Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is a turn-based tactical combat strategy title based on the universe created by Games Workshop and released on PC in late 2018, reaping great success among players. Now the game comes to consoles to offer us a very similar experience, for good and bad, with controls and an interface adapted to the controls, in addition to standard content such as the downloadable Heretek, the soundtrack in digital format, the short story “Deus Ex Mechanicus” by Andy Chambers, the mind-blowing digital art book and two exclusive weapons.
Its history takes us to the 41st Millennium, a time of darkness and wars where the Empire of Humanity claims the entire galaxy on behalf of the Emperor God, waging an endless war against the xenos from outside, the heretics from the inside and the supernatural horrors of the beyond. Here we play the role of the Magi Dominus Faustinus, a Tech Priest (guardians and technology retrievers of humanity) who leads the most technologically advanced human troops in the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus, to conduct an expedition on the recently discovered planet of Silva Tenebris and from which they have received a message from the Magicians Rhesak. In search of xeno technology to use it for their own purposes, something that humans do not see favorably when they skip their beliefs, they enter the place to start a new adventure where they will discover that a Necron Necropolis world is beginning to awaken.
This plot is very good and interesting, noting the hand of the writer Ben Counter, one of the most outstanding authors of the Black Library of Games Workshop. It has been created completely from scratch to faithfully adapt to the Adeptus Mechanicus faction and everything they represent, not only in terms of cults and beliefs, but also in their characteristics and particularities that we have been able to enjoy in the board game, counting each with their own personality and goals. One aspect that you will love is that the missions will change according to the decisions you make, which will affect the fate of the troops.
The console version also includes the Heretek downloadable content, an expansion that presents the Adeptus Mechanicus like never before, finding a darker tone where we try to discover what the unrest meant for the Caestus Metallcan during its campaign in Silva Tenebris. But it is not just about history, it also adds a new discipline, more missions, weapons, troops, enemies and a new environment, although we prefer that you discover it for yourself. Along with all this we have the short story Deus Ex Mechanicus written by Andy Chambers, which we recommend to followers of Warhammer 40,000.
Turning to its mechanics, we are before a title in which we move our troops through different rooms in search of their secrets, making decisions and, in certain areas, fighting against the necrons. We have to say that the controls are quite well adapted to the controls, with a very clear interface and many elements to manage with few buttons, making it a fairly agile and intuitive process.
When the battles begin, we have a grid map where our units must be placed in highlighted squares and then take action in turn, indicating the order of action at the top of the screen. Here we can move the units when their turn comes, with the distance they can cover marked by a line.
Once placed, and how could it be less, we have the Knowledge Points, which are obtained when finishing rivals or certain pillars and serve as a shared resource among all our units to use certain weapons, abilities, increase movements or request reinforcements , being the management of these points one of the most important factors in the battle together with the placement of the units. Then there are Chants, which offer unique effects to certain units to make fighting more interesting. We also have the black stone, which we can invest in improving our team.
It is important to know the information of the enemies, since each one has its own HP, physical armor and energy armor, making some weapons and abilities more effective than others. As you advance you will see how the playable possibilities increase, making it gain more depth and make the combats more challenging. This is especially noticeable when the alarm level is high and more and more powerful rivals appear, growing the longer we stay in that place.
Decision making is an aspect that we have loved as we offer a multitude of possibilities and change the events that are to come, which brings great replayability to the title and makes each game feel different. The clearest option is not always the correct one, so you will have to think a lot and pay attention to the small details that they tell us. It has a large map full of rooms that always invite us to explore in search of new treasures, although it is true that the representation of these is very improvable in all senses by only being shown as a kind of holographic map.
As for duration, you will find more than 50 missions that ensure many hours of gameplay along with the downloadable content added as standard, battles unfolding at a somewhat slow pace. The best thing, as we have commented, is that the decisions make it a very replayable title, offering unique games every time we play.
The graphic section is perhaps where the game loosens the most, although technically and in its designs it complies. The problem is given by the scarcity of resources, with details that could be more careful and a worrying lack of variety that makes them feel repetitive with the passing of the hours. At least the creatures are well represented and have good animations and effects. The same happens when exploring, with a map that is too simple and where situations are presented with a simple illustration.
In the sound we have melodies that go well with both exploration and battles, worked sound effects and English voices that are not bad at all. The texts come to us in complete Castilian, with a superb work of interpretation in which even the way of speaking of certain creatures is imitated.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is one of the most interesting video games based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe today, with a well-told, deep and engaging storyline, gameplay as accessible as it is fun, well-designed tactical elements, and certain role-playing touches that bring you even more fun. In addition, it has a well-adapted interface and controls for consoles, extra content and a lot of replayability for decision-making. On the negative we have a shortage of visual elements that can make it repetitive and the slowness of the fighting, which unnecessarily lengthens its duration.