A Deep Dive into Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – A Steam Deck and PS5 Review in Progress
For years, many anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. My journey began after playing Total War: Warhammer, leading me to explore other 40k titles like Boltgun and Rogue Trader. Months ago, I briefly sampled the original Space Marine on my Steam Deck. The recent reveal of Space Marine 2 ignited my excitement, prompting an extensive playthrough across both Steam Deck and PS5.
Over the past week, I've logged approximately 22 hours, leveraging cross-progression and online multiplayer testing. This review remains a work in progress for two key reasons: a comprehensive assessment necessitates thorough cross-platform multiplayer evaluation and extensive public server testing. Secondly, Focus and Saber Interactive have confirmed ongoing development of official Steam Deck support, targeting a year-end release.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2's cross-progression feature, combined with its impressive visuals on Steam Deck, piqued my curiosity regarding its handheld performance. This review will cover gameplay, online co-op, visuals, PC port features, PS5 enhancements, and more. Note: Screenshots with performance overlays are from my Steam Deck OLED; 16:9 shots are from my PS5 playthrough. Testing utilized Proton GE 9-9 and Proton Experimental.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a third-person action shooter – brutal, visually stunning, and incredibly fun, even for 40k newcomers. A concise yet effective tutorial introduces combat and movement basics, leading to the Battle Barge hub. Here, you select missions, game modes, customize cosmetics, and more.
The moment-to-moment gameplay is exceptional; controls and weaponry feel perfectly balanced. While ranged combat is viable, I personally favored the visceral melee combat. Executions are satisfying, and mowing down hordes of enemies before facing tougher foes remains consistently engaging. The campaign is enjoyable solo or with friends in co-op, though I found defense missions less appealing.
Playing with a friend overseas, Space Marine 2 felt like a high-budget, modern take on Xbox 360-era co-op shooters – a rarity these days. It hooked me similarly to Earth Defense Force or Gundam Breaker 4. I hope Saber and Focus collaborate with SEGA to modernize the original game's campaign.
My Warhammer 40,000 experience stems primarily from Total War: Warhammer, Dawn of War, Boltgun, and Rogue Trader. Space Marine 2 offers a refreshing take, providing one of my favorite co-op experiences in years. While it's too early to declare it my favorite 40k game, the addictive Operations mode, class variety, and progressive unlocks keep me coming back for more.
While full launch testing with random players is pending, my co-op experience has been outstanding. I eagerly anticipate testing the online functionality with cross-progression and cross-platform play.
Visually, on PS5 and Steam Deck, the game is a masterpiece. The PS5's 4K mode (on my 1440p monitor) is breathtaking. Environments are detailed, and the sheer number of enemies, coupled with excellent texture work and lighting, creates a truly immersive experience. This is further enhanced by superb voice acting and extensive customization options, allowing for creative self-expression.
The single-player photo mode offers extensive control over frames, expressions, characters, FOV, and more. However, on Steam Deck with FSR 2 and lower resolutions, some effects appear less polished. The PS5 photo mode, however, is exceptional.
The music, while good, isn't memorable enough for standalone listening. However, the voice acting and sound design are top-tier, perfectly complementing the in-game experience.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Graphics Options
The PC port (tested on Steam Deck) offers extensive graphical settings. Epic Online Services integration is present, but account linking isn't mandatory. Options include display mode, resolution, render resolution, quality presets (Balanced, Performance, Ultra Performance), upscaling (TAA, FSR 2), dynamic resolution targeting, V-sync, brightness, motion blur, FPS limits, and numerous quality-related settings.
Four presets adjust texture filtering, resolution, shadows, ambient occlusion, reflections, volumetrics, effects, details, and cloth simulation. DLSS and FSR 2 support are included at launch, with FSR 3 planned for post-launch. I anticipate significant Steam Deck performance gains with FSR 3. 16:10 support is also hoped for in a future update.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Control Options
The game supports keyboard and mouse, along with full controller support. Initially, PlayStation button prompts weren't displayed on Steam Deck by default, but disabling Steam Input resolved this. Adaptive trigger support is present, further enhanced by disabling Steam Input. Keyboard and mouse remapping is also available. My DualSense controller (Bluetooth) displayed PlayStation prompts and wireless adaptive trigger support on PC – a noteworthy feature.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Performance
While technically playable on Steam Deck without configuration changes, performance is currently suboptimal. At 1280x800 (16:9), using the low preset with FSR 2.0 at Ultra Performance, maintaining a locked 30fps is challenging, with frequent dips into the mid-20s, and even lower during intense combat. Even at lower resolutions, frame rates fall below 30fps. This is far from ideal for a game of this nature. I hope future optimizations achieve a stable 30fps experience. In my 10 hours of playtime on my Steam Deck OLED, this wasn't achievable. Dynamic upscaling targeting 30fps, with the low preset, yields better results, but still experiences drops to the low 20s. The game sometimes fails to exit cleanly, requiring manual closure.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Multiplayer Impressions
Online multiplayer functions flawlessly on Steam Deck, despite potential anti-cheat concerns. Co-op sessions with a friend in Canada were smooth and enjoyable. Occasional internet-related disconnections occurred, but given the pre-release server status, further testing with random players and friends post-launch is necessary.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PS5 Features – DualSense, Activity Cards, and Performance Mode
The PS5 performance mode provides a mostly positive experience, although a locked 60fps isn't guaranteed. Dynamic resolution or upscaling is evident, resulting in occasional blurriness during large-scale combat. Load times are fast, and PS5 Activity Card support simplifies access to different modes and save files. Gyro support is currently absent.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Cross-Save Progression
Cross-progression between Steam and PS5 functioned well in the pre-release build, with a two-day cooldown period between platform syncs. The final build's cooldown status remains to be confirmed.
Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Worth It for Solo Play Only?
A definitive answer requires further testing with random players post-launch to assess matchmaking in Operations (PvE) and Eternal War (PvP) modes. Eternal War mode remains untested at this time.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Features I Want to See
Post-launch updates are anticipated. High on my wish list are proper HDR support (to enhance the game's already stunning visuals) and haptic feedback for the DualSense controller. The blog post mentions haptics are not included at launch, suggesting potential future inclusion.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a strong Game of the Year contender. While full multiplayer testing is pending, the gameplay is superb, and the visuals and audio are top-notch across both platforms. I currently do not recommend playing on Steam Deck due to performance issues, but the PS5 version is highly recommended. A final score will follow post-launch multiplayer testing and patch updates.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Review Score: TBA
