Space Hulk: Deathwing PS4 Review
Posted on: 2018-05-25
Our rating:
...if you’re into first person shooters. It’s not a perfect game, but it is good fun when it gets going...
The Warhammer experience when it comes to its table top game never really interested me, but what did interest me was the lore especially the 40k universe with its mix of high fantasy and science fiction. Over the years I have enjoyed books and video games in the Warhammer 40k universe, now we are presented with a first person shooter set in said universe with a title that sounds like a heavy metal band, Space Hulk: Deathwing is a fun and challenging shooter but it does have a few flaws that stop it from reaching greatness.
Space Hulk: Deathwing sees you step into the shoes of the Librarian of the Dark Angels Chapter’s Elite 1st company of the Space Marines known as the titular Deathwing. There are tasked with clearing out an ancient vessel that they have dubbed as a Space Hulk, which has been over whelmed by genetic mutants known as Xenos. So you will trudge through dark and tight spaces with nothing more than your sword and bolter machine gun as you rip and tear through the heretics. To be honest the story does get pushed the background, there will be a text crawl at the start of each level with a narrator who sounds like a dungeon master recited it at the end of his Dungeons and Dragons table.
Space Hulk: Deathwing is a first person shooter, it’s not the first time we have had a shooter set in the Warhammer 40k universe but this one is actually good unlike Fire Warrior which was terrible. Think of it as a mix of a tactical shooter where you command a squad, mixed with the Left 4 Dead series as you battle hordes of grotesque monsters. You carry two weapons at once, in one hand you have a melee weapon which can either be a sword or a your fist which sends out an electric shock which stuns enemies and you have a fire arm which has unlimited ammo.
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Now I know what you’re thinking “unlimited ammo that makes game easy right”? Wrong! They give you unlimited ammo because you will be overwhelmed immediately and having to pick up ammunition would slow the pace of the game down. This game does not mess around, it gets really challenging and you have limited resources to heal and you have to make sure your squad stay alive, as to be honest they are not the sharpest tools in the shed. The artificial intelligence if I can call it that for your squad is not great, there were times where they were on the over side of the level even though I instructed them to follow me, they have the tactics of a lemming as they tend to charge in and get themselves killed leaving me alone.
Shooting and melee combat feel very visceral, with heads exploding when you land a head shot to blood flying everywhere when you cleave your way through the mutant hordes of the Xenos. The only real problem have with the gameplay is your movement speed is slow, now I know I’m going to get some Warhammer 40k fan rail me and say that “You are a hulking space marine what did you expect”? Well that is fine and all, but that does not translate well into a video game, you can sprint but for some baffling reason you have to hold down the left controller stick to keep sprinting which caused cramp in my thumb at one point.
The presentation is great, it runs on the Unreal 4 Engine and it really captures the gothic architecture of the Warhammer 40k world, with deep and dark environments with cathedral like structures with stain glass windows and spires. The detail on the armour of the Space Marines look fantastic with the winged angels on their shoulders coupled with the menacing helmets. I did notice textures popping in in some parts, but to be honest the game is so dark you’re not going to notice it that much, also when the game gets busy the frame rate starts to wobble and drops down to 20 frames per second which can cripple your ability to fight.
I did enjoy my time with Space Hulk: Deathwing but it is hampered with technical issues, which drag the experience down a bit. It captures the atmosphere of the Warhammer 40k universe perfectly; even if you’re not a fan of Warhammer you might enjoy this game especially if you’re into first person shooters. It’s not a perfect game, but it is good fun when it gets going, let’s hope a patch in the future fixes the A.I, frame rate and texture pop in issues.
Article by:
Sam has lived in Bristol all his life. A keen cyclist he speeds around the city but video games are his bread and butter. Whether the old Nes and Snes games or the XBox One and Playstation releases he loves them all. Sam runs his own gaming blog called Bristolian Gamer where he had been reviewing indie games, doing retro reviews and venting his anger at the industry when it does wrong since 2010. Sam joined the 365Bristol team in December 2014.
