It’s hard to faultWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2thanks to its generous wealth of content, engaging, action-packed story, and riotously good combat that is endlessly fun. Of course, no game is exempt from criticism, and evenSpace Marine 2in all of its chaotic glory has its share of issues, namely with its story. Fortunately, the future DLC or sequel that developer Saber Interactive have begun promising has the perfect opportunity to finally rectify it and offer players the perfect solution.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.While theextensiveSpace Marine 2roadmaphasn’t outlined any future story DLC, Saber Interactive’s Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits spoke toIGNabout the possibility of adding even more content for the game, stating they have “proposed some story ideas that could either be DLC or a sequel.” Naturally, this has gotten fans excited about the potentialwaysSpace Marine 2’sstory could goand which enemy factions may pop up. However, regardless Titus' next adventure,Space Marine 2’sDLC or sequel must fix this glaring narrative issue to avoid suffering the same issues as the base game.
Space Marine 2’s Story Is Basically The Same As The First Game’s
Titus Experiences The Same Problems Just Against A Different Enemy
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marinefollows Captain Titus of the Ultramarines and his squad of two other people - one who is wary of him and the other who is his friend - who head to the Ork-infested Imperial Guard Forge World Graia. While there, they encounter Inquisitor Drogan who is trying to recover a mysterious power source as he believes it will wipe out all the Orks. Titus helps him locate the power source while fighting off hordes of Orks, before eventually using it, which actually summons the Chaos Sorcerer Nemeroth who Drogan has been working for since the beginning.
Titus then must attempt to defeat Nemeroth and his Chaos forces, who have now invaded Graia by closing the link to the Warp that’s threatening to destroy the entire planet. Meanwhile, Titus' companion, Leandros, doesn’t trust him thanks to his ability to withstand the Warp energy that came from the power source, believing him to be a heretic. At the end of the game, Titus defeats Nemeroth, shuts the portal to the Warp, and is handed over to the inquisition as a traitor.
Space Marine 2: Which Warhammer 40K Space Marine Chapter You Are Based On Your Zodiac
Each Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Chapter exhibits certain characteristics that align quite perfectly with one of the 12 Zodiac Star Signs.
This set up is all necessary to understand one of thefundamental issues behindSpace Marine 2, which is thatit’s narrative is almost identical to the first game. Rather than Graia, Titus and his two-man squad - one of whom doesn’t trust him - head to the Imperial Guard world of Kadaku, which has been overrun by an overwhelming force of Tyranids. There, a techpriest is working with the same power source from the first game as he believes he can use it to wipe out his enemies.
Naturally, it actually opens a Warp portal which the Chaos Lord Imurah, who has been manipulating the techpriest, is counting on. He uses it to spawn his army of Chaos, thus threatening to destroy the entire solar system, forcing Titus and his squad to put a stop to it. Of course, they succeed, closing the Warp portal and defeating Imurah in the process.
Space Marine 2 DLC Needs To Go In A Different Direction
The Base Game Feels More Like A Reboot
The sequel’s story is not bad and is one of the reasonsSpace Marine 2was reviewed so well. Rather,it feels more like a reboot offering the same story and character beatswhile giving just enough to returning fans that they don’t feel like they’re playing exactly the same game.Space Marine 2, for all intents and purposes, is a sequel, and there is a lot that happens which furthers Titus' character arc, but it also goes through the same motions and story beats as the first game, just with a new coat of paint and Chaos Warband.
There are some major differences between the first and second games, largely with thereturn of the hated Leandros, who bridges the gap between the two games. Additionally, Imurah’s methods andSpace Marine 2’sfinale are vastly different to that of the first game.
It makes sense whyWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2feels so much like a reboot as the first game released in 2011, 13 years before the sequel. The chance that most people playingSpace Marine 2had played the first was slim, so it was a smart move for Saber Interactive to make the sequel playable without prior knowledge of the first game. However, while it works, for the most part, in the base experience ofSpace Marine 2,going forward the story needs to pivot away from the exact same formula the series has dogmatically followed so far.
There are so manythingsSpace Marine 2excludedfrom the40Kuniverse that could be explored in story DLC or even a sequel, and plenty more directions for Titus' character to go in, too. Alternatively, with such a wealth of different Space Marine Chapters that a sequel could explore, or alternative characters within the Ultramarines faction,futureSpace Marinecontent may not even need to focus on Titus. Whatever direction Saber Interactive chooses, it must be something other than Titus fighting one foe before the true Chaos enemy reveals itself with a big Warp portal, as it’s getting tired.
Space Marine 2’s Ending Hints That It Might Repeat The Same Mistakes
Leandros Still Suspects Titus Of Heresy
Unfortunately,the ending ofWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2hints that this problem could continue into story DLC or a sequel. The Ultramarine’s Chaplin, who has been wary of Titus throughout the entire game, reveals himself as - surprise, surprise - the ever wary Leandros who turned Titus over to the Inquisition in the first place. Even less surprising is that he still doesn’t trust Titus, and mentions how he’ll be keeping a close eye on him, largely thanks to the fact that Titus has touched raw Warp energy and survived.
While it’s possible that a sequel could largely ignore this, it doesn’t bode well for future story content. It implies that, once again, Titus will have to deal with people questioning his devotion to the Emperor, despite having clearly proven it throughout both games. That’s why,at this point, a futureSpace Marinegame should just move away from Titus altogether.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Could See The Return Of A Terrifying Villain
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has set up the perfect enemy faction to return, and fans have even spotted it in the main campaign.
It utilized him well as a way of introducing newcomers to the40Klore, but should now pivot to a more complex character who has more to do than reassure people he’s not tainted by the Warp. Even his squadmates, Chairon and Gadriel, could serve as potential protagonists for story DLC, a spin-off, or a sequel. So long as aWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2sequel doesn’t just repeat the same plot points, it’ll be a huge improvement.
