Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is going to go live for audiences soon enough, and arriving on the back of more than a decade of anticipation, the long-awaited action sequel is going to have some high expectations to live up to. Thankfully, across its three main modes, it succeeds in delivering on those expectations, and it does so with a meaty amount of content to dive into. It’s also got quite a bit going on, with a lot of disparate parts coming together to craft its compelling core action loop, so to get you to grips with that loop better, here, we’re going to cover a few basic pointers that you should keep in mind as you dive into Space Marine 2.
MELEE
Space Marine 2 is first and foremost a third-person shooter, taking more than a few cues from the Gears of War series (minus the emphasis on sticky cover-based action), but it’s also got some hack-and-slash blood running through its veins- and things won’t go well for you too long if you ignore that part of the gameplay experience. Regardless of which of Space Marine 2’s multiple melee weapons you’re wielding, make sure you whip them out when necessary, whether that’s to create room for yourself against large crowds with heavy attacks, or simply to conserve ammo- which the game does require you to not be too wasteful with. Melee action is not only encouraged, but downright crucial from time to time, so keep in mind that you can fall back on it from time to time, especially in sticky situations.
DODGES AND PARRIES
Another way Space Marine 2 makes melee an important part of its action is with the emphasis it places on dodges and parries. On more than a few occasions, you’ll be fighting enemies who love to get up close and personal, and the best way to deal with them is often to parry their attacks. Doing so with the right timing leaves them open to damage for brief windows, giving you the opportunity to either get your own attacks in, or, if you’re being swarmed by enemies in large numbers, to at least try and put some distance between them and yourself. Of course, some attacks cannot be parried – these are the ones that show up with red flashing circle visual cues over enemies – but they can, at least, be dodged, so keep that in mind.
FOLLOW UP ON DODGES AND PARRIES
Given the fact that you’re playing as, well, a Space Marine in Space Marine 2, it should come as no surprise that the moment-to-moment gameplay here is always very aggressive, even when you’re taking defensive actions such as parrying or dodging. It achieves that partly through letting you perform special follow-up actions after successfully timed parries and dodges (which, incidentally, also incentivizes you to get those timings right). Perfect parries and dodges let you follow up by quick shooting enemies with close-range pistol shots to the head, while often players also get the chance to execute enemies by pressing R3, which grants you back an armour slot.
USE THE ENVIRONMENT
Space Marine 2 can frequently put up a surprisingly stiff challenge, and often, you’ll be coming across massive, unrelenting hordes of enemies that can feel a tad overwhelming at times. By staying on the move and finding the right balance between your long-range and melee attacks, you can, of course, make do with what you have at your disposal, though using the environment to your advantage can also come in very handy at times. From your classic exploding red barrels to blue barrels that shock and stun foes, Space Marine 2 will often throw you a bone with such hazards in your surroundings. Meanwhile, it’s also always a good idea to keep an eye out for chokepoints that you can use to control and funnel swarms through in case it ever comes to that.
GRENADES
Space Marine 2 loves to bunch up large crowds of enemies tightly together in relatively smaller spaces, and anytime you see such a cluster of foes in one spot, it’s usually a good idea to throw a grenade in there. That’s not the extent of it, however, because grenades will likely quickly become an important part of your play style. They can come in incredibly handy in a pinch, but that makes it all the more important to ensure you hold on to them until they can be most useful and effective, especially since the game doesn’t hand out grenade pickups too freely. There’s also multiple different types of grenades to use, from regular frags to shock grenades to sticky grenades to those that need to be remotely detonated, and each of them can also be incredibly useful in different ways.
HEALTH STIMS
Even if you’re playing Space Marine 2 on its default, normal difficulty level, it’s a good idea to be even more judicious with your use of health stims than with your grenades. Why? Because they’re not that easily found. The game doesn’t hand out health stims freely at all, which means using one if you’re even at the halfway point of your health bar isn’t the optimal way to go about things. As mentioned, this is a game where you will often find yourself in tight situations, so being clever about when to use your health stims is crucial.
SMASH BOXES
This is a bit of a simple one, but one that could be easy to miss, since the game doesn’t explicitly call attention to this. Scattered throughout the levels that you traverse in Space Marine 2 are boxes just begging to be shattered, which you’re sometimes rewarded for with drops for ammo, health stims, and grenades. Any time you see boxes, then, it’s a good idea to give them a big swing.
ITEMS
Space Marine 2’s co-op mode Operations will through some genuinely challenging encounters, and though the missions here are generally linear affairs with constant forward momentum similar to the campaign, they do offer some room for exploration. There’s branching paths, optional offshoots, hidden pathways, and more to find from time to time, and it’s generally idea to explore as much as you can, not only because you can find useful pickups for health or ammo or what have you, but also because there are rare items to be found with unique buffs- like the Relic, which instantly revives you once as soon as you’re downed.
DATA SLATES
Story and storytelling may not be Space Marine 2’s primary concern, what with its high-octane action taking centerstage, but there is still some engaging narrative content to be found here, even outside of the main story- which should come as no surprise to something in the Warhammer universe. A lot of that comes through data slates that you can find scattered throughout environments in both the campaign and Operations, which serve as audio logs revealing new story tidbits, background details, and more. It’s another reason to explore environments with a keen eye.
CLASS ABILITIES
Eternal War and Operations both allow players to play as one of six different classes, while the campaign also lets you play as one of three different characters in co-op- and of course, each of them comes with not only unique specializations, but also an exclusive ability each. Titus’ Righteous Fury ability, for instance, increases damage and regenerates health, while the Assault class’ Iron Halo ability emits a temporary shield that blocks all incoming projectile attacks. As you might imagine, these abilities can be especially useful, so keep an eye on when they become available to use, and make sure to use them at the right times.
