Space Marine 2’s campaign is bigger and bloodier than the original, but falters in the back half

The secret to understanding the vast libraries of lore behind the Warhammer 40K franchise is that all of it, from the Black Library novels to the lavishly detailed Warhammer Plus animations, is there to sell you on the idea of collecting your own army of miniatures to paint and play. No one understands this better than Saber Interactive, the developer of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Space Marine became a cult classic due to how well it captured the joy of playing a transhuman tank of a man, a weapon of war stomping through the battlefield swiftly removing arms from torsos and heads from shoulders. Space Marine 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel; much of the core combat is similar. Everything else has been expanded and improved upon, so players get to rip and tear their way through one of the best depictions of 40K’s eternal war yet.

The main attraction of Space Marine 2 is its combat. The protagonist, Lieutenant Titus, is accompanied by two of his battle brothers. The game begins on the jungle planet of Kadaku, which is being invaded by the voracious Tyranids. These insectoid aliens are highly adaptable and merciless, and they plan to subsume these worlds for valuable biomass, which will create more Tyranids.

Titus is a top-of-the-line genetically modified warrior, but the Tyranids are a worthy match. Saber used the swarm technology from World War Z for the Tyranids, and it’s truly stunning to see wave after wave of them swarming a fortification. These enemies range from thousands of tiny, rat-sized Rippers to the massive and monstrous Carnifex. There’s only one solution at hand: Rip and tear.

This is not a cover shooter; Titus is happiest in the thick of combat. Titus is equipped with both a melee and a ranged weapon, and he switches seamlessly between them. If Titus successfully parries an enemy attack, he gains an opening and can fire a free shot. Stunned enemies can be executed, which triggers a gratuitously gory animation and gives Titus a chunk of free armor.

There are a few moments where the power fantasy weakens, especially on Kadaku. Titus may be a transhuman weapon of war, but he can’t jump over a tiny ledge, or walk through a small wall of rubble. This game is at its best when it flows from combat encounter to combat encounter, and the endless armies of the Tyranids are great fun to tear apart. Some of the execution animations had me hooting and hollering; it’s wildly satisfying to grab an alien by the face, pull its head off, and then stomp whatever remains beneath a big boot.

Space Marine 2 is more than just a gorefest; the game builds on the narrative established by the original. Space Marines are created to be the ultimate soldiers, built to defend the Imperium of Man. At the end of the first game, Captain Titus of the Ultramarines battles the Archenemy, also known as the forces of Chaos. For his good deeds, his own battle brothers turn him into the Imperium’s secret police. The Imperium tortured Titus until he was eventually sent to serve with a Space Marine group known as the Deathwatch.

After 200 years of punishment, Titus is finally welcomed back into the Ultramarines. The Ultramarine force in Space Marine 2 is much more established, giving orders from aboard the Battle Barge known as the Resilient. In the first game, Titus mostly deals with the Inquisition and the Imperial Guard. This time, Titus spends time dealing with the various subfactions of the Imperium who are present, and navigating the tense political relationships between groups.

Titus and his battle brothers move off Kadaku and pursue the threat into the Hive world of Avarax. These densely populated urban centers are one of the most interesting parts of 40K, and Space Marine 2 does a great job at depicting these massive environments. I adored Warhammer 40,000: Darktide for the meticulous job of capturing the 40K vibe; Space Marine 2 achieves a similar feat.

In the back half of the game — similar to the first title — a new threat emerges. Chaos Space Marines, specifically the sorcerous Thousand Sons, appear to torment Titus. The Thousand Sons are composed of powerful psykers who command armies of Rubric Marines, empty shells of armor filled with soul dust. Encountering these traitors inspires doubts and suspicion among the Ultramarines, and as they pursue the Thousand Sons, Titus begins arguing with his new squad. Will history repeat itself? Is Titus doomed to fall to Chaos, or will brotherhood and good faith prevail?

About halfway through Avarax, I noticed Space Marine 2 started to feel less well realized. There were a couple of cool sequences that, instead of making for a thrilling set-piece, were relegated to being mere cutscenes. The inventive execution animations also fell off. The first few times I wrenched off a Rubric Marine’s helmet and watched magical confetti rocket out like a macabre piñata, I laughed and clapped like a trained seal. The 50th time was less magical.

The storyline about Titus and his squadmates is also core to the main narrative, but there are a few story beats that seem like they’re going to pay off later on, only to go nowhere. Space Marines are also narrowly characterized compared to other groups in 40K, since they’re indoctrinated transhuman soldiers. There’s a lot of squad banter that can be summed up as “Brother, I did not act with honor,” followed by “I understand, brother, but we must always act with honor.”

Despite a few messy detours and an irritating final boss fight, Space Marine 2 resolves everything neatly and leaves the door open for further adventures. There’s more to discover, including playing the campaign cooperatively with friends, the PvP modes, and the side missions that show different perspectives of the Ultramarines’ campaign. As someone who enjoyed Titus’ first journey all the way back in 2011, I enjoyed his triumphant return.

The core action tickles the same part of my brain, but the expanded narrative, bigger environments, and sheer size and scope of the Tyranids are noticeable and massive improvements. The Space Marine games are one of the best entry points to the vast 40K canon thanks to how satisfying it is to step into the shoes of an Ultramarine, and Space Marine 2 carries on that legacy.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will be released Sept. 4 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Saber Interactive. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.