All of us on the development team have been fans of Games Workshop's classic Warhammer 40,000 universe for years, and we were really inspired to maintain the essence of brutal warfare in the 41st millennium while developing this title. Our goal from the outset has been to recreate units, weapons and environments from the rich Warhammer 40,000 universe as authentically as possible and combine it with our already-proven game mechanics to deliver a unique turn-based strategy experience on handheld. In that sense, we've created a game that is very reminiscent of those table-top battles and brought the universe to a new audience of gamers who can play Warhammer 40,000 whenever they want.

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command is a tactical turn-based action game set in the far future. There are 3 game modes: the single-player campaign, which has 15 missions and Global and Local multiplayer game with 9 multiplayer maps. The single-player campaign gives the player the command of Ultramarines chapter of the Space Marines. The multiplayer action takes place in the same environments as the single-player campaign, on maps ranging from 2 to 8 players. The single-player campaign lets the player control Ultramarines and, later on, Grey Knights Terminators. In the multiplayer games the players can choose from different chapters of Space Marines (Imperium has Ultramarines, Salamanders and Imperial Fists; Chaos Word Bearers, Warriors of Mayhem and Black Legion).

Combat

The weapons and units in Warhammmer 40,000: Squad Command are modeled after the tabletop game. The story and the proceedings require no prior knowledge of the franchise.
The player gets to command a squad of six units. And as the player advances in the campaign the units in his/her squad and the enemy get stronger and stronger. All in all, Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command has 19 types of units and more than 20 types of weapons.

Armament ranges from light-weight melee weapons to heavy artillery like the Lascannon and Missile Launcher. Different weapons have different action point cost. This means that a lightly armed unit is more maneuverable and able to cover more ground in a turn than its heavier armed counterpart.

Environmental Destruction

The environments – the set battlefields – are fully destructible. This gives the player a wider scope of tactical possibilities. Units are not tied to set routes; the enemy can be engaged in different ways, and so forth. Different environments of Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command have distinctive architectures, building types and terrain formations. As everything on the battlefield is destructible, the action never stops. This helps in keeping the tempo up in single-player levels, and makes certain that no two multiplayer games are the same.

Strategy, Strategy, Strategy

The view of the battlefield is set. The player is able to move the camera to some extent, but this is not required to grasp the action or the positioning of the units on the map as the enemies – and player units – are visible even behind walls and other objects. This is made possible by making the obstructing elements transparent to allow acquisition of targets and to help in defining the best tactical positioning of your units. Correct use of cover and the properties of different objects is a key to victory. A unit caught in the open is an easy kill. It is far better to look for a cover behind objects unless you can make sure the target will go down on your turn and there are no more enemy units in range to retaliate. Destroyed objects cause splash damage to nearby units and objects. The damage caused depends on the object: fuel canisters are more dangerous than pieces of walls, when destroyed. Defensive positions will wither away under fire, so keeping moving is usually a preferred tactic.

By: Leo Kihlman, Lead Designer, Red Lynx

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