Let me start this off by saying I know almost nothing about the Warhammer universe. I’m not well versed in the lore, and I’ve never actually played a Warhammer game or tried playing with the figurines. That said, I AM a fan of science fiction and especially tactical RPG style games. So when I heard that the latest Warhammer 40,000 game, Mechanicus, was actually a tactical title, I was intrigued and decided to book a demo.
The good news is, I liked what I saw. The bad news is, I didn’t actually get first hand impressions of the game, but instead watched as one of the devs walked me through the ins and outs of the game. One thing I immediately appreciated was that you don’t have to be a diehard fan to enjoy Mechanicus, which makes it much more likely that someone like myself would invest time in the game. But perhaps you want some specifics? I’ll gloss over some of the more interesting tidbits below.
First of all, you’ve probably guessed from the title that this Warhammer title is focused on mechanized mayhem. You play the faction of Adeptus Mechanicus, which I took to calling creepier Borg in my head. Essentially since they exalt in transforming their flesh with monstrous mechanical upgrades, such as tentacles, visors and much more. What surprised me is that this mechanical obsessed faction is also driven by a religious ideology. That’s a dangerous combination, and normally wouldn’t be the focus of the “good guys” you play. Nevertheless, the foe you’re fighting is another mechanical offshoot called Necrons. Think Terminator skeletons with dark magic and you’re on the right track. Even though I couldn’t appreciate it much, many are sure to like how Mechanicus is firmly set in the lore of the Warhammer universe. There are no pixie dragons or rainbow ponies to be found, and it’s probably for the best it’s faithful to fan expectations.
What I did appreciate was how much customization options you have for everything in the game, from your loadout of individual units to passive perks that affect gameplay and much more. Also of note is that you’re capable of moving, acting and then moving again, so long as you have enough movement points left. That should allow for complex strategy as you fight the Necron hordes. This looks to be a game that any fan of tactics could appreciate, and best of all there are multiple endings to spur you on to play again and again. Even better, the plot of the game is written by an actual author, Ben Counter, so you can probably be safe to expect a dark and complex storyline.
The only bad news about the game? It’s only coming to PC, Mac and Linux, with nothing announced yet for consoles. That said, I think it’s probably not too graphically intensive, since I really want to run it on my laptop. Though there is no set release date for Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, they are hoping for sometime later this year. If you love tactical or just enjoy a good Warhammer game, keep your eyes peeled for this one.
