Space Marine 2 is a Frustrating Polished Turd of Style Over Substance

[Z405]

Ps. thanks for the clown points. It takes a clown to think to know a clown.

I have a high tolerance for difficult games. I've completed challenging titles like Elden Ring, Ninja Gaiden 2 (on one of the hardest settings, no less), and the *Souls* series. I love games that test my skill and require precision, but Space Marine 2 is a colossal failure on every level. It doesn’t provide a rewarding challenge; it’s just poorly designed, clunky, and frustrating. The more I played, the less I wanted to improve, and honestly, that says a lot. Plus the fact that it's already been nerfed dramatically just goes to show the devs have no clue how to balance these mechanics. Also don't forget that the playerbase has already halved since launch.

Let’s start with the basics: the combat system. Space Marine 2 brings back mechanics from the first game but somehow makes them worse. It's a chaotic mess where you’re often stun-locked to death, surrounded by enemies that came seemingly out of nowhere during an "enemy wave", and unable to properly parry or dodge through this chaotic mess. There's nothing rewarding or skillful about that—it’s just bad design. The staggering mechanics are absurd: enemies can stunlock you with every hit, but your attacks barely phase them. This leads to a frustrating loop of poorly executed dodges, rolly pollying around like an idiot (which looks retarded on a Space Marine), parries, and attacks that make you wonder why you’re wasting your time.

The camera is another atrocity. When you’re cornered, the camera completely loses track of your character, making an already frustrating experience even worse. I’ll give Ninja Gaiden 2 a pass for its camera issues because at least the combat in that game was VERY good—Space Marine 2 doesn’t have that excuse.

And don’t get me started on the perks and progression system. It’s absolute nonsense. The perks seem like they were thrown together with no thought or imagination. For instance, you fire at ten enemies, and suddenly your plasma pistol magically stops overheating—what sense does that make? The perks and gear progression are uninspired drivel designed to add some RPG elements but instead drag down the experience even further.

The sound design is another point of failure. Compared to Darktide, the bolt guns in Space Marine 2 sound and feel pathetic, like a wet blanket. There’s no weight or punch to the guns, and the generic, heroic music does absolutely nothing to elevate the tension or excitement in the game. While Darktide’s soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd, creates an immersive, pulse-pounding atmosphere, *Space Marine 2*’s music is just dull. It’s the kind of score you’ll forget as soon as you stop playing, and it doesn’t enhance the action at all.

The enemy AI is laughable. Most of the time, enemies (chaos cultists etc) just stand around waiting to get shot, with no attempt to use cover or tactics. Space Marine 2 (just like its predecessor) tries to capture the energy of Gears of War, but without the dynamic cover system that made that game fun. Here, enemies just bum-rush you, and when they swarm, the game devolves into an unmanageable chaotic mess.

The difficulty is another issue entirely. I enjoy difficult games—ones that force me to adapt and improve—but Space Marine 2 isn't hard in a fun, challenging way. It’s just cheap, hence the recent nerf. You don’t have to outsmart enemies; you have to memorize patterns, which quickly becomes a chore. I have better things to do than memorize a boss’s attack cycle just to scrape by, especially when the rest of the combat is so unsatisfyingly chaotic and messy.

The healing armor mechanic is just as ridiculous as it was in the first game. Why would executing an enemy magically regenerate your armor? It’s an uninspired mechanic that breaks immersion and doesn’t make any sense, yet it’s the only reliable way to stay alive. Combat boils down to a repetitive loop: parry, shoot, execute, dodge around like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥, rinse, repeat. It’s mind-numbing, and there’s no fun or satisfaction in it.

And then there’s the technical side—connection errors, random level selection issues, and overall bugginess that make the experience even more infuriating. In a time when games are constantly being patched post-launch, it's maddening to think that developers release products like this in such a broken state, expecting players to tolerate the problems.

In conclusion, Space Marine 2 is a polished turd. It looks good—sure, I’ll give it that—but beneath the surface, there’s no substance. It’s an aggravating, poorly designed mess that fails in almost every aspect other than visually. I came in wanting to enjoy this game, especially as a fan of the Warhammer 40k universe, but instead, it left me bitter and frustrated. Style over substance in the worst way, this is a game I wouldn't recommend to anyone. If you want a good Warhammer 40k experience, stick to Darktide—it’s leagues ahead in every way.

[Kao]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Z405:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Kao:

If you need help to get better, ask questions and we will do what we can.

Opprinnelig skrevet av SeanXD:

Also, glad to help a beginner whenever needed.

I appreciate the offer, but I think this isn't going to work. I've watched many video's and some of the "skilled" players make the game look like it might be fun, but then when I'm playing it, it just sucks the joy out of my soul. There are too many issues with the combat mechanics of this game to want to learn it.

I`ll just play the campaign with my brother and then forget I ever bought it. Waste of money sadly.

Takes a moment to learn, but yea when you do, it’s actually fun.

[Magni]

Bad copy-paste troll, no clown for you.

Also, git gud.

[user_111]

yep, absolute dogs breakfast of a game.

once the 'hey cool I'm a space marine' wears off] it's just depressing. The PvP is hilariously bad; there is no depth to it at all, no ballistic mechanics(yay hitscan...), no interactive melee mechanics whatsoever(just spam and hope the server gods smile on you... most likely you and your opponent both die), no matchmaking of any kind, at all (getting put on EU servers with 400+ ping... why???).

A bit of balance tweaking here and there will help a tiny bit, but the core mechanics of the game are so so so poorly implemented, it's unlikely the developers have the talent to improve things.

A a warhammer player, I'm so disgusted at the lack of diligence by GW, I'll be 3D printing or buying from recasters in future.

[Z405]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Teran:

Bro, Leandros isn't standing behind you with a bolt pistol to your head making you play. Go try something you think is more fun.

At the same time, I’m reassured to know that there are others who share my perspective and find comfort in knowing they’re not alone in feeling frustrated with how the game has turned out. My comments here come from a place of genuine passion for the potential this game had, but unfortunately, it has fallen short of expectations and likely may never reach what many of us had hoped for; it's why the player base already halved since launch.

Opprinnelig skrevet av SeanXD:

It's okay to say you need help.

There are numerous factors that have contributed to my lack of motivation to improve in this game. After giving it another attempt just now, I quickly reaffirmed my frustration with the combat system. It feels disorganized and chaotic. Additionally, elements like A Cat and IsraelIsCommittingGenocide further confirm my dissatisfaction with Space Marine 2:

Opprinnelig skrevet av A Cat:

Thank god it wasn't only me.

SM 2 makes sure to teach you about its "flashed out" ""duelling"" mechanics, but then it just can't quite decide wether it wants to be a horde game or not, and falls flat on its face when you have to fight a swarm of chaff from all directions, Zoanthrope twins and 10 majoris with guns like every 5 minutes. Its basically impossible to not take hits, which makes me feel like the armor system was a necessary crutch that doesn't even work properly since enemies take it out in 2-3 hits depending on your armor class and it takes forever to recharge naturally. its also NOT a great sign when the game forces you to abuse i-frames from 2 minute long execution animations CONSTANTLY in order to not die.

You just have no time to bother with the fancy wannabesouls parry-dodge system in this environment, especially when aside from blue and orange flashes enemies can also just spam you to death with autoattacks from all directions and ranged weapons that you have no counter against. Bloodborne Rally system also feels like a crutch that, guess what, also doesn't work, since it goes away way too fast even with Bulwark perks and its basically impossible to take advantage of considering how slow and clunky the combat is. You're basically just forced into abusing meltas because you have no time to actually mindfully engage with the combat.

The health management and mortal wound mechanic is also ass with how scarce med stimms are and how little they actually restore. I find myself not even caring about having stimms or health or not since in combat I'm surviving purely on hopes, prayers, and good dozen of curses anyway.

Opprinnelig skrevet av The Devil:

Another Darktide fan boi coming here to cry instead of playing his favourite game. Darktide is awful by the way

Darktide is a great game, and its at least an actually enjoyable horde game with combat mechanics that work even with high intensity swarms of specialist enemies. Unlike SM 2, Darktide actually lets you solo crowds of specs and regular chaff all on your own, as well as handle bosses and big monsters, and its gearing and character building system is in-depth and diverse enough to cover a lot of different playstyles and still have them work on any difficulty if you're skilled enough. Meanwhile SM 2 gives you 3 rows in a column, of which only 1 perk will maaaybe do something, and it will still make you pay extra for it.

SM 2 unironically feels like a "worse darktide" in every regard. :zagsnooze:

Opprinnelig skrevet av IsraelIsCommittigGenocide:

yep, absolute dogs breakfast of a game.

once the 'hey cool I'm a space marine' wears off] it's just depressing. The PvP is hilariously bad; there is no depth to it at all, no ballistic mechanics(yay hitscan...), no interactive melee mechanics whatsoever(just spam and hope the server gods smile on you... most likely you and your opponent both die), no matchmaking of any kind, at all (getting put on EU servers with 400+ ping... why???).

A bit of balance tweaking here and there will help a tiny bit, but the core mechanics of the game are so so so poorly implemented, it's unlikely the developers have the talent to improve things.

A a warhammer player, I'm so disgusted at the lack of diligence by GW, I'll be 3D printing or buying from recasters in future.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Kao:

Takes a moment to learn, but yea when you do, it’s actually fun.

Playing on the easiest difficulty can be somewhat fun, but beyond that, the chaos of massive wave combat quickly becomes overwhelming. The dodge, parry, and forced execution mechanics for armor turn into a messy experience. Since higher difficulties are required to level up your gear, the grind just feels more like a hassle, and I honestly can't be bothered to continue.

[LegionXNX]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Z405:

I have a high tolerance for difficult games. I've completed challenging titles like Elden Ring, Ninja Gaiden 2 (on one of the hardest settings, no less), and the *Souls* series. I love games that test my skill and require precision, but Space Marine 2 is a colossal failure on every level. It doesn’t provide a rewarding challenge; it’s just poorly designed, clunky, and frustrating. The more I played, the less I wanted to improve, and honestly, that says a lot. Plus the fact that it's already been nerfed dramatically just goes to show the devs have no clue how to balance these mechanics.

Let’s start with the basics: the combat system. Space Marine 2 brings back mechanics from the first game but somehow makes them worse. It's a chaotic mess where you’re often stun-locked to death, surrounded by enemies, and unable to properly parry or dodge. There's nothing rewarding or skillful about that—it’s just bad design. The staggering mechanics are absurd: enemies can stunlock you with every hit, but your attacks barely phase them. This leads to a frustrating loop of poorly executed dodges, rolly pollying around like an idiot (which looks retarded on a Space Marine), parries, and attacks that make you wonder why you’re wasting your time.

The camera is another atrocity. When you’re cornered, the camera completely loses track of your character, making an already frustrating experience even worse. I’ll give Ninja Gaiden 2 a pass for its camera issues because at least the combat in that game was VERY good—Space Marine 2 doesn’t have that excuse.

And don’t get me started on the perks and progression system. It’s absolute nonsense. The perks seem like they were thrown together with no thought or imagination. For instance, you fire at ten enemies, and suddenly your plasma pistol magically stops overheating—what sense does that make? The perks and gear progression are uninspired drivel designed to add some RPG elements but instead drag down the experience even further.

The sound design is another point of failure. Compared to Darktide, the bolt guns in Space Marine 2 sound and feel pathetic, like a wet blanket. There’s no weight or punch to the guns, and the generic, heroic music does absolutely nothing to elevate the tension or excitement in the game. While Darktide’s soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd, creates an immersive, pulse-pounding atmosphere, *Space Marine 2*’s music is just dull. It’s the kind of score you’ll forget as soon as you stop playing, and it doesn’t enhance the action at all.

The enemy AI is laughable. Most of the time, enemies (chaos cultists etc) just stand around waiting to get shot, with no attempt to use cover or tactics. Space Marine 2 (just like its predecessor) tries to capture the energy of Gears of War, but without the dynamic cover system that made that game fun. Here, enemies just bum-rush you, and when they swarm, the game devolves into an unmanageable chaotic mess.

The difficulty is another issue entirely. I enjoy difficult games—ones that force me to adapt and improve—but Space Marine 2 isn't hard in a fun, challenging way. It’s just cheap, hence the recent nerf. You don’t have to outsmart enemies; you have to memorize patterns, which quickly becomes a chore. I have better things to do than memorize a boss’s attack cycle just to scrape by, especially when the rest of the combat is so unsatisfyingly chaotic and messy.

The healing armor mechanic is just as ridiculous as it was in the first game. Why would executing an enemy magically regenerate your armor? It’s an uninspired mechanic that breaks immersion and doesn’t make any sense, yet it’s the only reliable way to stay alive. Combat boils down to a repetitive loop: parry, shoot, execute, dodge around like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥, rinse, repeat. It’s mind-numbing, and there’s no fun or satisfaction in it.

And then there’s the technical side—connection errors, random level selection issues, and overall bugginess that make the experience even more infuriating. In a time when games are constantly being patched post-launch, it's maddening to think that developers release products like this in such a broken state, expecting players to tolerate the problems.

In conclusion, Space Marine 2 is a polished turd. It looks good—sure, I’ll give it that—but beneath the surface, there’s no substance. It’s an aggravating, poorly designed mess that fails in almost every aspect other than visually. I came in wanting to enjoy this game, especially as a fan of the Warhammer 40k universe, but instead, it left me bitter and frustrated. Style over substance in the worst way, this is a game I wouldn't recommend to anyone. If you want a good Warhammer 40k experience, stick to Darktide—it’s leagues ahead in every way.

I agree with this to a certain point like my major complaint is how is a space marine one of the most deadliest and ruthless force's built by man in the galaxy have the most MINIMUM arsenal besides tactical and assault, Classes get nothing besides some measly combat knife and heavy literally gets nothing ya know the HEAVY ARMS GUY and all he gets is a wack plasma incinerator, melta and a machine gun like what is this?

[UPGRAYEDD]

100%

[civilian]

This game only start becoming enjoyable after you got the parry mechanic down.

[VANGUARD]

Sounds like a skill issue tbh

[Captain Worthy]

I also came here from Darktide, and expected to enjoy the game. The reality hit me in the face too, all my hundreds of hours of playing Darktide gave me no advantage in this game at all. I even died once or twice in the tutorial, at normal difficulty.

Instead of acting like a rage baby though, I stayed to learn the controls and I got better at the game. It turned out to be very enjoyable after all.

[Jakob]

Sounds like you're panicking. It's about keeping your head amid the mayhem and butchering every last one of them. When it clicks, you'll be dominating, and laughing as you go. Pick up your sword brother!

[ganjou241]

Why did you get surrounded and stunlocked again?

[K. Hauzer]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Z405:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Gaata:

Textbook skill issue, Brings up other "hard" games. Complains about stunlock when their issue is bad positioning The game is hard because it's cheap, it's not me guys

It seems you are a textbook case of not being able to read. I wouldn't have been able to complete Ninja Gaiden 2 on the most difficult setting, or Souls games, if I didn't know how to properly play video games. And on top of that, I've made it very clear that the combat loop is so incredibly uninspired, that I can't even be bothered to invest more time in something I vehemently loathe playing.

Why u boast completing ninja gaiden omg, its not an achievement or something. its a long forgotten game, and soullike, what so ever, i completed all the dlc of souls so what.
And now i struggle beating horde chapters of main campaign in space marine 2, because its really hard on very high difficulty to think how to kill all these bugs at a high speed before the timer of objective runs out.
This game gives u different experience of hard and i love it. Its very addictive and adrenaline.
If u dont understand the mechanics of it i can advise u to use
chaine sword for horde
plasma pistol charge for psykers and else
melta gun for everything exept bosses
grenades for horde
Man, get good =)

[cc deville]

I have to agree with at least this - "The sound design is another point of failure. Compared to Darktide, the bolt guns in Space Marine 2 sound and feel pathetic, like a wet blanket. There’s no weight or punch to the guns, and the generic, heroic music does absolutely nothing to elevate the tension or excitement in the game.".

For an iconic weapon, the bolter in SM2 really has no punch. The darktide bolter is scary like ffff. And the thunder hammer and heavy bolter in SM1 was a lot more fun and impactfull. Feels like a downgrade compared to the first game.

Having said that, SM2 isn't a 'deep' game but a lot of the mechanics, even for the different classes are subtle and require some time to comprehend. When the flow is there, it gets really fun.

But let's be honest, not all of us can face the extensive and agonizing operation of the rubicon Primaris. Only the select few.

[Mogwai]

Agree with OP on everything.

[Z405]

Opprinnelig skrevet av civilian:

This game only start becoming enjoyable after you got the parry mechanic down.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Captain Worthy:

I also came here from Darktide, and expected to enjoy the game. The reality hit me in the face too, all my hundreds of hours of playing Darktide gave me no advantage in this game at all. I even died once or twice in the tutorial, at normal difficulty.

Instead of acting like a rage baby though, I stayed to learn the controls and I got better at the game. It turned out to be very enjoyable after all.

I decided to give the Vanguard another shot, this time equipped with a Melta Rifle and a fencing Combat Knife. The experience is now somewhat more enjoyable, though it still feels limited to just this one class. In comparison, Darktide offers a variety of builds across multiple classes, providing more options to experiment with, which makes it easier to engage with. The sense of excitement and adrenaline is much stronger in Darktide as well.

With the time demands of working 50 hours a week, staying committed to the gym, and maintaining a social life, I just don’t see myself mastering the combat in Space Marine 2. That’s probably the key difference between those who are younger and have fewer responsibilities—they can dedicate more time to improving their skills in games. In the end, no employer is going to care how good you are at a game when it comes to your resume.

Opprinnelig skrevet av Jakob:

Sounds like you're panicking. It's about keeping your head amid the mayhem and butchering every last one of them. When it clicks, you'll be dominating, and laughing as you go. Pick up your sword brother!

When there are no enemy waves, the gameplay remains manageable. However, once those waves begin, it feels as though I’m quickly overwhelmed from all sides with enemies seemingly coming out of nowhere, with little opportunity to reposition without taking numerous hits, even when using evasive maneuvers. On the first threat level, minor mistakes are forgivable, but as the difficulty increases, it feels like you need to be completely in sync with the game—a level of immersion that I simply don’t have the time to achieve. Even then, the repetitive nature of the gameplay loop becomes quite noticeable.

I’m not saying Darktide is the ultimate example, but its developers certainly succeeded in capturing the excitement and intensity of a horde game. In contrast, Space Marine 2 seems unsure of its identity and, unfortunately, struggles to succeed in either aspect.

Opprinnelig skrevet av K. Hauzer:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Z405:

It seems you are a textbook case of not being able to read. I wouldn't have been able to complete Ninja Gaiden 2 on the most difficult setting, or Souls games, if I didn't know how to properly play video games. And on top of that, I've made it very clear that the combat loop is so incredibly uninspired, that I can't even be bothered to invest more time in something I vehemently loathe playing.

Why u boast completing ninja gaiden omg, its not an achievement or something. its a long forgotten game, and soullike, what so ever, i completed all the dlc of souls so what.
And now i struggle beating horde chapters of main campaign in space marine 2, because its really hard on very high difficulty to think how to kill all these bugs at a high speed before the timer of objective runs out.
This game gives u different experience of hard and i love it. Its very addictive and adrenaline.
If u dont understand the mechanics of it i can advise u to use
chaine sword for horde
plasma pistol charge for psykers and else
melta gun for everything exept bosses
grenades for horde
Man, get good =)

If it's a long-forgotten game, how come you know about it? The point is, Ninja Gaiden 2 was an extremely difficult game back in the day. Most casual players had a hard time completing it, even on the easiest settings. Yet, the combat was fantastic, even till this day, with a wide variety of combos and unique weapons that made it highly rewarding.

Space Marine 2 seems to be aiming for a beat-'em-up style but hasn't captured what made Ninja Gaiden 2 so successful. As for referencing Souls games, it’s simply to show that I'm one of those players that are willing to endure frustration when the gameplay loop is enjoyable and diverse. Yet SM2 seems to miss the mark on how to be challenging without resorting to a repetitive cheese-loop.