| Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II | |
| Developer: | Saber Interactive |
| Publisher: | Focus Entertainment |
| Series: | Warhammer 40,000 |
| Engine: | Swarm Engine[1] |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox Series X/S |
| Released: | 9 September 2024 |
| Genre: | Third-person shooter, hack-n-slash |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II is an upcoming third-person shooter hack-n-slash video game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment. A sequel to (2011), the game is scheduled to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X and Series S on 9 September 2024.
In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, the player engages enemies using a mix of both melee and ranged combat from a third-person point of view.[2] The player controls Titus, a lieutenant of the Ultramarines chapter and returning protagonist from the first game. Titus is accompanied by fellow Space Marines Chairon and Gadriel throughout the campaign who can be controlled by other players in the game's cooperative multiplayer mode or by artificial intelligence (AI) in single player.[3] [4]
The game utilizes ranged combat when facing weaker enemies (such as Tyranid Gaunts), while hack and slash combat is required when fighting more powerful enemies (such as the Tyranid warrior) that can block incoming projectile damage. Players can parry an opponent's attack, though some hostile attacks are unblockable and therefore must be dodged. Additionally, the player can fight alongside imperial guard foot soldiers controlled by AI throughout sections of the game. Titus is protected by armor. When his armor breaks, his health will drop permanently when he is attacked. Health will only replenish when the player recovers medkits in the game's battlefield. His armor, however, will regenerate after Titus performs an execution attack on an enemy.[5] If a character's health is depleted the character will drop to the ground and bleed out for 30 seconds during which other characters can revive them before they die.[6]
The game also supports a separate cooperative mode named "Operations”, and three 6v6 competitive multiplayer modes (Annihilation, Seize Ground, and Capture and Control). Players can choose from six different character classes and freely customize their player avatar with various cosmetic items.[7]
The game is set in the 42nd Millennium, during the Era Indomitus, the Age of the Dark Imperium. After the return of Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, the Imperium of Man has launched a galaxy-wide and a decade-long campaign known as the Indomitus Crusade with the goal of reclaiming lost worlds from its enemies and bringing it back from the brink of collapse. However, when it seems that the Imperium have gained the upper hand, an alien race known as the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan emerge from the western part of the galaxy and in greater numbers than ever before. This starts the 4th Tyrannic War.
The game's main enemies are the Tyranids (believed to be a splinter of Hive Fleet Leviathan) and the forces of Chaos. The Tyranids are an extragalactic insectoid race whose sole purpose is to consume all forms of biomatter. The forces of Chaos return from the first game, followers of the daemonic Gods of Chaos. Confirmed to feature in the game are the Thousand Sons, one of the nine Traitor Astartes Legions who are devoted to Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Sorcery, Manipulation and Mutation.
After the events of the first game, Captain Demetrian Titus (Clive Standen) of the Ultramarines Chapter was imprisoned by Inquisitor Thrax on charges of heresy due to his resistance to the powers of chaos. Although he was deemed free of chaos taint, Inquisitor Thrax continued to imprison Titus for a century and under torture. Thrax was later killed by other members of the Inquisition on the charge of heresy and Titus was freed and allowed to return to his chapter. Titus instead chose self-imposed penance by becoming a Blackshield and joining the Deathwatch (an order composed of Space Marines from multiple chapters dedicated to hunting and exterminating alien threats) under the belief that he had disgraced his chapter.
A Tyranid splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Leviathan has invaded the Imperial controlled Recidious System. Archmagos Nozick Beta 12 of the Adeptus Mechanicus has called for aid to defend the jungle planet of Kadaku and to safeguard a secret project called "Project Aurora". Demetrian Titus, who has served in the Deathwatch for nearly a century, is sent with his Kill Team to aid in the defense of Kadaku. During the descent, Titus is separated from his squad and is too late to save any of them. Carrying a virus bomb, he manages to launch the virus bomb into the stratosphere with the hopes that the virus will slowly eliminate the Tyranids on the surface. Surrounded, he is mortally wounded but is saved by the Ultramarines.
Waking up, he is greeted by Chaplain Quintus and is informed that under orders of his Chapter Master, Marneus Calgar, Titus has undergone the Rubicon Primaris (a process which transforms Firstborn Marines into Primaris Marines, who are taller, stronger and faster than the former) in order to save Titus' life. Titus, still believing that he has disgraced his chapter, intends to return to the Deathwatch, but Quintus reminds him that he was declared free of chaos taint and if Titus truly yearns for redemption, then he must return to his chapter and aid them in repelling the Tyranids.
After donning Primaris powered armor, Quintus orders Titus to keep his past as a Blackshield a secret and to report to Sevastus Acheran, the new Captain of the Ultramarines 2nd Company. Acheran has his reservations of Titus' reinstatement, but nonetheless gives him command of a squad. Joining Titus are Brother-Sergeant Gadriel and Brother Chairon.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was announced on 9 December 2021 with a cinematic trailer at The Game Awards 2021. It was confirmed that Captain Titus was making his return and has become a Primaris Space Marine. The game takes place in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe and features the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines. The Tyranids will be featured as enemies.[8] It was also announced that the role of Titus had been recast (he was voiced by Mark Strong in the original game), and he will be voiced by Clive Standen.[9] [10] [11] A gameplay reveal was shown at The Game Awards 2022.[12]
In June 2023, at Summer Game Fest 2023, it was confirmed the campaign would feature three player co-op with either other players or AI, it was additionally revealed that the game was set for a 'winter' 2023 release.[13] [14] [15] [16] A gameplay trailer was released at the end of August, as well as confirmation that there would be a beta release.[17] [18] [19]
In September 2023, Games Workshop released a board game based on the game which includes a miniature model of Titus.[20] In November, Games Workshop and Wētā Workshop revealed several statuettes in the works, with one of them being a statuette of Titus with interchangeable weapons and heads.[21]
Space Marine 2 was originally scheduled to release for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X and Series S in 2023, before being delayed to 9 September 2024.[22] [23] [24] [25] In June 2024, developer Saber Interactive announced that the planned beta was cancelled in order to focus on getting the game ready for the launch date.[26]