Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, the tried
Warhammer 40,000
After the excellent work done in 2017 with Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock, Black Lab Games returns to the scene by collecting one of the many legacies of the Space Marines to develop Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, a strategic one coming out on PC and consoles that will put us in the shoes of the relentless Blood Angels or Tyranids, one of the many wonderful alien races that populate space. Set during the so-called Age of Crimson Dawn (Crimson Dawn which is also the title of a novel written by CZ Dunn), the game is told through a single player campaign lasting twenty missions during which we will experience the consequences of the Devastation of Baal: Following the invasion by the Tyranids of the home planet of the Blood Angels, the latter managed to repel the alien forces at the cost of huge losses. Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector explores precisely the consequences of this attack through the eyes and actions of Sergeant Carleon, engaged in the purge of Baal Secundis.To briefly contextualize the factions at stake, the Blood Angels are one of the twenty Legions first founding of the Space Marines and among the oldest founding Chapters of the army, serving the Emperor for thousands of years; their bloodlust in battle and the curse they carry with them make them particularly feared. On the other hand, the Tyranids are an alien race driven by a single will called the "Hive Mind", whose orders are picked up and relayed by the more evolved Tyranid organisms. Tyranid spaceships and armaments are biological rather than technological in nature, and when a biofleet attacks a planet, it consumes every last drop of energy. While not a playable faction in the main campaign, which has Blood Angels as its core, Skirmish Mode allows you to step into their shoes.
For Sanguinius and for the Emperor!
Having made the necessary premises to contextualize the game and the main actors, let's talk specifically about the tried: in addition to the tutorial so as not to get completely unprepared for real battles and own, we had two different sections of the game called respectively "Breach in the Heavenwall" and "Rearm and Resupply", just a taste of what Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector aims to offer. The gameplay, however, is whatever strategy you have ever played (with the due differences in setting and characters, of course) that puts groups of units, vehicles and individual leaders on the field. Each unit has an action point - except the leaders - and several movement points that they can spend as they prefer: the former allow you to use offensive skills and enter Overwatch mode, focusing attention on a point of your choice so that anyone enters the field of view of the unit is greeted by a barrage of bullets. The positioning of the troops in relation to the enemy should also not be underestimated, since being attacked on the flanks or from behind means receiving more damage. physical attacks while having the opportunity to hit you even from a distance: although this benefits the Blood Angels on the one hand, on the other the enemies rely on the number and resistance of some units, which if they are brought too close not only inflict discrete body damage to body but also generate a toxic area capable of poisoning our soldiers. Overall, therefore, although both missions turned out to be quite simple and aimed at making us understand the mechanics, they were not to be taken lightly.From strategic as it is, when it comes to combat everyone has their part in Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, especially the leaders who mainly serve as support for the other units. Between offense, defense and support, one mechanic in particular stands out above all the others: the Momentum, obtainable in different ways depending on the faction you are controlling - in the case of the Blood Angels, killing enemies at close range and wedging into enemy forces, or by exploiting the skills of a leader. In short, the game rewards an aggressive approach and punishes caution, subtracting at least ten Momentum points per turn in the case of immobility of the troops or lack of action in general. Once the gauge is filled, you can decide whether to consume all the Momentum to get an action bonus or to upgrade a specific skill. This is an interesting mechanic that can lead to different twists, as well as rethinking your strategies based on which unit is better to increase the Momentum not being able to do it with all. There are choices to be made and these could turn the tide for both good and bad.
As seen so far, the gameplay is well implemented and intuitive. We also liked the fact that Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is a faster running game because you don't have to wait for a unit to finish its action to issue other commands. While the one we just gave an order to is still completing it, we can tell another thing to do: for example, we tried to push one group forward while another cleared the Tyranids a little further from the rear and it worked. In short, even in this case it is possible to play in advance and see how to make the most of the single units combined with each other to gain advantage over the enemy. A mix of forces that, although pre-set, in the final version it will be possible to build your own army, worked very well and enjoyed the various possibilities it offered also thanks to the presence of the Land Speeders.
Bloodthirsty enthusiasms aside, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is not without its flaws and it is felt to have played a build yet to be perfected. Camera controls can be a little clunky at times and there were a couple of minor issues with the lenses, which wasn't where they were rumored to be. In addition to this, a certain background repetition was perceived in the two tested missions, with our Blood Angels explaining a real wall of fire beyond which no Tyranid has ever managed to pass. The developers have promised variety in the full game both in terms of approach and troops and it is one of the points on which we need to push more because at present, as fun as it is, the game has not offered the challenge that the narrative premises seemed to emphasize.
It is visually pleasing and the patterns are well outlined when you zoom in to see them better. Same goes for the audio, which includes introductions of the dubbed missions and even some of the units with some lines of dialogue when they are selected, move or attack (nothing incredible but still nice to hear them "alive"). The sound effects of firearms or hand-to-hand weapons convey the idea very well, aiding the identification with the Blood Angels and their mission to purge Baal Secundis of any alien traces.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector seems proposing itself as a game along the lines of Sanctus Reach, more refined in some points and with the promise of a variety that we hope will be kept. There are extremes for a fun experience, despite the fact that at present there is an excessive repetitiveness and an absence of challenge. However, we are talking about two missions out of the total of those that make up the main campaign, played with a preset army that we may not have in the final version (not so nourished of course) and against a series of threats that, in turn, could in the end be very different. Barring this and a few minor camera glitches, there is potential to give Warhammer fans a new experience to spend hours upon hours of their time.
