Space Hulk: Deathwing Reviews
With a dearth of decent games based in the Warhammer 40k universe, Space Hulk: Deathwing seems at first glance to be heading in the right direction. With a reverence for the source material that'll appeal to Warhammer 40K aficionados, it successfully evokes the space hulk setting and the relentless battles at its heart. While the basic building blocks of a decent experience seem to be here, the undeveloped gameplay, and repetitive structure – that degenerates into tiresome battles of attrition – mean that even transplanting it into the co-op multiplayer mode and adding more unlocks and rewards won't be enough to keep your finger on the trigger for long.
Space Hulk: Deathwing has great atmosphere and attitude, but is ultimately undone by its frustrating gameplay.
While the first fleeting hours of Deathwing was enjoyable, the proceeding remainder of the game is dull, anti-climatic and uninspiring. If you've got a group of friends ready to squad up in honour of The Empire than great. At least you won't be driven mad by the endless traversing of dim light corridors. Keep the Wiki open and at the ready, for any incoming comms will be difficult to chew on if you're listening as a newcomer to the series. The Wiki is well worth a read, even if you don't plan on playing the game. The lore is savoury dand rich like a thick gravy. The general gameplay is pretty crispy though, and often burnt at the edges.
I really wanted to enjoy my time with Warhammer 40K Space Hulk: Deathwing - Enhanced Edition but some of the design choices just made it seem long and drawn out. Adding in killer load times, and sometimes it wasn’t worth reloading from a previous save but instead starting the mission over because you didn’t get out of the way of a missile turret fast enough.
Ultimately, Space Hulk Deathwing is the empty shell of a great game, desperately looking for some substance. It's the perfect game to play for an hour but every moment after this it just gets a little bit more tiresome. The story is gibberish to all but the most ardent of Warhammer 40K fans and ultimately doesn't provide enough variety to propel you through with any certainty. It's Left 4 Dead without the frenetic pace, deep tactics and unpredictable thrills.
Like Left 4 Dead without the undead heart or Vermintide without the variety and hooks, Space Hulk Deathwing will satisfy only the most die-hard of Warhammer 40K fans. And even then they shouldn't expect much.
Sadly, despite Spacehulk: Deathwing possessing a great atmosphere, I can't recommend the title. At least not in the current state of the game. The single player portion is standard flair that will only appeal to those who are fans of the Warhammer 40K universe. This goes double for the co-op. It's a nice experience but it really doesn't match up to what you find with single player campaign. The technical issues, which is my main concern with this title, simply robs you of any fun. With massive frame rate drops which can plummet on even the most powerful PCs, show the telltale sign of poor optimization. Bugs that can cause all sorts of odd things, including crashing your game also are rampant.
Space Hulk: Deathwing is a below par title with some excellent art design and satisfying enough combat. Enemy variety is higher than expected, and the unlockable weapons all feel appropriate, but overall it can only really be recommended to 40K diehards.
Space Hulk: Deathwing does a great job of capturing the look and feel of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but it doesn't manage to wrap that around a compelling co-op shooter. The missions are ponderous, the story already forgotten, and the core gunplay leaves something to be desired. Those with a fondness for Games Workshop or fraught co-op action will have wanted this to be great, but it's merely OK.
There's already a large contingency of the Warhammer 40K defense force saying that people disliking the game just don't "get it," that this is the perfect video game adaptation of Space Hulk. Expect to see them in the comments, saying that I played it wrong. Maybe that's true, and I'm just a big dumb idiot! Or more likely, this game was pushed out too soon. Streum is already working on fixes, including reducing multiplayer crashes. I hope that in the next few months, Space Hulk: Deathwing goes through some drastic changes and becomes a more engaging romp through grimdarkness. For now, I'd say get your bloody jollies elsewhere.
The most authentic-looking Warhammer 40K game so far – when it's working properly – but the action is disappointingly shallow and repetitive.
With underwhelming presentation, disappointing gameplay and lots of technical issues, Space Hulk: Deathwing fails to live up to its potential. The game attempts to stay true to the source material, but even so requires players to be familiar with the Warhammer universe.
Space Hulk: Deathwing is a game full of potential, wasted on terrible creative decisions that pitch the game's strengths directly against one another.
Space Hulk: Deathwing is a sadly boring and uninspiring shooter. A repetitive single player that could have been saved by a strong multiplayer is just lost due to technical issues and the sad fact is that the game simply isn't good enough.
Getting proper enjoyment out of Space Hulk: Deathwing requires one to jump through some hoops. Luck needs to be on your side so that you won’t run into performance issues, with a good tolerance for repetitive content and, preferably, some friends to play multiplayer with also being required.
In all honesty Space Hulk: Deathwing is a good solid game with plenty to keep you shooting and stabbing your way through wave after wave of aliens for a few good hours at least. Maybe with a little more polish and a few gameplay changes we might have had a real contender in the world of co-op shooters but unfortunately with titans like Left 4 Dead and Gears of War still showing us how it’s done years later, Deathwing just doesn’t bring anything fresh enough to really stand out as anything more than a gimmick. By all means give it a try and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, but unless you’re a huge fan of Warhammer 40K I just don’t think you’ll be wowed.
Space Hulk: Deathwing promised a lot - close quarters tactics, bulky combat, and the ever awesome delights of the dark 40K universe. However, while fulfilling in some of those respects, lacklustre AI and some buggy multiplayer ultimately diminished this experience.
Not even the Emperor's finest would be able to withstand such an uninspired level design and repetitive gameplay
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A fun horde-based entry in the Warhammer universe, Deathwing is marred by technical issues and an overall lack of polish.
Space Hulk: Deathwing can't seem to win on either front. As a solo experience, the gameplay is mediocre, the AI is rather inconsistent, and the objectives lack imagination. As a multiplayer game, it is pretty much dead. There's stuff in here for a dedicated Warhammer 40,000 fan to be excited about, especially how the game looks, but it certainly isn't the best outing for the license.