Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II (PS5) Review
Summary: A satisfying sequel oozing with grim, dark charm that's easy to recommend to fans of 40k and strat fans alike.
4
Praise the Omnissiah
With Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II, developer Bulwark Studios has created a sequel that builds on the solid foundations of the original to tell a much grander tale that lets players experience both sides of the ongoing battle between the Adeptus Mechanicus and Necrons, in the grim dark future of the 41st Millennium.
It all kicks off with a rather slick prologue that introduces the cast and the sky-high stakes in a way even those unfamiliar with 40K can understand, while effectively teaching the basics of its turn-based battles.
One of the most important things a decent 40k game needs to nail is the tone. Across its two campaigns, Mechanicus II does an absolutely wonderful job of conveying that ever-pervading sense of misery and bleakness the setting exudes, but also revels in the fact that there are no goodies in 40k. Everyone is as awful as each other, regardless of whether you choose to play as the Adeptus Mechanicus or the Necrons.
It helps that Bulwark brought back Warhammer Black Library veteran Ben Counter to write the script and scenario. Counter clearly understands the motivations of both factions and how they very much feel like two sides of the same coin. With one desperately seeking the mechanical immortality the other achieved, while the other regrets making such a Faustian bargain to live forever. It’s brilliant stuff.
Each campaign comprises three acts and a prologue and has you either following Magos Dominus Faustinius as he attempts to plunder the secrets found deep within a Necron Tomb World and secure the planet for the Imperium, or repel the pernicious Imperium invaders as Vargard Nefershah attempts to reclaim her kingdom after several millennia of slumber.
The bulk of the action in Mechanicus II takes place as part of turn-based battles that feel a little like GW’s tabletop skirmish game Kill Team crossed with an SRPG.
You can activate each of your units in any order to move, shoot, and perform special actions, like debuffs, while your enemies act in a set order.
The environment also plays a key role in each battle, with walls and barriers vital to blocking the line of sight and providing cover for your troops. Thus, it’s up to you to figure out the best way to position your units so they can effectively damage the enemy while avoiding any return fire.
Each faction can also accrue bonus action points, which can then be used to perform special actions and extra attacks. The Mechanicus gain cognition points for smart play, while the Necrons gain Dominion points every time they deal damage to the enemy, which makes them tougher as the battle progresses.
At their core, though, both sides handle fairly similarly, consisting of a mix of melee, ranged, and aerial troops. Though how each handles feels a little different, mastering each side requires understanding and effectively utilising the intricacies of each army’s myriad units.
This is especially true of the five leader characters each army contains, which your troops need to protect; otherwise, you instantly fail the mission.
Thankfully, though, each leader is far from helpless and has different abilities and buffs, and tends to favour a specific style of play, with some decimating enemies up close, others packing some serious firepower, and others focusing on supporting and buffing your regular troops. Choosing the right leader for each mission and putting together a squad that complements them well is the best way to make your life easier throughout each campaign. Although it is quite fun at times to hunker down with a character you like and attempt to bulldoze your way through every scenario, regardless of whether they’re the best fit for it.
Outside of combat, your leader character wanders around the chapter’s map until they inevitably stumble on an event that will either lead them to collect some loot, alter your chances in the next battle, or drop you into another battle where you have to either survive for so many turns, make a break for it, or kill everything unfortunate enough to get in your way.
The overworld map is also where the bulk of the story is told as your party chats among themselves and makes decisions that can either carry the day or have disastrous consequences further down the line.
This back and forth breaks up the battles nicely and stops Mechanicus II from ever feeling too repetitive. However, I would have appreciated being able to directly control my character and make more decisions on how they got from A to B, rather than them automatically following a set route.
After each mission, you can then use points you’ve accrued to upgrade your characters and troops, or unlock new, deadlier units. This gives you more room for experimentation as the campaign progresses. However, since each leader works better with different types of troops, it adds an extra layer of strategy to the upgrades and additional forces you decide to take.
The presentation in Mechanicus II is decent, with each of the game’s biomes, from bombed-out industrial zones and dense jungles to icy caves and ancient Necron tombs, dripping with that patented grim, dark 40k aesthetic is known for, while still feeling distinct and varied.
Likewise, your troops and characters look like tabletop models brought to life, and the effects used for all of the weird and wonderful weapons both sides possess look authentic to the setting.
Outside of combat, characters are portrayed with a combination of beautifully rendered hand-drawn artwork, brimming with character and stellar voice acting that perfectly captures the off-kilter, robotic, otherworldly tones of the Mechanicus and Necrons.
Final Thoughts
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II ’s heady mix of compelling combat, strategic progression systems, and choose-your-own-adventure style overworld action (with suitably dramatic consequences) is bolstered once again by a superb script and narrative penned by Black Library author Ben Counter, brought to life by a fantastic cast clearly having a great time, set in an authentic-feeling world oozing with grim, dark charm and is easy to recommend to fans of 40k and genre fans alike.
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