavy campaign, it’s compelling enough with plenty of stylish cutscenes and evolving in-game banter between Titus and his new battle-brothers...

The best W40K stories show some degree of self-awareness given the absurdity of the universe its cast inhabits, yet there’s none to be found here, even during the spectacle-filled finale that has you fighting alongside dozens of guardsmen, battle-brothers, dreadnoughts, and the Chapter Master himself. The first game highlighted both the strengths and failings of the Ultramarines’ dogmatic approach to war and brotherhood, while the sequel doubles down on tireless devotion, righteous hate and heavily armoured bro-fists as the cure for all ills.



In gameplay terms, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 doesn’t stray far from the original’s formula – it just expands the scope and adds complexity, for better and possibly worse depending on your tastes. You still stomp through linear environments between cutscenes, set-pieces and boss fights – across three planets this time. You’ll deal with hordes of xenos and heretics in a mix of tight and wide corridors, with several hold-out moments or key-hunts, before a path forward reveals itself – usually by way of pushing a button, shoving aside some debris, or dispelling a warp barrier.

A convenient “display objectives” button will always show you the right direction, so it’s easy to spot rare branching paths that might lead to heavy weapons, a handy self-revive relic, or audio-logs that are, for the most part, bland reports less effective at world-building than the mini-story arcs told over several chapters in the first game. It’s a dated and restrictive design, sure – but it ensures good narrative pacing, draws your attention to the many stunning and war-torn backdrops, and there’s a steadily escalating difficulty curve that sees early bosses become mini-boss encounters down the line.



The basic rhythm of alternating between ranged attacks and melee combos remains intact and as satisfying as ever – especially when a jump pack and/or thunder hammer is involved. In theory, there’s a bigger arsenal (albeit mostly Bolter variants); there are massive Tyranid horde moments clearly inspired by World War Z mechanics; and an updated, more complex melee system that rewards both tactical play and quick reactions.

In gameplay terms, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 doesn’t stray far from the original’s formula – it just expands the scope and adds complexity, for better and possibly worse depending on your tastes.

Counters and quick shots can insta-kill small enemies and stun larger foes; staying on the offensive or using Titus’ hero ability can see you claw back lost health instead of relying on limited stimms; and you can execute weakened enemies to gain a brief moment of invulnerability and instantly fill slowly recharging armour slots. Large Tyranid variants bolster lesser foes, but slaying them first can stun or outright kill others through synaptic shock thanks to their hive-mind connection. Some much-needed variety arrives around the midpoint with the emergence of a traitor legion, human heretics, and demons – most of which prefer to engage at range and use traditional Space Marine weaponry or warp powers.



As in the original, firing or swinging your chainsword blindly will both see you come up short – even on lower difficulties. Most enemies have the ability to disrupt attacks, deflect shots or blows, and knock you back, so it’s important you aim your shots, direct your swings when surrounded by hordes, finish combos with AoE charged attacks, and keep and eye out for counter and quick-shot prompts – often difficult to do in the chaos of battle. You have a few grenade variants and, naturally, anything red or glowing blue in the environment is just waiting to explode.

The boss fights are more hit-and-miss and they often drag on too long, highlighting the co-op-oriented foundations. They are, at least, a reminder to use the dodge button and you’ll appreciate your companions ability to revive you or draw aggro. If you’re playing solo, your companions are about on par with those seen in Gears 5; you’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to damaging targets, but they’ll prioritise reviving you, cut through lesser foes, and execute any dazed stragglers you’ve left behind.



I didn’t spend much time with the online modes during the review window, but the highlights for me are the PvE “Operations” that unlock as you hit story milestones. It’s an opportunity to experience the missions that Titus sends his fire-teams on during the campaign, with unique locations, set-pieces, and boss fights. They can be tackled solo – but you need to switch game modes and brace for tougher missions with little downtime, no checkpoints to reload if you fail an objective, and an instant-fail state if you’re killed outright.

Much like World War Z, you can pick from different classes with three weapon load-outs, a unique hero ability, and a simple XP-driven progression system that provides passive perks, incremental weapon upgrades, and hundreds of cosmetic options. If you can, always team up with other players as the AI struggles to keep up and you can respawn after a minute – so long as someone in your fire-team is still standing.

The boss fights are more hit-and-miss and they often drag on too long, highlighting the co-op-oriented foundations.

I spent less time with the three PvP “Eternal War” modes but, as in the first game, it might offer a decent alternative for fans of Gears of War-style PvP. Unlike most modern PvP titles, it has a much longer time-to-kill coupled with slower, clunkier movement, so you’re forced to be tactical about positioning, engagement range, and coordinating fire, irrespective of the class you pick. With the promise of a year of free and season pass content, these modes could give the game decent longevity but it’s the PvE mode that desperately needs more missions and modifiers at present.



Moving onto some technical aspects, there’s no denying how good Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 looks or what an impressive sense of scale it creates despite the corridor-shooter design. There’s incredible attention to fine details when it comes to the character models and animations, and environments feel dense, detailed, and packed with props, crumbling masonry, or splintering foliage. Many backdrops feature dynamic battles, firefights and melee brawls are loud and crunchy, and the soundtrack always enhances the atmosphere – even if it’s not as prominent as in the original. Special mention needs to go to the screen-filling particle effects that were often impressive to the point of distracting, especially in warp-tainted areas or during boss fights.

Would it be considered a current-gen technical achievement? Probably not, but it runs well and is more visually striking than many modern Unreal Engine 5 releases that rely on photogrammetry for textures, enabling every engine feature available, and adding that as a marketing bullet-point. In contrast, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a reminder that artistry and hand-crafted designs are more important than technical prowess and will age more gracefully.



That said, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has issues as a consequence of its planet-hopping campaign and online focus. With frequent location shifts, time-jumps, and loading between many zones, it no longer feels as cohesive and continuous as the original – a game in which you’d often battle towards massive landmarks over several chapters with no loading screens.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a reminder that artistry and hand-crafted designs are more important than technical prowess and will age more gracefully.

More immersion breaking is the underwhelming Battle Barge hub that serves as a mission briefing area, houses an armoury to select your load-out, and offers terminals to switch between the Campaign, Operations, and Eternal War mode. If the campaign had better flow with some dedicated solo or offline mode, I’d have been fine with it, but you can’t even reload a mission checkpoint without first loading into the Battle Barge hub, then boarding the Thunderhawk dropship for another loading screen, before you’re finally back at the last campaign checkpoint.



Despite ending with some gripes, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is still almost everything I wanted as a fan of the original, and I am psyched to spend more time tackling both the campaign again and more PvE Operations in co-op with some mates. It works best as a direct sequel – with similar narrative beats, plenty of references to the first game, and even some familiar but reworked set-pieces – so I’m not entirely sure it’ll convince a fresh audience what all the fuss is about. I’d strongly recommend you first play 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine first (on PC, Xbox 360, or PS3), but newcomers who enjoy run-and-gun power-fantasies like Gears of War, Outriders and Evil West should still find plenty of mechanical satisfaction blasting and bludgeoning their way through hordes of xenos and heretics alike – especially if you have some friends to bring along for the ride.

*Xbox Series Review code provided by Focus Entertainment