Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 comes out later this year in September. A new experience is on the cards for fans of the franchise as Saber Interactive has dug deeper from the success of the first game with a modern take on the Space Marine idea.
According to Saber Interactive’s Creative Director Oliver Hollis-Leick, the game will have both PvP and PvE modes, with the co-op campaign allowing up to three players to team up. From story-driven co-op missions to some classic beatdown of other players, we have a lot to look forward to.
Saber Interactive’s New Take on Space Marine 2‘s Multiplayer
In a recent interview with GameReactor, Oliver Hollis-Leick was asked a lot of questions about Space Marine 2. Among the questions were ones regarding the game’s campaign mode, the different multiplayer modes, and the customization in the game.
When talking about the co-op campaign mode where players can do the story with friends, he was asked if all three players would play as Titus on their own screens, he said:
I think of it like Gears of War. You’ve got these four characters, and you take on one of them each. So, it’s very much the same. You’ll drop in, you’ll be assigned your characters, and it’ll be Titus, Chiron, and Gadriel, and you’ll be distributed on them.
The announcement of Space Marine 2’s different multiplayer modes is what has gotten fans hyped the most. According to the announcement, players will be able to experience a brand new player-versus-environment (PvE) game mode, not dissimilar to Helldivers 2, in addition to the classic player-versus-player (PvP) mode.
And with a new twist on co-op, as Hollis-Leick mentioned, this mode can be played with up to three players. We will play alongside Lieutenant Titus in this game mode and command additional troops, assigning them objectives and seeing the battlefield from multiple perspectives.
The Story of Space Marine 2 Gives Fans What They Want
In Space Marine 2, we will see the story continue from where the first game left off Titus’ story unfinished. We will once again be in the shoes of the veteran Space Marine of the Ultramarines chapter, and resume the fight against the Tyranid hordes.
The return of Titus was a decision the developers made to give players the closure they wanted by seeing his story completed. Hollis-Leick said:
Well, Titus’ story was unfinished. We never learned why he was resistant to the war. We never knew what happened to him afterwards.
Players will finally learn why Titus was resistant to the war and what happened to him after being taken away by the Black Templars. Hollis-Leick mentions that this is what most players wanted, saying:
And so, just as we were beginning, and we were looking online and researching the first game, there was a lot of desire from the fans to know what happened. And I think if we’d have just gone away from that, a lot of people would have been unhappy, but we’d have left something unfinished.
This will also allow them to explore new characters and stories within the Warhammer 40K universe, according to Hollis-Leick.
And I think what we wanted to do is continue that story, but also do some of what you’re talking about, which is to create new characters and to meet characters.
Space Marine 2 also offers extensive customization options, allowing players to choose from six different classes, each with its own set of weapons, armor, and skills. Players can also make their characters original and their own with a wide selection of colors, heraldry decals, pauldrons, and gauntlets.
Saber Interactive has gone to great lengths to make sure the source material was a fundamental part of the game but also welcoming for newer fans of the franchise. The game features fully-voiced characters with different personalities and characteristics.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 comes out on September 9, 2024, for multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is available for preorder with various editions that include exclusive cosmetics and even a hand-painted statue of Lieutenant Titus.
