Almost a year ago now we reviewed the first version of Full
Control's take on the classic Space Hulk board game. It was a faithful rendition
of the Space Marines versus Genestealers conflict with original maps being used
and the same reliance on dice rolls. In effect it recreated the table top game
very well but didn’t add much else.
This new version of Space Hulk looks to build on the
foundations of the first game and bring the digital version of the franchise
close to the realms of a turn based strategy game rather than a recreation of a
table top board game and as such a host of new features have been implemented.
The maps for three new campaigns have now been designed from
scratch and players get the choice of leading one of three Space Marine
chapters into the decaying hulks. You can pick from the Ultra Marines, Blood
Angels and Space Wolves with each chapter having a few different specialisms
and skills. It seems strange that the Deathwing chapter hasn’t been used here
but we suspect that might be something of a rights issue as they are set to
star in a Space Hulk game of their very own.
As you progress through the campaigns your marines now level
up and begin to gain access to different weapons and equipment. This gives a
bit more of a tie to your marines and helps to differentiate them. Starting out
with a basic Storm Bolter and Power Fist Combo you’ll soon have access to a
range of weaponry which makes your load outs much more flexible. The Genestealer
side of things has also been worked on with numerous variants now stalking the
narrow corridors of the ships.
The game certainly seems a lot less clunky as well and turns
have a better fluidity to them. Though hulking marines are never going to be
zipping about the place it certainly moves along at a better pace than the
original game and you never quite feel safe. Of course, you shouldn’t feel safe
because this is a very difficult game. Even as an experienced player of the
board game we found even getting though the initial missions difficult and one
of two mistakes can easily end your mission.
That wouldn’t be so bad but there are two major issues which
can stop the game being as fun and tactical as it should be. One is the lack of
a tactical map which is perhaps the most crucial. The layout of levels is
revealed as you explore the ship which is something that probably sounded like
a good idea at the time. In reality, in this type of game you need to be able
to work out well in advance where you need to place you Terminators. As they have
such limited movement thinking up flexible tactics on the fly really isn’t a
worthwhile option and wandering into a room only to find it contains a host of
entry points for the enemy just doesn’t cut it.
The other issue is the general murk of the levels. It can be
very hard to pick out basic features on the ships such as doors and air vents.
The amount of times a Genestealer took out one of our marines from a space we
didn’t even know about was infuriating and is something that really needs to be
looked at. You can change the gamma levels to brighten things up but when you
are looking at a dark map from almost a bird’s eye view it’s still very
difficult to pick some things out. The command wheels on your Terminators are
also very small.
Overall, the game has certainly developed from the original
but it has done some very good things while also introducing some bad things. We
like the skill progression, the use of different chapters and the new maps. But
we really could do without the murky levels and the fog of war which stops
tight tactical planning - which in a game as tough as this is really needed.
Overall 7/10
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