Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine wasn't the first game in the franchise to reach consoles. There was the tactical shooter Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels for the 32-bit consoles, the first-person shooter Fire Warrior for the PS2, and Squad Command for the PSP and Nintendo DS. Yet the 2011 third-person shooter absolutely nailed the feeling of being a big, hulking Space Marine. It was an absolutely fun game that did well with both critics and players, but it somehow didn't see an immediate sequel. We are finally seeing a sequel 13 years later with a different publisher and developer, and the new team completely understands what made the original game tick.

The story is set long after the events of the first title. After Demetrian Titus has served time in the Deathsquad as penance for his supposed crime of heresy, the tribunal finds him innocent of the charges. He is reinstated into the Marines with an upgrade to Primaris — and a demotion to lieutenant. His first assignment with his squad is to stop the Tyranid invasion of the Recidious System, but it doesn't take long for him and his squad to discover that something else is amiss, and it involves the work of Chaos.

The story pacing is done well, and the twists keep the campaign from growing stale. The characters are well rounded within the confines of the game universe. Considering Titus' spotty past, there's ample opportunity for distrust, but there are enough intriguing elements to suck in players who aren't familiar with the 40K setting.

The game can be properly split up into three main modes, with the first being the Campaign. If you've played the first game, then you'll be familiar with how the fighting in this sequel works since the mechanics are largely the same. You've got a melee attack that uses things like warhammers, large combat knives, or chainswords. You can carry up to two firearms at a time, from a sniper rifle to assault rifles and the signature boltgun. Players can perform dodges and finishing moves in addition to parrying some attacks. While you need stimpacks to replenish health, you also have a regenerative shield to work with that briefly increases overall attack power while replenishing health.

Just like in the first game, the combat system rewards smart play over simple button-mashing. You can try to simply melee through the game, but the sheer number of foes who use guns will quickly disabuse you of the notion. Using guns is practical, but you're given just enough ammo to take down enemies — if all of your shots are lethal and you don't ever miss. You need to balance fighting from afar and fighting up close, especially since stunning bigger enemies awards you with the opportunity to see a gory glory kill and the chance to get your shield replenished.

The major differentiator in the combat system comes from the sheer number of enemies you face. Taking what the team created for World War Z, a good chunk of fights with the Tyranids will pit your three-person squad against large hordes of the beasts. The number of enemies you'll see at any time is impressive, and you'll recognize things from Saber's licensed zombie shooter, like the rivers of enemies coming forth and how the Tyranids use each other like ladders. The presence of these large enemy swarms re-emphasizes how easily you can get killed. Eliminating the threat on your own also establishes the power of the soldiers in the universe.

The change in combat is complemented by the level design. The game remains a linear jaunt, but there are a few detours to uncover more ammo or different weapons from what's available in the weapon caches at checkpoints. Variety comes in the form of levels that require a jetpack and some light platforming, but most levels feature winding paths of various elevations. Only a few places have invisible walls to guide you where you need to go. Having to protect an area from invading enemy swarms happens quite often but isn't tiresome. Levels are long, but the checkpoint system mitigates that feeling, so you don't need to finish any of the missions in one go. Stages feel just right throughout the game's 10- to 12-hour campaign.

The only potential flaw is the quality of your AI brothers. For the most part, they're fine at attacking bunches of enemies and finishing them off. They're also good at reviving you when you fall, but they don't do so right away. Where they seem to falter is when you have different objectives to tend to, since they're concentrating on killing rather than going after specific spots. This becomes more problematic if you're playing the game at higher difficulty levels; you'll need to address the specific objectives yourself. Luckily, the game allows for multiplayer in the campaign, so those looking for a Gears of War-like co-op experience will see that this fits the bill.

Operations is the second game mode, and it acts as an alternate campaign rather than something completely different. It's both a dedicated multiplayer PvE mode and a way to fill in the blanks in the main story. You'll often be in contact with Titus and his squad, and you'll perform missions at the same time and on the same planet as in the campaign mode. What makes this different, aside from its focus on cooperative multiplayer, is the use of classes. Missions let you use different marine types like the Sniper or Bulwark, each with unique abilities. Pick a Tactical class, and you can tag enemies while you weaken them for your teammates, while the Vanguard is nimbler with a grappling hook. The gameplay feels more dynamic, and it feels different from the standard assault in the main campaign. There's an XP and leveling system for each class, so you can open up new abilities. It makes completed missions feel different even the second or third time around. This encourages replayability, even if the core structure doesn't change in different playthroughs.

Considering how much work Saber has put into making World War Z last longer than expected, it should come as no surprise that the developers have chosen this to be their main multiplayer focal point. It helps that a good portion of the patches released so far have focused on adding new weapons, difficulty levels, and stages for Operations mode. All of this content is free, with the only paid DLC coming in the form of cosmetics for your classes to create something similar to what you'd see in the real miniatures. It remains to be seen how long the outpouring of free content will continue, but it ensures that this separate campaign won't feel stale for a while.

The only potential issue with this mode is its insistence on multiplayer. Since this is structured fairly similarly to the Campaign mode, the idea of being able to go solo is tempting for those looking for a challenge. However, the game will always force you into matchmaking, so you're going to have to team up with someone to take on these missions. Solo play would've been a nice option to have, but the lack of solo play doesn't break the game.

The last of the modes is Eternal War, which feels like a throwback to the first game. This is the PvP mode, and the types of games on offer will be familiar, even if they've been given names for the Warhammer universe. Annihilation is a standard Team Deathmatch mode, with the winning team being the first one to hit 50 points. Capture & Control is a basic King of the Hill mode with three static zones to conquer, and Seize Ground is similar, but the control zone is reduced to just one that moves over time. Taken together, Eternal War feels like a back-to-basics approach to multiplayer that was prevalent before the first Space Marine hit the market. There's no such thing as player or ranked variations, and there are no stats to keep track of progress. You have an XP system in place that uses what was seen in Operations, but you can freely choose which class you want to play as, so there is some incentive to dive in if you get bored of playing the same missions multiple times while waiting for a new Operations mission to drop. It feels fun overall, and there's enough of a player base to ensure that you'll get a game going without much wait.

There is a nitpick: It may be difficult to find any of the multiplayer modes. The main menu only has a link to continue the campaign or start a new one, so you may think that all of the multiplayer modes need to be unlocked via the Campaign first. That's partially true, as you need to finish the tutorial missions and get access to your ship. From there, you need to get to a console and enter the chosen multiplayer mode before you can invite friends or join strangers for a multiplayer session. It's cumbersome, but at least the game doesn't require you to finish the Campaign first; all of the maps and missions are completely unlocked from the get-go.

Graphically, the game looks awesome. The war-torn environments look gorgeous due to their incredible amount of detail. It helps that the planets have different biomes, so you aren't looking at the same grays and browns that plagued the first game. The character animations also look nice, and the little things make them look authentic to the license, such as the lumbering movement of the Space Marines, sparks emitting from their boots when they stomp on metal, humans who show respect to the Marines by bowing and saluting in their presence, and the correct height for tanks and other vehicles. It all shows that the team behind Space Marine 2 is familiar with 40K and knows how to convey it all properly. The game doesn't slow down once you see the hordes of Tyranids flying and rampaging down to your area, and that makes the sights even more impressive. The game did encounter stuttering at a measured pace, but this could be because we're running the game at a native 4K with everything bumped to the max and with the optional 4K texture pack instead of the default one.

The sound is equally as impressive. The soundtrack is a good mix of action-packed instrumentals and feelings of doom that fit the world perfectly. The sound effects pack a punch, but it can sometimes be drowned out by the voices and the music. Speaking of voices, the performances are very well done, as the actors deliver some of the over-the-top dialogue with enough reverence that it never sounds silly. While Mark Strong is no longer Titus' voice, his voice sounds authoritative and carries enough mystery that it still fits the character.

If you're planning to play Space Marine 2 on the Steam Deck, you'll be pleased to know that the game runs on the device, despite the Unsupported tag on the Steam store page. It takes a while for the game to boot the first time, but load times for subsequent boots are better. The game runs at the device's native 1280x800 resolution, and the settings are all set to Low, with FSR set to Performance mode. The game looks a tad blurry as a result, but the sacrifice seems to be worth it, as the game runs at roughly 31fps, with dips only occurring when the game fills up with enemies. Even then, the frame rate drop is brief almost unnoticeable. The game can run almost three hours on a full charge on the LCD version of the Deck. That's very good when you consider how games that aren't as graphically intensive can easily drain the battery.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is an absolutely worthy sequel to the original game from Relic Entertainment. From the story to the combat system, the developers have done a good job of bringing over the strong elements of the first game and adding large hordes of enemies. The campaign's length feels good, and while the PvP aspect of the multiplayer will tickle the nostalgia bone, it is the PvE section of the multiplayer component and constant support that will keep the game installed on machines. Space Marine 2 is a great addition for anyone who's a fan of action games. Here's hoping that any potential sequel doesn't take another 13 years.

Score: 8.5/10