The guard dies, doesn't ask questions. Space Hulk: Deathwing

I've just been dazzled. And I think I will share this prophetic revelation, because it seems to me that it is very precious. Well, everyone, both reviewers and players, are surprised by the idiotic publishing policy of Games Workshop, in relation to games set in the Warhammer 40k universe. We are shocked by their decision-making process, which allows the production of so many weak, poor and worthless games, created on a tape, a few pieces a year, by some side, unimportant studios. We are extremely surprised that they do not focus on big, polished and pampered titles, and instead they flood us with just about anything. As if it could work. Everyone is wondering why this is happening. Everyone, but not me. Because I already know. The truth has been revealed to me.

Games Workshop is simply madly faithful to its universe. It's crazy. And in this madness of his, he approaches every problem in the same way as the "forty" Empire of People approaches it. So he sends the Guard. He always tries to flood his opponent with a poor quality army at the beginning, whose only advantage is his innumerable numbers. Adeptus Astartes, the elite, is only sent out when it gets really hot. To start with, the Imperial Guard always goes first. And it dies, perishes in thousands, millions, for the glory of the Emperor. Games Workshop's publishing policy perfectly reflects that, doesn't it? When you approach it this way, suddenly everything becomes clear and transparent. Hence the flood of wicks. That's why out of ten embarrassing games from the Warhammer 40k universe, only one is really good. Because only this one is the Order of Space Marines. And the rest is the Guard. Let's be glad that the ratio is ten to one, because there should be one to one million...

Space Hulk: Deathwing is a game about an imperial elite elite. About terminators, or the best, most powerful soldiers of the Emperor, overgrown with ordinary Space Marines, just like the latter, overgrown with ordinary people. But from the point of view of Games Workshop, Space Hulk: Deathwing is the Guard. From Focus Home, Cyanide, StreumOn Studio. Sent to death. And we, the players, play here the role of heretics, filthy or dirty xenos. And we tear poor Space Hulk: Deathwing to pieces, because unfortunately it is not a worthy opponent for us. For a moment, for a short while, for a short while, about the first hour or two, he seems to bravely fight, boldly stop, but immediately afterwards his strength is exhausted and he spreads himself on his shoulder blades. Yes, this game is bad. That's what I wanted to say.

Space Hulk: Deathwing refers to the tradition from over twenty years ago and the cult adaptation of the planned Space Hulk, which translated its calm, turn-based rules into a sharp, atmospheric game of action with a view from the perspective of the first person. At the beginning of the 90s it was a real power, such as wandering through dark corridors of space wrecks and desperate chase from the genocides jumping from everywhere. The idea is simple, but effective. And apparently not fully functioning today, especially in a clearly low-budget and simply insufficient shot, which is what Space Hulk: Deathwing has.

Theoretically, everything is in place here. We play a chronicler from the Order of Dark Angels, dressed in the powerful armor of a terminator who enters with two companions on board of an ancient space wreck, teeming with tyrannical filth to find an ancient relic of the Order, an untouched spaceship from thousands of years ago, which does not know how it landed somewhere deep in the guts of this nightmare spat out by Immaterium. And then what happens is what should have happened, that is, the endless destruction. Hordes of genocides, a sea of blood, mountains of guts, these things. He tyrants everywhere and in any number, and sometimes even in these rare varieties. And all this in the stuffy, dark, mechanically gothic interiors of the wreck, as the Emperor commanded. The corpses are dense, the bolters do not stop clattering, the psyche powers crackle and burn. Cool. For a moment. Shorter or longer.

Space Hulk: Deathwing is unfortunately done on the back. Or for too little money. It doesn't matter, it's all about one thing. Every aspect of the gameplay is somehow more or less handicapped. Fabularly it is weak, for example. The story is seemingly classical, but underdeveloped. Creators do not use its potential at all, do not create any interesting situations, do not develop heroes, just throw some text in the background sometimes and that's all. Our journey in the intestines of a cosmic wreck has no reasonable justification. It is not dramatic, it does not hold in suspense. And most of all, it doesn't push us forward because of the boring chopping of genocide on slices or perforating them like a hype. And it is boring, unfortunately. The very mechanics of fighting from poverty would still be bearable. One shoots pleasantly and muscularly, for example. The melee fight is not very thrilling, because you just press the key and somehow the guts fly around on their own, but it will get out in the crowd. And these stupid Tyrannics and their aunties could be also considered quite correct. If the whole thing had some kind of dynamics, if it wasn't a series of boring, tedious, tiring fighting along the same corridors back and forth. If in some way this were to be diversified, and yet it was possible, in so many ways, and still keeping to the convention imposed by the subject. Or if this boring singles campaign wasn't the main content of the game.

Space Hulk: Deathwing also has a cooperative mode. Only that it is also underdeveloped. Instead of some cool campaigns, instead of some thoughtful construction, we have here the option of playing a single mission, only the four of us. And with even more limited promotion system than in the campaign, where it doesn't arouse admiration anymore. Sure, you can play for a while and maybe even have fun once or twice, especially with your friends. But very soon it becomes clear that it's a very clumsy and primitive version of the same thing that was done much better in Vermintide, Left 4 Dead or Killing Floor 2. You get shot or chopped up a bit and there's only a taste and a sense of wasted potential left. I don't know if there was any lack of willingness, talent or money, but obviously there was something missing.

Space Hulk: Deathwing could have been terribly cool, it could have been a great game, maybe even for heretics who are not fanatically loyal followers of the Emperor. And so it is not suitable for them at all. Fans, on the other hand, are literally entertained for a moment with their good atmosphere and fidelity to the original. Then all the shortcomings in the concept, mechanics and technical issues come to light. And even the most ardent supporter of Warhammer 40k will admit that this is not the case. Fortunately, as I've already explained before, it's all part of a bigger plan. Games Workshop again served us a suicidal, crazy attack of the Guard. It's normal. The only thing to do is to move on to the agenda and wait until Adeptus Astartes enters the stage. Or maybe even something even better. After all, one day the elite have to start fighting again, right? So we are waiting, for the Emperor.