In a meat-and-potatoes sense, House Marine 2 is a freaking dream to play. Titus, who turns into a Primaris Marine early on within the marketing campaign, strikes round as you’ll anticipate an armored-up, hulking supersoldier to maneuver. He’s not precisely tank-like, however he’s not as nimble because the Tyranids he’s mowing by way of both. He feels strong and powerful, his each ground-shaking step complemented completely by the rumble on the PS5‘s DualSense controller. Melee fight is visceral and crunchy, with assaults, combos, and parries all feeling responsive. Ranged fight feels punchy and tactile as properly, and the entire weapons, from the chainsword, to the frag grenades, to the plasma weapons, have a satisfying kick to them. After ending the marketing campaign, I can confidently say I don’t see the gameplay getting previous anytime quickly. I’m having a blast.
That being mentioned, if you happen to’re a fan of third-person shooters, this sport goes to really feel tremendous acquainted to you. This isn’t a foul factor, however to make my subsequent level, I’ve to acknowledge that the gameplay right here, whereas nice, isn’t notably novel or groundbreaking. However what does really feel new is the aforementioned sense of scale whereas taking part in by way of the marketing campaign. Using the Swarm Engine first applied by Saber for World Battle Z, House Marine 2 conjures incalculably huge hordes of enemies to populate the sport’s huge environments. After I first noticed a tidal wave of hundreds of Tyranids closing in on my three-man workforce’s location from seemingly miles away, it was without delay exhilarating and mortifying. I used to be bodily bracing myself for the battle that was to come back–it was a real thrill.
And when the horde did lastly descend on my squad, it was unbelievably intense. The display screen was so full of enemies it was exhausting to search out my bearings. I used to be hacking, slashing, taking pictures, rolling, parrying, and dropping a unending flurry of f-bombs. My armor would deplete, then I’d refill it by executing one of many larger Tyranids, after which I’d get completely mauled and downed by a gaggle of minions I’d forgotten had been behind me. Then considered one of my brothers would revive me and I’d re-enter the fray, swinging my energy sword at something that moved. I used to be by no means positive I used to be going to win, my coronary heart charge was elevated, and it was pure chaos.
I like the sense of rigidity the sport always builds towards, and a lot of it comes from that second the place you see these hundreds of enemies coming at you within the distance, not in a pre-rendered cutscenes however in-game, whereas I had management of my character, and this made a world of distinction. It added a lot to the second that I might see, hear, and, most significantly, really feel precisely what I used to be up in opposition to, in actual time, and it made the suspense all of the extra palpable.
The deeper level is that this: This battle and so many others within the sport couldn’t have existed previous to this era of video games. Machines merely weren’t highly effective sufficient to populate the display screen with this many characters, and this technical feat shouldn’t be dismissed as merely decorative or “cool-looking.” Whilst you can’t in the end work together with each enemy you see in that horde speeding your approach, seeing all of them onscreen without delay contributes to the sensation that you just’re collaborating in a battle that’s astronomically bigger than a trio of tremendous troopers, with battles occurring off-screen, past the body. This sense of enormity actually elevates core mechanics which might be really fairly conventional.
House Marines 2 proves that, when achieved the fitting approach, larger actually is higher and extra is extra. And a part of what I imply by “the fitting approach” is that Saber doesn’t overlook to concentrate to the small print. Whereas the battles are enormous, they by no means really feel foolish or arcade-y as a result of the marketing campaign specifically by no means loses sight of the human aspect, which is the bond between Titus and his Brothers Chairon and Gadriel and the Ultramarines as a complete. Each time the squad comes upon a fallen Marine, they pay their respects. Whereas strolling round a pleasant base, you’ll usually see Lieutenants giving rousing speeches to troops on the brink of danger their lives within the identify of the Emperor. It’s smaller, narrative-driven moments like these that floor the marketing campaign and make the massive battles really feel larger and extra consequential.
