Warhammer fans are having a real good time of it just now on the videogame front, as there have been some cracking titles dropping – based on the tabletop war game, to the point there is even a crossover event just now with Call of Duty. The latest title to join the God Emperors ranks is Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, by Canadian based Complex Games and looks to give the Warhammer universe a bit of an X-Com vibe where you command a squad of Grey Knights in a fight against the forces of Nurgle who are attempting to release a plague on the galaxy called the Bloom.
Interestingly this is actually a sort of reboot of the 1998 game Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate. The Grey Knights are a secret order of the Imperium of Man. They are a chapter of Space Marines composed of psychics created by the Emperor of Mankind and Malcador the Sigilite, for the purpose of combating the daemonic forces of chaos. You start off in a very easy-going prologue that will teach you the ropes of the game, as well as give you a taste of the Warhammer universe if your new to its brand of bloodshed. All before you are dropped right into the thick of it, this is an extremely lore heavy tale that isn’t the most welcoming to newcomers, but fans who have read the tome of the Black Library will feel right at home. It’s delivered though a number of epic cut scenes, long winded chats with your space marine brothers and just general text logs. For a turn-based tactics game, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is a lot more story driven than others in the same space, and that’s very welcome. With you being able to shape your game through choices made here, a bit like text driven adventures of the past before you even fire a bolter.
Gameplay sees you taking to set battlefields with a squad of your armour-clad brothers, using an X-Com style system, where you have set action points to spend per round. As well as being able to set up overwatches and find cover. But even being a walking tank, your knights are very melee focused. So, anything wielding a firearm will out range you 9 times out of 10, so strategy plays a big part in its brand of combat. The game does do an OK job at explaining to you across the battles, with extra tutorials like using your psychic powers. The Grey Knights psychic powers come at a cost as well, as the power draws in daemons which will attack you through wrap gates, that open after a wrap bar fills, by using your psychic power too often. Also, like X-Com you’ll get a feel you are always on the back foot in a fight, which is true as you have to fight hard to first get up to pace, then keep that momentum going till the last shot is fired. It’s far from a walk in the park and defence is all part of the learning curve.
Unlike X-Com, each attack in Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is not RNG based. So, if you can see it, you can blast it – which is a refreshing system instead of being right in front of an enemy and missing them, because the dice god just didn’t like you in that turn. Do well and you’ll get upgrades and rewards to make your squad stronger and much more survivable – which is the key element, as though the top brass sees you as expendable, you really need to make it back to get the best points, for the more powerful goodies. You’ll also get to upgrade your ship and carry out research which will open up new tactics and abilities, though it can take a bit of time to get going. Weather the storm and you’ll come out the other side, with a true killing team, just getting there is a rough ride no matter how you look at it.
Visually the game is dank, grim, dark and forbidding… everything you would expect from a Warhammer title based on battling the forces of Nurgle. All while the space marines themselves are highly detailed customisable beacons of carnage. Sound-wise the soundtrack is bombastic and foreboding in equal measures, while you blast through wet, gooey and mushy sounding hellscapes, all while your knights are heavy weighted tanks thudding around and hitting hard. It’s made complete with that upper class English accent you would expect from a God Emperor servant. Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is a solid title offering, a hard as nails entry point on both the gameplay and tale front. Keep track of all the moving parts and you’ll be rewarded with some high-stake thrills, but getting to them is a brutal blood-soaked slog that many will likely not see.
An Xbox review copy of Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters was provided by Complex Games’ PR team. The game is available now on Xbox, PC, PlayStation for around £30 depending on platform.
The Verdict
Stuart Cullen
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