The Deathwing are the elite soldiers of the Dark Angels space marines, hulking human tanks carrying so many weapons that a suspicious man might think they're overcompensating for something. Streum On want you to feel like a badass straight out of the gate. None of that waiting to get your hands on the good stuff. As a Deathwing Librarian (cooler than it sounds), you start off with a power sword and a storm bolter, as well as a suite of psychic powers.
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The main campaign, inspired by the eternally popular Space Hulk alien-hunting boardgame, sees you investigating the titular space hulk - a colossal wreck floating in space, vast in size and home to a variety of nasty critters. Since the game is in the early, early stages of production we don't know much about the solo campaign, but Streum On assured me that a story is currently being written by the studio with help from Games Workshop. They're big fans of the setting, and their enthusiasm was clear, so I'm hoping they can come up with a decent back-story for the shooting and stabbing.
Speaking of which, we unfortunately didn't get to see the game's combat system. I fired my starting bolter at the walls a few times, and took a few swipes with the power sword, and they feel and sound appropriately chunky, but we won't know if the developers have captured the over the top bombast of the setting until they're happy to show off the shooting. The studio are promising all the classic 40k weaponry a fan could wish for; assault cannons, force axes, plasma guns, lascannons, the trusty chainsword. All the good stuff.
I did get to see some of the foes you'll be facing, the alien Tyranids. Voracious genestealers, close-combat specialists, look deliciously nasty, all claws, teeth and glistening exoskeleton. Zooming in you can see individual strands of gloopy saliva dangling from their jaws. The Unreal 4 engine is doing some stellar work here. Apparently you'll ultimately be facing off against a variety of different enemies, from Tyranid worshipping cultists that wield human weaponry to rogue psykers and huge Broodlords, who take enthusiastic dismemberment to appalling new levels. It sounds like there's enough variety in the enemy roster to provide plenty of unpredictability to the fighting.
Another area where the visuals do a great job is in capturing the gothic splendour of the 40k universe's architecture. Walking through the interiors of the space hulk you'll see huge, arching factory spaces, piles of shattered machinery stamped with the Imperial aquila and foreboding corridors glistening with dripping water. It looks great. My only concern is that, impressive as they are, these grim industrial levels might outstay their welcome over a long campaign mode. The great thing about 40k's space hulks is that they're essentially floating planets, with all manner of flora and fauna inside them growing and twisting with warp energy over untold millennia. There's plenty of opportunity there to spice things up visually and provide a more varied and interesting colour palette.
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Aside from the planned solo campaign, Deathwing will ship with four person LAN and internet co-op. You can apprentice play out a multiplayer-friendly version of the main campaign, or choose from several standalone co-op levels. Streum On want to give players the option of jumping straight into the fray. Here you can customise your space marine with various trinkets, choose his weapons and pick from a branching skill-tree that will focus him in one of several areas. You could for example pump all your skill points into extra health in order to become a thunder hammer-wielding tank, or specialise in dealing out massive damage with your heavy flamer. Customisation is obviously a big thing in 40k's tabletop game, and the developers know that fans of the setting will want to be able to make their marine stand out from the crowd.
The Left 4 Dead model of co-operative shooter seems tailor made for a game inspired by the Space Hulk boardgame. Both are about anticipation and dread, with long periods of relative quiet punctuated by moments of utter chaos, when enemies are hurling themselves at you from every corner. That's what Deathwing promises, and I'm excited about its potential. I only saw the briefest sample of what Streum On are creating, but they seem to have the gritty, grimy surface detail of the universe nailed down. If they can provide a satisfying crunch to combat and enough variety in locations, then come the game's release on PC in 2015 we might finally get the Warhammer 40k shooter we deserve.
Most Anticipated Feature: Thunder hammer and storm shield. Narrow corridor. Unfortunate Tyranids.
