The same goes for the AI – it’s not exactly unusual to find a less-than-clever AI, but the Space Marines accompanying us seem to be blind to anything that isn’t right in front of them, leaving them surprised when enemies attack from anywhere else.The opening missions of the campaign at least capture the dark and dingy atmosphere of a space hulk well, and as you plod through a mix of tight corridors and vast rooms, complete with high vaulted ceilings draped in shadows, it can feel quite unsettling, mainly due to the signature Warhammer 40K architecture that mixes the futuristic and gothic. I didn’t particularly like the melee attacks as I found them slow and relatively ineffective, so the occasional fast-moving enemy breaking through can really be a bit of a headache. The variety of weapons is great, with plenty of customisation and specialisation to choose from. The controls were chunky, beyond what you’d expect from a console-shooter, and while the Space Marines are definitely big guys, it occasionally felt like I was piloting around a chunk of metal instead. Now there are obviously some things to be said for playing first-person shooters on a keyboard instead of on a console, but I played it on the PS4 anyway. A bored-sounding voice actor can really break the immersion quite a bit, but thankfully the game relies more on guns that voice acting, making this a minor complaint at best. The one critique I have to make is the voice acting – it falls a little flat at times. This is quite disappointing since the game was developed for the PS4 – it breaks immersion and can even be annoying when trying to aim. The game definitely uses space (or lack thereof) well, but it does stutter a little. You often play in closed in spaces with swarms of enemies coming at you, making the player feel a little claustrophobic and tense. The game has the attention to detail and creativity you’d expect from a game set in the Warhammer universe, without laying it on too thick. The game looks gritty and dark, which sets a good tone.

It’s our job as the player to go scavenging for artefacts while under assault from the Genestealers – Alien-like creatures that want to make their nest in the ship we are exploring. They’re outfitted with a particularly unique and powerful armour. In the single-player campaign, the player is a Librarian of the Dark Angels 1st company of Space Marines. Don’t worry though, if you aren’t familiar with it or don’t like table-top games, this game has nothing in common with them except for the lore. The premise: The game is set in the Warhammer 40k universe and is based on a turn-based strategy game called Space Hulk.

Space hulk deathwing xbox one review