Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 feels like a lost Xbox 360 game, and I mean that in the best possible way

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is perhaps not a sequel I ever expected to play. The original Relic Entertainment game was unusual by perhaps every measure. It was a shooter-melee hybrid that came from a studio chiefly known for its strategy games. It wasn’t especially well-received at its release, but has since garnered something of a cult status among Warhammer 40,000 enthusiasts, and really, anyone who played it.

Space Marine was the full package; a decently lengthy campaign with some all-around solid production values, a horde mode you can spend time in after finishing that, and even a serviceable, if unremarkable, multiplayer mode - as was the standard at the time. By all accounts, it was an oddity you wouldn’t have expected to repeat.

Yet here we are, 13 years later, and we’re playing a sequel to it; albeit one made by different people and published under a different banner.

Space Marine 2 is a confident game that immediately makes a good impression. If the stunning visuals, convincingly gravely barks, punchy sounds and all-around-impressive presentation don’t impress you, you’ll know exactly what kind of game this is the moment you get your hands on it.

I was given access to a preview build of the game, which included a single campaign mission and two PvE, co-op missions from the game’s Extermination mode. I knew I was enjoying it when I caught myself trying to glitch the game into loading more missions than we had access to in the build.

A lot of Space Marine 2’s confidence comes from its reliance on tried-and-tested ideas, and executing them well. This is not a game that’s pushing the envelope, but it’s one that knows what it wants to be and how to deliver that experience to players. It wouldn’t be unfair to call its level design outdated; almost entirely made up for corridors with some opportunities for exploration, but fewer than I’d like. These aren’t levels you’re going to get lost in, nor would that really be necessary. Granted, this is based on a single campaign mission, so it’s quite possible the rest of the campaign will be a little more imaginative.

That sort of linear, limited level design was quite clearly the goal, however, in the game’s Expeditions mode. The PvE co-op side adventure is fairly straight to the point. You show up with up to two other players, pick a mission, a difficulty, and get slaying.

Expeditions - and the game’s multiplayer mode - both rely on a class system. Separate from the campaign, your chosen class levels up as you play in co-op or multiplayer, letting you unlock new perks, weapons, variants, and some really cool cosmetics that Warhammer 40,000 fans are guaranteed to nerd out on.

Space Marine 2 shines in co-op (also a campaign feature), but most of my time with the preview build was spent playing solo. When you don’t have people to join, the game will fill any remaining spots with AI. I found it to be… fine; smart enough to stay out of the way and revive you when necessary, but not quite capable of any real autonomy.

I actually found the narrative implications, and what having two other characters with you, does to the overall atmosphere to be far more important than their gameplay contributions. In the campaign, they offer varying perspectives on story events and really sell you on the idea of being the leader of a squad.

I could see Space Marine 2’s gameplay getting a little repetitive dozens or so hours into it. It’s satisfying enough to keep you coming back for those unlocks - and I suspect players will spend most of their time in Expeditions, but it’s not varied enough to offer any interesting gameplay opportunities. Next to Darktide, I don’t think I’ve seen Warhammer 40,000 weaponry be as well realised as they are here. Considering how many classic WH40K toys you get access to, I wouldn't expect it to get dull quickly.

Saber Interactive brought back its swarm tech from World War Z for Space Marine 2, except it’s been upgraded to deliver staggeringly massive hordes of Tyranids rather than shambling undead. Certain moments, especially on higher difficulties, will truly leave you overwhelmed.

These are Space Marine 2’s best moments; when you find yourself switching between cutting through smaller enemies with your Chainsword and silencing snipers with your Bolter, all as the blood and giblets fill the screen and cover your armour in red, you’ll never want to stop. There’s Doom, Gears of War and World War Z DNA in this, and it doesn’t feel forced or poorly utilised.

The preview build ran well on my (admittedly powerful) PC. Framerates were in the 90s for almost the entirety of it, with everything on max, using DLSS Quality. I’m running an AMD 7800X3D and an RTX 4080, at 4K. Most of the hiccups arose when facing some of the larger waves of Tyranids, and during a few scripted events.

If anything, my time with Space Marine 2 has convinced me it's going to be one of this year’s sleeper hits.

Space Marine 2 launches September 9, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.