Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Review

Fatshark are a developer hailing out of Stockholm Sweden best known for their Vermintide Games that are based around the Warhammer universe, with Vermintide 1 and 2 released in 2015 and 2018 respectively. Both games were met with critical acclaim, for good reason as they were great games that deserved to be a lot more popular than they were, though the lack in popularity may have been more due to the niche gameplay than the actual quality of the games themselves. Warhammer fans have been drooling in anticipation for the next Fatshark release as this time we are stepping into the Warhammer 40k universe with Warhammer 40,0000: Darktide. All hail the emperor!!!! As we pick up our Chainsword and attempt to rip through the many, many mobs of crazy foes that stand between us and our goals. 

The plot of Darktide revolves around your operative, who you can customise along with an extensive backstory during character creation, you begin as a prisoner detained aboard the Tancred Bastion when it is suddenly attacked by the followers of the Chaos god Nurgle, fighting through the hordes of attackers you manage to rescue Explicator Zola and she agrees to spare you from the death penalty and inscript you into the Inquisition (a sort of secret police force that serves the emperor by dealing with threats to his realm) from your new home base aboard the ship Mourningstar you will be tasked with undertaking all sorts of operations and assassinations all in order to uphold the glory of the emperor. 

Character creation in Darktide is a unique and refreshing experience, especially due to the in depth backstory you can give your character, sure the backstory you create really doesn’t affect play that much at all and your fellow operatives won’t even know what your backstory is unless you decide to tell them, but it is a really nice personal touch to have these options available to you. You have four classes available to choose from to mould your character; 

Psyker : This is the class to choose if you favour magical abilities, the Psyker is what you would also consider a support class as they have crowd control abilities along with other powerful abilities that will damage many enemies at once, you also need to be careful that you use your abilities sparingly though as constantly spamming them will result in you ‘overcharging’ and killing yourself if you don’t expel your magical build up in time.  

Veteran – Sharpshooter : The veteran is a capable class both at long range and in melee combat, but it is from afar where this class really shines, the veteran has increased ammo capacity and enemy weak spot damage as a passive ability along with frag grenades that can damage packs of enemies at once and a sharpshooter ability that is akin to the bullet time ability from the Max Payne series, if you like to pick off enemies from a distance then you will be at home playing as a veteran. 

Ogryn : If you like being a tank then the Ogryn is for you, these guys are hulking brutes that live up to their ogre-like name, Ogryn are always in the thick of the battle dealing out melee damage and blasting at hordes of enemies with their shotgun, they also have a class ability that ‘Bull Rush’ that allows them to charge and mow down a group of enemies. 

Zealot – Preacher : If you like melee fighting then the Zealot is for you, though not as tough and tanky as the Ogryn, the zealot is very capable in melee combat and sports a passive ability that allows them to deal out increased damage depending on how low their current health is, this is risk vs reward gameplay at its finest as you will be constantly watching your health to make sure you only have a low amount remaining in order to deal out the most damage you can, the preacher also has a dash command at their disposal that locks enemies in combat with them and has a ‘Stumm Grenade’ which they can use to stun a group of enemies. The preacher is a versatile class that is difficult to play to its full potential but can become deadly if used by a veteran player. 

Once you have chosen what type of character suits your playstyle the best you are summoned to the training room aboard the Mourningstar to undertake some tutorial training missions, these missions are a great way to get accustomed to the various abilities your character possesses so I would suggest taking the time to run through these before grouping up and playing with other players. Once you complete the training you are free to roam the massive corridors of the Mourningstar, the ship serves as a central hub for everything in the game from matchmaking through to weapon vendors and equipment upgrades, you will see other players roaming around tending to their business which helps to keep the ship feeling alive and adds a lot of immersiveness to the game. Eventually you will find your way to the mission table and it is here where you will choose which missions you want to group up with other players to tackle, these range from assassination missions through to disruption and espionage type missions.

There really is a great amount of variety in both the missions and the areas they are undertaken in, you will find yourself roaming around giant dilapidated cities and sloshing through the feral water of long forgotten sewers amongst other environments. Once you have chosen a mission type and difficulty it’s time to jump in, the game will automatically matchmake you with other players that have elected to undertake the same mission and substitute other players with bots if not enough players are available, players can join mid mission though to replace the bots. Teamwork is important in this game and sticking together is almost a requirement, running off lone wolf style will almost certainly result in your death, working as a team and helping each other with abilities and by calling out health and ammo pickups will raise your chance of survival significantly.

You will face several different enemy types with varied abilities as you undertake each mission, from hordes of grunts through to snipers who you constantly need to be on the lookout for as they can almost one shot you especially if you are low on health, there are also elite enemies such as crushers and maulers which you will need to concentrate on as a team in order to survive. At the end of each, whether successful or not, you will receive rewards ranging from cash to spend at vendors in order to purchase new weapons and cosmetics, gifts from the emperor which sometimes result in you getting a free weapon and various resources that can be used to upgrade your existing loadout. The basic gameplay loop is to complete missions and grind for currency and resources in order to become stronger by customising your character with the best loadout to fit your play style, you will also receive upgrades to your players skills as you hit certain level milestones in the game, the gameplay loop is not innovative by any stretch of the imagination, however it is a gameplay loop and reward system that has been used in many games and has stood the test of time, I find it enjoyable.  

None of the grinding and missions would be enjoyable of course if the controls weren’t up to par, and I am happy to say that both the gunplay and melee combat in Darktide are absolutely top notch, melee combat is simple to pick up but complex enough that it will take a long time to master all of the combos you can pull off, left click swings your weapon, long left click will charge up a power attack, holding down the right mouse button blocks and if you click the left mouse button while blocking you will shove all the enemies in front of you stunning them for a short moment so that you can get some attacks off without fear of taking damage. Gun combat is equally engaging and plays out differently depending on what gun you have equipped, the shotguns are of course great for close range combat, while laser assault rifles are best used at range.

To become good at combat you need to know when to melee and when to switch to your guns to take down enemies from range, you will get better with this the more hours you put into the game, one of the most impressive features of the combat system is how seamless it is to switch between melee and ranged combat, and the satisfaction you get from taking out snipers from long range and then rushing in and swinging your melee weapon of choice wildly into the oncoming hordes of enemies. If you liked the combat in the Vermintide games you will feel right at home here.

Graphically the game does an absolutely amazing job of bringing life into the 40k Universe on your screen, the world of 40k is gritty and dank and Fatshark have absolutely nailed the aesthetic here, from the corridors of the Mourningstar through to the dank sewers and decaying buildings and streets of dilapidated and long forgotten cities everything here oozes atmosphere and serves as a great homage to the 40k universe, of course all of this comes at a cost and you will need a computer that is up to the task to be able to run the game at a respectable frame rate especially with all the graphics options cranked up but if you have a rig that is capable of this then you are in for an absolute visual treat.

The games soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd, is also fantastic, musically most of the tracks fit into a mash up of industrial/techno/metal genres and they certainly keep the blood pumping and the heart beating at a high rate as you take down enemies and navigate the levels in the game. Weapons also sound beefy and satisfying, especially the chainsword, and the amusing chatter and one liners that are occasionally played out between the characters on your team never get old, I found myself chuckling quite a few times at the lines of dialogue that were delivered.

Warhammer 40,000 : Darktide is an amazing game, but in saying that it might not be for everyone, especially if you are not patient enough to give the game a chance while you learn its unique take on combat, as mentioned previously the combat plays out much like the Vermintide series of games, these are games I disliked when I first played them but after a few hours learning their intricacies I couldn’t shout their praises highly enough, both Vermintide and Darktide will reward you, but you have to put in the effort to get to know them first.

The games premise and gameplay loop is simple, you grind to make your character more powerful and acquire the weapons you want, it is the excellent combat and feeling of satisfaction you get when all of your teamwork plays out and your squad completes a mission that will keep bringing you back to this game, that and the absolutely incredible atmosphere and level design in the game. Give Darktide a chance and I guarantee you will get hooked!

The Score

8.5

Review code provided by Fatshark

The Pros

+Graphics are incredible and absolutely nail the atmosphere of the 40k Universe

+Combat feel fantastic and is incredibly rewarding

+Soundtrack absolutely pumps and the chatter between characters is at times hilarious

+Even though there is a lot of grinding the game rewards you frequently enough that you always feel like you are progressing

The Cons

-Quite a few promised features and weapons are missing at launch

-If you don’t like grinding in games then this might not be for you

-Can take a while to get the hang of which might lead to frustration