Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters puts you in control of humanity’s greatest warriors, the Grey Knights. These Space Marines are armed to the teeth with weapons that can slice, dice, explode, fry, and do much more to the scum they’re used against. We were given a chance to command a squad of four across three missions in the upcoming tactical RPG from Complex Games, and across three missions we were treated to meaty tactical gameplay with a squad of four Grey Knights against gruesome creatures and even one of the title’s bosses.
Familiar mechanics in a brutal universe
The worlds of Warhammer 40,000 aren’t known as being shining visions of the future where humanity shares control of the galaxy with aliens in peace. It’s an often grotesque projection of what a far-flung future could look like if we only focus on building weapons and conquering other worlds. Space Marines are almost a sci-fi version of the British Empire in many ways, such as in how the Emperor controls all the empire touches, and has the final say on every decision, which is why their worlds are filled with war and death. Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters holds true to the setting and manages to translate it into the tactical RPG genre well.
You control each member of your squad of Grey Knights individually, commanding them with set actions that cost one of their three action points per turn. Cover is essential to avoid taking fire during the enemy’s turn, but you’ve also got to think about potential attacks, ambushes, and where you want to move a few turns ahead to avoid taking damage. While you can try to smash your way through your enemies without a care, for the safety of your Grey Knights, you’ll quickly realize that they can’t take the punishment that comes with being left in the open.
Grey Knights come in various classes, specializing in healing, leading the attack, or creating opportunities and defending. You must make the most of their abilities to win a mission because enemies are completely unforgiving of any missteps. Quite often, they’ll actually have abilities that allow them to capitalize on your mistakes, meaning you must consider every move carefully.
What separates this game from other tactical RPGs is the Warhammer universe itself. Your Grey Knights are using equipment that has been assembled and painted by fans of the figures for decades. While some mechanics such as overwatch have been pulled from other tactics games, you won’t find the lances or rifles being used by these Space Marines anywhere else.That gives the game a satisfyingly unique, metallic flavor. Everything looks and sounds raw and you can almost feel the pain of your enemies when your Grey Knights slice or shoot them apart.
Great care has been taken to complement the tactical gameplay with cinematic moments that zoom in on and highlight the actions of your hulking Space Marines. Gunshots can remove heads or cause bodies to explode into a pile of limbs. When you’re up close and personal, tactical cameras trigger to help you identify where to hit and what the effect of that hit will be, adding yet another layer of tactics to an already incredibly complex game. However, with all the augments and abilities that Grey Knights have, that complexity makes perfect sense.
Victory through planning
In both of the main missions we got to play, we were tasked with moving through aggressive groups of enemies to take down specific targets. In the first, we were searching for the source of the Bloom, a galaxy-spanning plague that’s overtaking planets faster than the Grey Knights can detect it on them. Enemies piled into our path, including organic tanks that launched devastating missiles if we didn’t keep our Grey Knights out of the firing line.
The only way we made it through this mission to our goal was forward planning. We killed the minor enemies around the tank while we moved two Grey Knights into a flanking position. Then, when we were ready, we reloaded every weapon and teleported a soldier behind the enemy, killing it without it ever seeing our attack coming.
The second main mission we tried, and failed, to complete featured a boss. This colossal green creature, an Unclean One formed from the Bloom, could spawn tiny creatures called Nurglings from its gut in addition to larger humanoid enemies. We had to move around the map, taking out the Nurgling spawners at the edge whilst also fighting off an attack from the boss and these mutated humanoids. The problem was, every melee attack or shot that didn’t kill the humanoids made them mutate and become stronger. This changed how we thought about combat, forcing the humanoids between Grey Knights so we could ensure we killed them. All the while, the boss kept getting closer, flailing one unlucky Grey Knight halfway across the map.
To caveat these powerful enemies, Grey Knights can use the environment to their advantage. Teleporting is one option to surprise an enemy, but you can also send your Space Marines hurtling through doors as part of their standard movement. Almost every time they do this, a small cutscene will play showing them kicking through the wall or door before you have them blast gunfire at the enemies beyond it.
Environmental destruction can also be used to your advantage. Pillars and other objects can be destroyed to cause devastating damage to enemies, and you have control over how that destruction happens. This adds another layer of strategy to each battle, making you consider the placement of your troops based not only on the available defenses and their abilities but also what they could use around them to aid them in battle.
Preparation and storytelling
Before each mission, we got to check out the Baleful Edict. This is the ship that forms the base of operations for all players. Here you can chat with the other characters in the story, upgrade your facilities to help you in future missions, and pick which path you want to take through the story. It’s extremely similar to the base of operations you use in Xcom: Enemy Unknown, giving you some breathing and planning space between each assault.
We spent a little time talking to the characters on the Baleful Edict and were surprised by the lore, exposition, and sheer amount of story that there is to discover. There are branching dialogue options that provide meaningful context to your missions and the Bloom, all of which link back into the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Everything has been carefully put together to fit with the established lore, meaning fans of the figures will find something they can dig their teeth into with Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters.
Customization of your Grey Knights forms a core part of your routine with each mission. Understanding what you might be up against and equipping your Space Marines to deal with it feels good. Mistakes in the field feel like they’re your fault because you moved your knights into danger or didn’t give them the proper equipment for the mission.
The team saved the most exciting strategy Grey Knights have at their disposal until last. Exterminatus is a powerful biosphere-eradicating bomb that is only used as a last resort on a planet when the Emperor deems it completely unsalvagable. We’re not sure if using Exterminatus will be possible across multiple planets as part of your campaign, but based on the enemies from the Bloom we were fighting, we wouldn’t be surprised.
Any fan of the figures will find more than enough meat to sink their teeth into when Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters launches on May 5, including multiple storylines to uncover through conversations with characters and choices that directly alter the course of your campaign.
Based on our time with the game, we found a deep respect for Warhammer 40,000’s lore that brings the universe to life. Hardcore fans who have read every book will enjoy the accuracy, but the game is still accessible to newcomers, with everything from Space Marine ranks to the Bloom and planets you explore all explained in great detail.
