PREVIEW
WARHAMMER 40,000: MECHANICUS
Making good choicesBy the end of this game you’re promised
a power fantasy, and when that large-
gunned escapism is built around some
of the craziest lore in Warhammer 40K
it can’t fail to disappoint. If there’s an XCOM-
shaped hole in your gaming life, this augmented
fleshy RTS could be the turn you’re looking for.With the most powerful force in the Imperium,
The Adeptus Mechanicus, at your command, an
expedition to the planet of Silva Tenebris should be
a walk in the park. However, the resident Necrons –
Egyptian-like terminators forgotten by time – want
to have a say in you plundering their world.
As Magos Dominus Faustinius you never get
your feet dirty planetside. Instead you conduct
the ensuing massacre from the comfort of your
hologram-like Noosphere. Yes, it’s turn-based but
Mechanicus delivers its turns with such style and
detail you want to keep digging deeper.BRING IT NECRON
Our demo reveals a Warhammer 40K RTS that
manages to side-step many of the flaws of the
(many) recent licensed Games Workshop releases.
The weird gothic-meets-Borg aesthetic sits just theright side of crazy to keep us engaged.
The Tech-Priests, upgraded over the
course of the game with blended
classes, weapons, and mods, are your
boots on the ground leading your
fleshy-techy troops. They’ll bicker, as
the factions of the Mechanicus rub
against one another’s world views:
some have removed their humanity
and only communicate in equations,
another believes ignorance is strength,
and Faustinius himself has removed all
his followers’ emotions, only allowing
them to unlock the feels when it suits.
Where most strategy games are
slow affairs with cover, Mechanicus is
all-action. Cognition tokens – earned
by scanning obelisks and cadavers –
power moves, forcing you to always
head forwards into danger rather than
hide and set traps. It’s a refreshing
gear-shift, and along with promised
environmental hazards (a force field
opens and closes, Episode-1-style, to
control one battle) ensures Mechanicus
delivers something different.FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC / PUB KALYPSO GAMES / DEV BULWARK STUDIOSAbove Played out in an
isometric view, you can
zoom down into the game
to explore the detail of its
Warhammer 40K world.“THE GOTHIC-MEETS-BORG
AESTHETIC SITS JUST THE
RIGHT SIDE OF CRAZY.”
Turn-based combat
ratcheted to 11,
Mechanicus places action
ahead of cautious tactics.