Space Hulk: Deathwing is the latest installment in the Space Hulk series of games which are part of the War-hammer 40K universe, based on the very popular Games Workshop board game. You are Librarian, one of the Dark Angels, the best of the best so to speak.
Unlike previous games in the Space Hulk setting, we get to experience the world as a first person shooter instead of the usual turn based strategy genre. The Enhanced PS4 version of the game is considered the definitive version of the game, coming with all released updates and content from the previous version of the game released on steam in December 2016, with additional content such as new weapons, a new class and even a new mode! The steam version is also receiving the update treatment in the near future so new and old steam players won’t lose out here.
The story has lore and history from the vast universe that is Warhammer, including previous games and the tabletop board game with the same name. The story had me gripped in seconds, but then again it’s got space in the title and guns so that wasn’t hard! Though you are pretty much thrown in but I like that in a game.
The graphics are good, they are not overly pretty or just for show like many games, they get the job done and make the world look good, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with super pretty graphics but they don’t make the game in my opinion.
The controls are mostly ok, they are pretty standard for a first person shooter, though the ability to customise the controls is lacking, invert aim and turn sensitivity is there but you are unable to do much more, and you will find yourself pressing the wrong buttons such as pressing the touch pad for the map instead of right on the d-pad, just out of habit from other modern games.
Game play is quite fun, you go from a no enemies, to a few enemies to the entire mission area fighting you, area effect abilities are a must if you are going to survive the onslaught! With a large array of weapons there is no limit to the pain you can cause to the horde of aliens coming your way. Your main starting weapon is pretty good, it’s accurate and even comes with infinite ammo, your secondary weapon is a cool looking sword, this can be switched out for a slower power glove, which is more useful as a door opener than a weapon, but better than nothing in a pinch while trying to reload. My absolute favorite part of this game so far is the ability to punch locked (hell even unlocked) doors into chunks and bypass the door mechanism altogether, however you can’t do this to every door in the game which is a shame, but far more fun than standing there hacking the damn thing. Reminds me of the good old Red Faction days, where you could just make your own door, not enough games give that option.
Your two companions are quite smart (when they don’t get stuck) and will actually shoot enemies before you even see them, mostly shooting enemies coming from behind which is always helpful. One of your companions is invaluable, the fabled medic! who can heal you, himself and the other guy. I’m yet to see what the other guy has to offer other than a big gun but he is always welcome to shoot things for me and my medic pal!
Although multiplayer was lacking previously, and deemed bad by the player base in the previous version on steam, the devs have vastly improved on it, updating and even bringing in a new progression system, with loot and class customisation. Anyone with a bad experience could easily be redeemed by it’s new features, the multiplayer mode allows you to team up with up to 3 friends (or randoms) online and complete the same maps as in the one player game, you are also able to play the new extra ‘special’ missions in multiplayer.
Overall Score: 8/10
Verdict:
Apart from the lack of customisable controls as mentioned in my review, I can’t find a bad thing about the game really, it’s fun, the story has the whole franchise as it’s backbone so the lore is solid. I would recommend buying this game, and that's coming from a guy who knows little about the franchise, but always had an interest in the models as a kid.
Also there may still bugs present in the game (as the steam version was pretty bad) but I haven't encountered any yet so I can’t really comment.
Developer: Cyanide
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Release Date: 22nd May 2018
Price: £29.99
File Size: 17.98GB
PlayStation 4 copy provided for review purpose
Available on PlayStation 4 and Steam.