Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is being developed by Black Lab Games and published by Slitherine Software. We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on a beta to give you an inside look on how the game feels and looks, and it is promising. Get ready to smash some heretics in our Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector PC Preview.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is a top down turn based strategy game set, of course, within the Warhammer universe. It’s a standard affair for the most part, you control individual units like a firing squad, chainsword wielders, priests, vehicles, basically a mix of different damage types and abilities and its up to you to put your thinking cap on and solve the tyrannid problem.
Now, this is honestly my first dive into the Warhammer universe outside of a few minor glances with it from some of my more passionate friends and the internet, so I wont make any attempt to say whether the story/setting does or does not have merit. What I can say is that the beta did a pretty decent job of running through a recap of sorts and going straight into the main missions. The presentation is great, writing is passionate and the voice acting is full of emotion and character. When the game sells me this idea of crazed super soldier marines with religious fanaticism and deep world building against numerous different threats, that matches up pretty well with what I know of Warhammer.
Now, the ins and outs of the gameplay; most turn based strategy games have never really appealed to me before, but after wrestling with some tutorials (that aren’t fully complete at time of playing) for a while and jumping into the first missions, there were two notable features that I particularly enjoyed beyond the standard gameplay. The first was the momentum system, which encourages you to be constantly moving and attacking with all your units, to the point where playing cautiously and not using an action/all movement available results in a loss to that units momentum at the end of your turn.
Conversely, attacking and destroying other enemy units will increase that units momentum. Once a unit reaches a maximum momentum, that can be exchanged for additional abilities or performing bonus attacks, as well as raising hit and critical hit chances. It’s a very aggressively designed system which ensures you’re constantly trying to engage with the enemy and never playing too defensively, which feels very fitting to the aesthetic of Warhammer.
The second is the overwatch action, which allows you to use a movements attack action to instead make them a ‘lookout’ sentry of sorts, allowing for attacks against enemy units when they move into range on their turn. This is another way in which you can be constantly on the offence, even if that’s just holding the line. The perk of this is that any unit that has an attack point you can’t use up, can just be put into overwatch with minimal momentum loss.
The visuals and sound of the beta didn’t feel slouched or rushed either, all animations and models look polished and crisp, even when fully zoomed in. The environments, whilst a little desert-like to be truly impressive (That’s easily forgiven, the environment is a moon with some industrial complexes) are filled with interesting topology and present you with unique setups for your encounters. The sound effects are guttural and raw, with chainsaws and crunching melee attacks sounding particularly nice, rounded off with a very distinctive OST for an immersive feel.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector – Final Impressions
Overall, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is rounding out to a pretty interesting looking game, good Warhammer games are a rare find among the library that’s out there, But I’m confident that Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is more than capable of revitalizing the otherwise saturated market. The gameplay is solid, the visuals and sounds are lovingly made, and there’s a clear depth to the mechanics that weren’t haphazardly put together. Here’s to hoping it turns out great on a full release.
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