Warhammer 40k: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters on PC
Warhammer 40k: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, from developer Complex Games, is a triumphant entry into a genre already in the midst of a renaissance. And while it stands on the shoulders of giants, it is a must-play title in its own right for both tactical gamers and proponents of Warhammer 40k alike.
Set in the grim darkness of the far future, 40k games, unfortunately, have a tendency to be a little hit or miss (and I personally tend towards the fantasy iteration). They either do a disservice to the fantastic lore and universe of the tabletop setting or are let down by poor gameplay or low budget. Daemonhunters, I am glad to say, is an exception and easily the best game I’ve played in the setting, supplanting the excellent earlier entries in the Dawn of War series (which previously held that honor for me).
In Daemonhunters, you command an elite and secretive chapter of Space Marines (the Grey Knights), genetically engineered super-soldiers fanatically devoted to a single task: the eradication of Chaos, and Daemons in particular.
Let’s address the inevitable comparison to the XCOM franchise (of which I am a massive fan) first. It’s true that Daemonhunters is a tactical turn-based strategy game set in a sci-fi universe, like the XCOM series, and that the gameplay shares many similarities at first glance.
In that game, you lead a ragtag unit of soldiers against a technologically superior alien foe, constantly looking for opportunities to even the odds. Ranged combat is rewarded, and expert use of Snipers and the Overwatch ability is almost a requirement on harder difficulties.
From the get-go (and one of the key differentiators between the two), your average Grey Knight is faster, stronger, and many times more deadly than the rank and file cultists and Poxwalkers you will spend the early game pulverizing. Space Marines are the best of the best, and while you can and will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies you will need to contend with, aggressive play is not only encouraged but essential.
In what is perhaps the most epic turn-based tutorial I have ever played, you start the game during the final climactic battle of a crusade against the forces of the Blood God, Khorne. You play as Commander Agravain, who ultimately must sacrifice himself in order to vanquish the Greater Daemon, Erekhul.
Once the game begins proper, you take on the role of the unnamed new Commander of the chapter, and it falls to you to lead your battered battle-brothers back to your homeworld of Titan, to rest and rearm, and to repair your damaged battleship, the Baleful Edict. On route, you are intercepted by an Inquisitor named Vakir, who commands your understrength force to investigate a mysterious plague known only as the Bloom.
From this point on, you become solely responsible for the Baleful Edict and those who serve aboard her. It falls to you to see to her repairs, to arming and leading squads of Grey Knights in battle and dealing with the disagreements that will arise between your councilors and the crew. Very quickly, you will find yourself conducting a single-ship crusade against the pestilential followers of Nurgle, the Plague Lord.
You will spend less time on the strategic layer than you will in tactical combat, but there is still plenty to do. You must assess which planets require intervention, what technologies to research, and what equipment you need to requisition from your superiors back on Titan in order to conduct your war.
It helps, then, that combat during tactical deployments feels incredible. Leading a squad of four Grey Knights, armed to the teeth with massive Force weapons (psychically enhanced swords, hammers, and halberds, to name a few) and wrist-mounted Storm Bolters that spew explosive rounds, you are able to deal death with both hands.
On the battlefield, you engage your foes by using AP (action points) to perform actions, and at a baseline, each character can perform three in a turn (although you can boost that number significantly later on). You can perform any action repeatedly, provided you have AP. So, you could use all three to cover a lot of ground if needed or attack three times if you begin the turn surrounded, or any combination of actions the situation demands. Factor in special abilities and equipment, Overwatch, and your defensive Aegis personal shield, and you have the tools in your arsenal to even the odds.
The focus on melee, and on the Stun system (through which you are able to disable enemies if you hit them enough in a turn) is perhaps where Daemonhunters differs most from XCOM. You get up close and personal with your enemies, and that philosophical difference is hard to overstate. In addition, there are environmental interactions that you can use to turn the tide, such as shoulder charging a pillar, causing it, in turn, to fall and crush your enemies to dust or explosive ordnance that can be ignited with gunfire.
There is also the simple fact that, when firing on an enemy who is not in cover, you cannot miss. The Grey Knights are the best of the already superhuman Space Marines, and they hit what they aim at, another way in which this game differs from traditional XCOM.
Grey Knights are known for their psychic abilities, and each can expend WP (will points) to enhance or alter their abilities, dealing further damage. This, too, leads to further complexity as you must manage a limited resource, but is further complicated by the Warp mechanic.