Space Hulk Ascension (Warhammer Classics) Review (PC)

A year after the first release this new version of Space Hulk looked 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.

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

The three Space Hulk DLC'sa re also included and can be read about in more detail here -

Imperial Fist DLC 

Salamanders DLC

Dark Angel DLC

Space Hulk (Warhammer Classics) Review (PC)

Space Hulk started life as a table top board game where heavily armoured Terminator marines from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, pitted themselves against the multi-clawed Genestealers aboard massive drifting freighters known as ‘Hulks’. The tight corridors meant it turned into a battle of the strong and slow versus the quick and deadly. 

Space Hulk had been adapted in video game form before this in two titles that tried to merge action with semi-turn based gameplay. Now we have a new version of the game which takes a different approach and tries to replicate the board game in a much more precise and faithful way.

At this point I feel it's fair to share with you all that we are pretty well acquainted with the board game and we like it a lot. It’s important to bring this up as it’s likely to have a fairly large bearing on if you are going to like this. It’s clear the developers had a specific target audience in mind and there are few concessions to people expecting something similar to the last couple of PC games. It's also almost fifteen years old now. 

Space Hulk is turn based and relies on dice rolls to carry out actions. At the start of each turn you can move your terminators and set them to guard or go into over watch to scan for enemy movement. At the end of the turn the Genestealers then do the same. Firing weapons and close combat is carried out on the role of dice which means that there is a certain random element to it. This can be frustrating when you are one dice roll away from the success or failure but sound strategy and careful planning does tend to weigh the odds in your favour.

You are going to have to plan you moves carefully as the terminators only have four action points and even turning to face a certain direction requires the use of them. The game is also pretty tough and on the normal setting it took a number of attempts to even get through the second tutorial level. A single mistake of movement can spell disaster in a mission stretching into an hour of more in length so it is advised to save often.

As such, the game plays out more like a slow and thoughtful game of chess than an all guns blazing space shooter, but it certainly draws you in. The presentation is basic and the first thing you’ll likely do is head to the menu to turn off the shoulder cameras and death animations. Your next step will be to set movement to the fastest setting or you’ll be playing this until the rapture. 

However, once you’ve got that simple top down/isometric view, the sound of the engines and the cries of victory or defeat coming from your marines it all starts to click and draw you in. It feels claustrophobic and dangerous and the fact a wrong move is so costly certainly adds buckets of tension and atmosphere. A cry of "Bolter Jammed" has never caused such terror.

The levels are mainly based on the original games maps and as such it brings a wonderful authenticity for anyone not wanting to pay the huge sum of money required to find a decent condition version of the table top game. There are a few weapons and tricks taken from the Deathwing and Genestealer expansions but we would have liked to see a bit more of this added to give some variety as the game progressed.

Multiplayer is also here and there is a hot seat option to allow players to take turns on the same device. It’s a little unwieldy for the Genestealer player but it does work once you get the hang of it. Weirdly, you have to play through the main campaign to unlock levels in multiplayer which is something the game could really have done without. It’s not as gratifying as it should be, which is a shame as this is one of the key features that should make the game a must have title.

What we have is an authentic Space Hulk table top experience with some rough presentation brought to life digitally. Many may be disappointed, but fans of the board game will find this really draws you in. Yes, there could be more options and it could look better but it’s solid and enjoyable and a highly competent strategy title. The rule set is also solid and if you want to recreate some table top fun or take on one tough turn based strategy then this is the game for you. Those looking for fast paced action should look to something else to get their kicks.

Overall 7/10

Blood Bowl 2 Review (PS4)

Blood Bowl in one form or another has been around for a very long time. It started out as an incredibly lengthy and complex board game and then moved to something with much more pace to it around the third edition of the games rule revision. It was here in 1994 that we at Retro 101 first really fell in love with the game as it required much less commitment in terms of time and money than many of Games Workshop's other releases. The last digital version of the game was excellent (on PC at least), so we were more than ready to dive right into the sequel.

In truth not that much has changed from the first version of the game on the PC. There are strong graphical improvements and the commentator characters are nice (even if they do repeat themselves a little too often).  But the rules and way the games play out isn’t much different. This is actually a good thing as the last thing you want is to start mucking around with the rule set for the sake of it. It does mean that Blood Bowl is still a turn based strategy game much in the same way as Space Hulk: Ascension or Talisman.

The graphical improvements are very noticeable as well with every crunch and thud drawing quick intakes of breath from players. The stadiums and crowds are also much more detailed and it really does help to draw you into the fantasy world of blood and touchdowns.

The main addition is the campaign mode which has players take hold of the Human team – the Reikland Reavers, who have fallen on hard times and had their star player disappear after building up a sizable debt with a group of ogres. The campaign acts to introduce you to all the basics of how the game flows as well as showing how hiring and firing staff and players works and sorting out the stadium and other matters away from the pitch. For newcomers it’s a much more approachable introduction than in the first game and it’s both sizable and fun to play through.

For those not familiar with Blood Bowl it’s basically a fantasy version of American football where different races of creatures square off against each other. The aim is to score touchdowns but more often than not it just turns into a massive fight. Different races have different strengths and weaknesses (with Elves being quick and agile while Orcs are strong and slow for instance), and it’s about working your strategy to play to your strengths while anticipating how your opponent is going to approach you. 

Everything is carried out via dice rolls with blocking, throwing, catching and even picking up the ball at the mercy of the specially designed blood bowl dice. When players are tackled they can also be stunned, injured or killed for added drama and there are numerous events such as pitch invasion or players being pushed into the crowd never to be seen again. It’s wonderfully crazy and chaotic while also being deep in terms of strategy needed to succeed.

This version comes with eight races available from the start with the Humans, Orcs, Dwarves, Chaos, High Elves, Dark Elves, Skaven and newcomers the Bretonnians ready for action. It’s considerably less teams than the last game ended with and with Lizard Men and Wood Elves already available as DLC it’s fairly obvious that the others will be making an appearance in the same way later on. It would have been nice to see more teams added from the start though as eight really isn’t enough.

Aside from the single player campaign there are leagues you can set up and play against the AI with pre-made teams or you can start your own. There is also a small amount of team management involved with the buying and selling of players and the development of the team’s stadium and it should keep you occupied for a while. There are of course online options and this is where Blood Bowl should really shine as players test out their plans against each other. How long the community lasts for on the PS4 remains to be seen.

Overall, this is undoubtedly the best version of Blood Bowl to appear in console form. It’s far superior to the previous console version of the original game and it kept us more than happy for far too many hours. It’s a more difficult sell to PC gamers who may have the Chaos edition of the older game with almost all the races included. Aside from the limited races though there is very little to dislike and it will keep both strategy and Games Workshop fans occupied for weeks. It’s also decidedly cheaper than trying to track down the board game and teams.

Overall 8/10

Space Hulk: Ascension Dark Angels DLC

After the sad news that Full Control is winding down its productions we have what could well be the last piece of downloadable content for the time-absorbing Space Hulk: Ascension. We always assumed some kind of rights issue stopped the Dark Angels from being included to begin with but whatever the truth they are here now in a campaign that will test player’s skills to the maximum with an additional twenty campaign missions and some sadistic flash ones.

Each new expansion has added some kind of new gear and this one is the same. In terms of equipment you can now play around with the heavey plasma cannon which causes splash damage from huge balls of exploding plasma. Players also have a new class to use in the Apothecary.  A support character, the Apothecary provides stat boosting bonuses to terminators within close proximity. However, he takes the place of either the Librarian or Sergeant so careful consideration of how you play is required.

This campaign is pretty full on from the start. The very first mission gives you command of two full squads and the remit of exterminating around sixty Genestealers. The aliens come fast and furious and it seems as though more of them can be present on the map at once now. It was a common occurrence for all our Terminators to be blasting away to the point of overheat during a single turn so be prepared for intense, inch by inch fighting.

The stuttering from the Salamanders DLC seems to not be present here and the expansion runs very smoothly in terms of graphics and speed. We did however hit a few bugs where Terminators couldn’t walk through certain areas which required a restart to clear. We had this problem once before with the flamer in the Imperial Fist DLC and it’s something that needs addressing because being stuck in a corner for no reason and having to plan a new route is near impossible under this amount of enemy pressure.

Overall, fans of the game should find more than enough to justify this as a purchase. It adds fun new things to play around with and offers a serious challenge. We still have gripes such as the vents being too hard to distinguish and the white Deathwing armour making the command wheels hard to see but there’s nothing game breaking here. It’s another solid expansion that fans should love.

Space Hulk Ascension: Salamanders DLC

Following on from the Imperial Fist DLC comes a yet larger chunk of new content. If the last twenty hour add on campaign wasn’t enough then this massive new one should keep even the most hardcore Space Hulk fans happy for months to come.

This time it is the Salamander chapter that is thrust into the lime light with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. The new marines like fire and as such can take two heavy weapon marines into battle with them. They also have improved immunity against flame.

The Salamander campaign is based around using the heavy flamers to block strategic areas and cleanse the inside of the hulks. The Salamander hulk has been given a volcanic makeover as well with lots of glowing magma and embers filling the inside and it makes it look like a sort of metallic hell. The campaign is not for the faint of heart and is probably the most difficult yet.

Having two flamers in play certainly changes up your options but as they only have six shots each you find yourself trying to pull off the same defences manoeuvres with three marines that you would normally be doing with four.  This makes it incredibly strategic and any small error can spell disaster. There also seem to be many more Genestealers in play right from the off.

Indeed, the new levels are more like intricate puzzles that need to be solved. This is further emphasized with levels that become flooded with lava or contain rotating bridges and walls of flame. It's a new direction for the game and one that offers something different.

We did find this DLC really chugged away as well. No matter what we did it really slowed down quite considerably at times and there was noticeably missing frames and stuttering as the turns unfolded. This is the first time we have encountered this with the game and going back to the previous campaigns revealed none of the same problems. If this is down to the new flame and magma graphic effects is hard to tell but it needs looking at.

Assuming the stability is sorted out then this campaign is another worthy addition to Space Hulk. It certainly has a unique feel and look to it and the huge running time will certainly keep you busy. The new way of playing requires even more careful thought. If you are up for a challenge and can forgive a few technical issues then this represents another solid expansion.

Space Hulk Ascension: Imperial Fist DLC

We reviewed Space Hulk Ascension a little while ago and while it improved upon the original Space Hulk game we still found a few issues with it (most notably the fog of war). However, we were more than happy to dive back into it with the Imperial Fist DLC which adds a new chapter to play and a new campaign.

The Imperial Fists focus on defence and have bonuses which reflect this. They are markedly different from the three chapters already available in the game and are a worthy addition. They can also use the Tarantula Turret which basically allows the commander of the group to stick a huge gun somewhere to cover you. It leads to numerous situations reminiscent of the film Aliens where the ammo is counting down as you rush to get your objective completed before being overrun with Genstealers.

You can also use the new chapter across any of the campaigns already in place, though as this is such a tough game you may want to use the chapter designed for each Space Hulk. The Imperial Fist campaign has some strong level design with lots of cross sections which will see you edging along covering all corridors as you go. We found it even more intense than the original levels, though the difficulty seems a bit more balanced as well. 

It’s still too dark (though there are more gamma options), the fog of war is still annoying and we did have an odd glitch where the Flamer would only turn around on the spot. But, it’s intense, it works and it adds something to the core game worth playing.

Overall, we had a blast with the first batch of DLC. It does a lot right and coupled with the fixes which have been applied to the core game made a more enjoyable all round experience for us going back in. We’ll be looking at the Salamander DLC shortly but this is a hefty chunk of content that shouldn’t be overlooked by those looking to reap revenge on the Genestealer menace.

Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of Night Review (PC)

There have been a lot of Games Workshop properties making their way to digital lately and Chainsaw Warrior is in fact one of the very first games that the company produced. A single player card game, it may seem like a strange choice to make a digital version out of. Then again we’ve all spent far too long playing Solitaire and this has zombies and chainsaws in it. 

Lord of Night is the second game in the series and changes the setting from a collapsing city to a forbidding jungle where darkness is about to take over the earth. You are charged with going in and destroying the evil lurking within an ancient pyramid. To do this you need to use strategy and have some luck with the dice.

You start out by rolling your character which sets up how many hit points they have and how much venom and radiation they can take. It also sets up your agility and marksmanship along with a few other things. Next, it’s time to pick from a fairly wide range of different weapons, armour and equipment before heading off into the jungle.

Your mission is set against the clock with every turn taking time off it. If it reaches zero it’s game over.  Each turn you flip over a virtual card and follow the instructions. This can involve having to roll dice to avoid traps, finding air drops of equipment or entering combat. There are also hidden temples to find and a number of other surprises. Combat takes the form of choosing weather to engage at range or in melee and then making the appropriate skill checks to take down your target. Enemies are varied and it will take some thought and experience to learn how best to tackle them.

A scout for instance, might be better to handle at close range but may also have a chance to raise the alarm in the time it takes you to engage them. Weapons also have limited ammunition and certain weapons can only be used to kill certain enemies so you have to be careful and consider if getting up close and possibly taking more damage is sometimes needed to progress in the long run.

As the cards turn you will make your way through three decks as you move from the jungle to the lost city and then into the final pyramid where the darkness resides.

There are also temples which hold special artifacts and blessings that require a tough enemy to be dispatched in order to proceed.

Graphically, the game is functional if not spectacular. The cards and environment are well illustrated but there are few animations. You’ll get bullet holes in a card or have it chainsawed in half but that’s about it. It all works well though and the slightly minimalist approach works with some strong sound effects to keep things interesting and enjoyable.

It’s a strangely compelling game that just seems to work. As there is a fairly short timer on each session it never outstays its welcome and in the games we played there was enough variety to keep things interesting. There are also multiple endings and different ways to approach your adventure. It really does draw on the strength of something like Solitaire while adding enough new mechanics to make it even more compelling.

Overall, Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of Night is a really nice surprise. It’s straightforward fun and it really works. We can’t think how it could really be improved as the game achieves everything it sets out to and is a great way to spend an hour here and there. The new equipment and different endings add a reason to come back and it’s certainly something we’ll still be playing long into the future.

Overall 8/10

Warhammer Quest Review (PC)

Many of you will remember Hero Quest – one of the most loved board games around and one denied a re-release by a cross ownership issue. What many of you may not be aware of is that many years later a re-imagining of the game along the same lines was produced called Warhammer Quest which moved it closer to the Dungeons and Dragons style of play. 

Warhammer Quest added a number of random elements such as tiles only being placed when characters moved through and exit and enemies being generated rather than already placed. There was also an attempt at single player building on the system tried out in Advanced Hero Quest.

The digital version of the game started life on iOS devices but has now made its way to PC where it sits alongside other Games Workshop properties that stick close to their board game routes such as Space Hulk, Talisman and Blood Bowl. Though the game may have humble beginnings its turn based, board game style is certainly a good fit for the PC so don’t let that put you off.

Players take control of a team of four heroes and enter dungeons on set quests. The dungeons generate randomly with monsters appearing as you move from one tile to the next. Explore enough and you’ll find you’re what you went searching for and normally have to kill a bigger, meaner beastie to win the day. In between missions you can travel to towns and buy new equipment, level up and generally do things that adventurers do via a menu system. As you move locations other random events and chance meetings with characters can also occur.

Combat is carried out by selecting an action and then clicking on the enemy. The chance to hit and damage done is then generated by the hidden dice roll. Enemies need to be approached with care as they normally outnumber you and will go for weak members of the party. It’s challenging enough to keep you on your toes but not unfairly difficult. Any party member that dies will also resurrect once the mission is over but they do lose any experience from kills they may have racked up.

Action is viewed from a top down perspective which gives you a clear view of the environment but can make it a little tricky to see what monsters are armed with. The information can be found by hovering over and enemy and even more detail can be gathered through a simple right click of the mouse though. We did get caught out a few times when the  Goblin next to us turned out to be a boss but on the whole you only have yourself to blame when things go wrong.

It all works remarkably well and proves to be compelling as you venture ever onwards in your hunt for loot. It certainly does get a little repetitive if playing for long periods but it’s only a minor issue. A far bigger issue is the amount of content locked away behind micro-transactions. Aside from the four main characters there are a whole host of adventures available to buy and we can’t help but feel a little short changed in that respect. They aren’t cheap either with them setting you back over a pound each. Campaign wise there is certainly enough here to keep you occupied without feeling the need to purchase add-ons so at least you shouldn’t feel cheated by the length of your adventure. The fact the game is single player only as well is a real oversight.

Overall, Warhammer Quest is a solid transition of the board game to a digital format. The mechanics work well and the feel of the game remains true to its source material. There’s some fun adventuring to be done as well. It’s just a bit of a shame players are so restricted in their choice of characters unless they commit to the micro-transactions. This could have been a rather lovely complete package for fans but it still remains an absorbing and competent dungeon crawler to keep you occupied for bite sized amounts of time.

Overall 7/10

Space Hulk Ascension Review (PC)

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

Talisman: Digital Edition Review (PC)

A digital version of Games Workshops adventure game has certainly taken a long journey to reach us. An initial version based on the third edition board and rule set was in development for various console digital services and featured a 3D board and a number of other technical tricks. Sadly it never materialised and the idea went quiet. Now Nomad games have delivered us a faithful visual recreation of the fourth edition version of the game.

For the uninitiated Talisman is an adventure style board game for up to four players. Each player must move around the board encountering enemies and gathering followers and items so that they can make their way to the centre of the board and take control of the crown. Once there they can cast the command spell to force the other players out of the game and win.

In terms of presentation the game hasn’t got any spectacular bells and whistles but it does recreate the board and cards excellently. There aren’t any real animations or visual effects though with effectively being a digitised version of the board, cards and rule set. We would have liked the option of a bit more animation but in our experience gimmicks are often turned off quickly as they begin to repeat themselves. Carcassonne and Catan certainly never felt the need to add them in either.

The board is split into three regions. Players start on the most outer region and gradually make their way into the middle by overcoming various obstacles. To make it to the second region you need to cross and river and can do this via a teleport, raft or battling a giant sentinel. To then reach the inner most region to need to get through a magic door and a have a talisman in your possession. As you move through the regions the squares get more dangerous so wise players will spend time building their strength and craft in order to survive.

Stats can be built up in three main ways. You can find objects, recruit followers of trade-in battle trophies. Every time you fight a monster on the board and defeat it you take its card as a trophy. Once you have enough cards based in either strength or craft you can then exchange them for an increase in that stat. Each of the characters has their own strengths and weaknesses and their own unique abilities so you have to change your strategy depending on who you are playing. For instance, the Warrior roles two dice in combat while the Minstrel can gather animals he encounters to boost his strength.

The rule set is fairly easy to understand as well. Every square lays down what must be done on it and how many adventure cards need to be drawn. The cards themselves also explain what needs to be done or what they do. The game engine fills in many of the gaps for you and it seems a pretty solid rule set. One thing we really don’t like is that only some characters can choose to fight others with craft rather than strength, this seems to unbalance things a little as building up a high craft can be somewhat pointless depending on who you are.

We also found at times, especially when playing against AI characters, that the game did begin to drag in its later stages. There were a few times we managed to get all the way through the card deck without that much progress being made and this can lead to frustration. To be fair that’s all in the random nature of the game. Getting the wrong cards or rolling the wrong numbers can be a pain and without human opponents to taunt you it does begin to feel a bit dull after a while. We couldn’t test online play as we couldn’t find any games (which is worrying at this early stage), but you’ll be glad to hear that there most certainly is a four player local option.

A number of expansions are on the way which changes elements of how the game plays and are based on what is already available for the table top version of the game. There isn’t anything which adds more regions yet but we would love to see this in the future to further open up the world and add some more variety.

Overall, there may be a few issues and the game does tend to suffer from problems that other board games have had when they make the leap to a digital format. That said the rule set here is solid and accurate and the game is a much cheaper way of the playing what is an excellent table top game. It’s a faithful recreation and any Games Workshop or Talisman fan shouldn’t be disappointed with what they find. It may be a harder sell for the regular PC gamer but invest the time and get a few friends involved and this is a deep and rewarding adventure that you’ll return to when you want something which requires a bit more thought.

Overall 7/10

Space Hulk Review (PC)

Space Hulk started life as a table top board game where heavily armoured Terminator marines from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, pitted themselves against the multi-clawed Genestealers aboard massive drifting freighters known as ‘Hulks’. The tight corridors meant it turned into a battle of the strong and slow versus the quick and deadly. 

Space Hulk has been adapted in video game form before in two titles that tried to merge action with semi-turn based gameplay. Now we have a new version of the game which takes a different approach and tries to replicate the board game in a much more precise and faithful way.

At this point I feel it's fair to share with you all that we are pretty well acquainted with the board game and we like it a lot. It’s important to bring this up as it’s likely to have a fairly large bearing on if you are going to like this. It’s clear the developers had a specific target audience in mind and there are few concessions to people expecting something similar to the last couple of PC games.

Space Hulk is turn based and relies on dice rolls to carry out actions. At the start of each turn you can move your terminators and set them to guard or go into over watch to scan for enemy movement. At the end of the turn the Genestealers then do the same. Firing weapons and close combat is carried out on the role of dice which means that there is a certain random element to it. This can be frustrating when you are one dice roll away from the success or failure but sound strategy and careful planning does tend to weigh the odds in your favour.

You are going to have to plan you moves carefully as the terminators only have four action points and even turning to face a certain direction requires the use of them. The game is also pretty tough and on the normal setting it took a number of attempts to even get through the second tutorial level. A single mistake of movement can spell disaster in a mission stretching into an hour of more in length so it is advised to save often.

As such, the game plays out more like a slow and thoughtful game of chess than an all guns blazing space shooter, but it certainly draws you in. The presentation is basic and the first thing you’ll likely do is head to the menu to turn off the shoulder cameras and death animations. Your next step will be to set movement to the fastest setting or you’ll be playing this until the rapture. 

However, once you’ve got that simple top down/isometric view, the sound of the engines and the cries of victory or defeat coming from your marines it all starts to click and draw you in. It feels claustrophobic and dangerous and the fact a wrong move is so costly certainly adds buckets of tension and atmosphere. A cry of "Bolter Jammed" has never caused such terror.

The levels are mainly based on the original games maps and as such it brings a wonderful authenticity for anyone not wanting to pay the huge sum of money required to find a decent condition version of the table top game. There are a few weapons and tricks taken from the Deathwing and Genestealer expansions but we would have liked to see a bit more of this added to give some variety as the game progressed.

Multiplayer is also here and there is a hot seat option to allow players to take turns on the same device. It’s a little unwieldy for the Genestealer player but it does work once you get the hang of it. Weirdly, you have to play through the main campaign to unlock levels in multiplayer which is something the game could really have done without. It’s not as gratifying as it should be, which is a shame as this is one of the key features that should make the game a must have title.

What we have is an authentic Space Hulk table top experience with some rough presentation brought to life digitally. Many may be disappointed, but fans of the board game will find this really draws you in. Yes, there could be more options and it could look better but it’s solid and enjoyable and a highly competent strategy title. The rule set is also solid and if you want to recreate some table top fun or take on one tough turn based strategy then this is the game for you. Those looking for fast paced action should look to something else to get their kicks.

Overall 7/10