Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, the review

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is an imposing production, like the Space Marines who are its protagonists, and rock-solid, like the armor that protects them. Complex Games offers its interpretation of the belligerent and terrible future of the forty-first millennium through a turn-based strategy game that does a great job of bringing the furious imagery of the Games Workshop miniature game to the screen.

It contains exactly everything fans could desire: a story of war, centered on one of the most fascinating Space Marine chapters, the Grey Knights, the intransigence of the Inquisition, and the sinister machinations of Chaos; a skillful aesthetic, though not overly elaborate, that pays good homage to the source material; and, of course, a game system that effectively conveys that feeling of fast-paced, visceral, oppressive combat. All of this, despite some imperfections in how the strategic gameplay substance is distributed, amidst tedious downtime and a certain underlying repetitiveness.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, mechanics and dynamics

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is, as mentioned, primarily a turn-based strategy game, and as such, it works very well. There's nothing particularly unique about its proposal, which in its most basic mechanics and dynamics resembles many other games of its kind. A certain number of Grey Knights are deployed on the battlefield, each with their own specialization and customizable equipment, and intense battles are fought against enemies always present in overwhelming numbers. After all, Space Marines are among the deadliest warriors in the universe; very few enemies can face them head-on. Ludically, this translates into hordes of Chaos, demons, and even Chaos Space Marines, all in significant numbers.

On the field, one must move according to certain dictates, which involve optimizing movements and skillfully using one's arsenal. The use of cover is fundamental, as is understanding when to engage enemies from a distance with firearms and when in close combat. It's easy to get familiar with a simple but sufficiently deep system. Initially, everything seems almost too basic, but as missions are faced, the number of enemies grows, and the possibilities for action and customization of one's units increase, things change significantly.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is a challenging video game, even at the lowest difficulty level, requiring planning and attention from the player. Enemies can emerge from any area of the battlefield, so it's best to always move your handful of men compactly; enemies, again, though not overly intelligent, use their arsenal without hesitation, so it's always wise to have adequate countermeasures through well-differentiated equipment; you can find yourself against unstoppable hordes or imposing bosses, and then exploiting the not-too-varied environmental elements can mark the difference between victory and defeat (take this pillar to the head, demons!).

The game works on a tactical level, albeit without particular flashes of brilliance, because upgradable rifles, grenades, first-aid kits, teleports, shields, and so on, to be used according to action points and similar, are now part of the genre's tradition. What is most exhilarating, what elevates an enjoyable but very familiar gameplay, is, predictably, the dose of Warhammer 40,000 infused into the production. This isn't extremely high, because, for example, many times the enemies are always the same, or because the environments in not even that much time end up resembling each other a bit, but it's sufficient to intrigue the enthusiast. In the way weapons work, for example, slicing or tearing apart putrid progeny; or even, simply, in the particular way Space Marines move, inside their terrible armor, with heavy but sure steps.

If the core of the game works well, however, there's a surrounding element that isn't equally up to par. There's a management phase, aboard the ship housing the Grey Knights, that isn't entirely focused. It works well when it comes to using certain resources to unlock new armaments, armor, and so on; but it falls short when it's often through this phase that progression occurs. You don't proceed from mission to mission, completing one to access the next, but according to a time scan in days. Time is advanced, meanwhile Chaos spreads and intervention on the field is required, but almost always these impromptu battles, which all resemble each other, are a trivial filler, waiting for, for example, the ship's upgrade that allows the story to proceed to be ready. It's not a fruitful dialogue between the management and strategic parts, but a stumbling block that most of the time forces uninspired clashes and imposes a slow and artificial progression.