Space Hulk released for PC a while back and tries to bring the popular Warhammer board game to the virtual world. If you ever played the original Warhammer board game you know it’s a rather complex game, translating it to a console or PC isn’t that easy. Are you going to include all of the rules or go with a more streamlined version? It’s clear that Space Hulk went for the last option and this results in a rather mediocre Warhammer experience.
What story?
The first thing you’ll notice is the lack of a really interesting story. You’re just in control of a pack of heavy armored space marines that are tasked to bring down the alien forces. Not that much of a story and this also has a result for the missions. Most of the missions involve simple objectives as ‘kill that enemy’, ‘save that friendly’ and ‘obtain that object’. It’s a shame the missions don’t offer more variation or interesting objectives. Right from the start you’re forced to play a rather dull and plain strategy game without ever truly realizing why you’re fighting. It’s a huge step back from games like Fire Emblem or Massive Chalice where every decision could result in the loss of your characters forever. It feels like Space Hulk really is missing out story wise, meaning you’ll never connect to your army of Space Hulks.
Troublesome controls
The controls feel a little clunky and aren’t smooth at all. That’s strange since a lot of comparable games seemed to offer better controls. The idea of Space Hulk is rather simple; you control your army of Space Hulks in turns with the enemies. Once you’re done moving, it’s up for the enemies to make their moves. It’s something that’s been done hundreds of time and yet Space Hulk manages to struggle with its controls.
For example, if you end your turn, you have to decide which side you want to face, this is important for your next move or your attack or defense against the enemy. Instead of giving you a simple option at the end of your turn, you need to hold to A button to manually change the direction of your Space Hulk. It doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but it really takes down the pacing of the entire game and it’s even hard to see where you Space Hulk is facing due to the lack of details in the graphics. It’s a shame the developers didn’t implement a better way of turning or controlling your characters since that’s truly essential in a game like this.
The interface is nice however
Unlike the controls, the actual interface of the game is rather spot-on. It’s easy to select the unit you want to move and it’s even easier to select the actions it has to take at the end of the turn. Thanks to the GamePad you’ll have no problem at all in finding your way through the many menus the game has to offer. Another great gimmick is the use of the camera. The television will always show the combat top down, while the GamePad will show you the action from the Space Hulk’ point of view. It’s fun to look at the GamePad when you’re taking down enemies. The front camera truly offers some immersion into the world of the Space Hulks so it’s a shame the rest of the game isn’t that polished.
When it comes to sound, we can say it’s ok. Nothing spectacular or Grammy worthy but just plain ok. The voice-overs are handled with care and the sound effects all have that needed spooky and dark undertone. Again, when it comes to presentation and interface, the game actually isn’t that bad.
Prepare for a challenge
That being said the game offers a lot of challenges. Right from the start you’ll notice that the AI of the enemies is incredibly strong. If you want to survive, you’ll need to be as strategic as possible. Having a challenge is fun but the developers can’t go overboard with it and we had the feeling they rather did in Space Hulk. We’re definitely up for a challenge but it’s no fun if you have to replay the same mission over and over again just to lose against the multiple enemies.
To make things a little easier you can play the game in co-op with a friend. We really recommend you to play it that way. Playing with a friend will lead to more chances to actually survive a mission. The AI of your troops is ok but having a friend on your side can really change things a lot more.
| The good: | The bad: |
| + Combat isn’t bad | – Story feels rushed |
| + Interface | – Too difficult |
| + GamePad use | – Clunky controls |
All in all we can conclude that Space Hulk feels like an unfinished product. The story isn’t there yet and the controls are too clunky. It’s a shame to say this since the game truly had potential. The turn based fights offer some kind of fun but are too difficult to really become enjoyable. If you’re a huge fan of the Warhammer franchise it’s worth considering but it’s not a game we would recommend if you’re not a fan.
Score: 2.5 out of 5
