Thankfully, as an avid fan of Warhammer 40,000, especially its fantastic lore, I’m pretty well up to speed on all of the terminology and references used within Space Hulk: Deathwing. What is exactly is a Space Hulk? Who are the Dark Angels? Are the Deathwing part of the Dark Angels? Why are Space Marines who wield magical-psychic powers called Librarians? Who and what are Genestealers? What the hell are Progenoid Glands and geneseed, and why should I care about them? How about some background on the Imperium and this Emperor guy? Unfortunately, Streum On Studio’s latest title addresses almost none of these, and many more, glaring questions. Regardless, this lack of explanation and depth greatly cheapens the impact of Space Hulk: Deathwing’s narrative. Games Workshop may well have placed some creative restraints upon Streum On Studio to avoid producing any non-canon content, but we’ll never know for sure. It also makes me wonder if this discovery will be considered canon from here on out, or if it will be forgotten. Towards the end, the artifact that you uncover does actually have significance and major implications for the Dark Angels chapter, but this fact is sadly glossed over and unexplained. Now, to be fair, there are a few more trials and tribulations that you and your squad must endure in order to reach said starship, but they’re nothing more than arbitrary roadblocks imposed upon the narrative to stretch the game’s length. Leader: “Get to our old ship, kill everything in your way, bring back cool, old stuff.” Leader: “It has an ancient Dark Angels ship within it, but it’s infested with ‘nids. Leader: “Listen up, guys, we’ve found a Space Hulk.”
This new shooter’s first mistake is its plot-it’s flat. With a few impressive exceptions, Space Hulk: Deathwing seems content to carry the Torch of Disappointment and hold aloft the Banner of Uninteresting. While many of these adaptations have been made (the Dawn of War franchise likely the most notable of the bunch), most have felt somewhat empty or unfinished, leaving fans disappointed and newcomers uninterested. Its richness, diversity, thoroughly fleshed-out story, and overwhelming sense of mysterious intrigue have made it an obvious choice for video game adaptations. Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe is massive in size and complexity.
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