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Black Lab Games, the studio behind Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock, has another blow on its hands with Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. While it risks being overlooked amid a recent flood of games using the Warhammer 40K setting, Battlesector is bringing the new era of 40K tabletop gaming to PC like a thunder hammer to the head of a tyrant of the hive. Momentum-based tactical system and wide customization of the forces you lead, combined with randomization in mission setups, gives you a fun campaign with delicious multiplayer skirmish accompaniment.
The ominous melodrama of the Warhammer 40K universe is fully on display in Battlesector, which is to its credit. The beautiful but overwhelmed Blood Angels Space Marines are devastated following the invasion of their home worlds by the voracious swarm of the Tyranids, a hive spirit of space monsters who exist only to eat and grow. However, the Blood Angels have now been reinforced by the new Primaris Marines (which are like normal Space Marines but larger) and are ready for a counterattack.
Battlesector explains all the convolutions of Lord Primarch and Baalfora and Hive Fleet as well as they can. Drink it, for it is the whole backdrop for your team of tyranid hunters on a barren moon in the salt desert. As you might expect – no, demand – of a Space Marine adventure, there are plenty of chewy vocal performances of landscapes and plenty of melodramatic conflicts between characters to enjoy. Everything revels in the dialogue and flavor text that really catches the 40k tone. My only real complaint is that while the Primaris serve as a catalyst for new things happening in the 40K universe, they barely have an onscreen presence or a handful of lines between them all.
In a 20-mission single-player campaign, you lead Sergeant Carleon and his Blood Angels, along with a few Sister of Battle allies, against the Tyranids. To their credit, no two missions are exactly the same, each featuring a new objective or terrain to set it apart from the others. Early battles see you traverse the Tyranids over desolate salt marshes, while later battles move to narrow mountain passes and massive Gothic industrial facilities. Each of these handcrafted mission battle maps is a joy to fight as they all feature interesting tactical choices.
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These choices become gloriously rich over the course of the campaign. When you unlock new units to use, you can add points to your commander’s skill trees, but you have no hope of unlocking them all in one game. Instead, you can specialize your army, choosing which units you will upgrade with new skills and improved stats. In my 30 or so hours with Battlesector, I built two armies: one designed as an infantry cannon line that strengthens its limbs and mows down enemies as they approach, then the heroes rush in to mingle the survivors. to grind.
The other is driven by an armored hammer, using a Furioso Dreadnought equipped with a flamethrower to burn straw and Predator tanks to crush large bugs before they can even react. The two versions have a different feel and are effective ways to play through the campaign, which speaks volumes about its potential for replay.
The skirmish is a bit simpler. Battles take place on mirrored maps with no actual goals other than a deathmatch, but it’s fun enough to imagine odd unit lists to surprise others. Playing as the Tyranids after the shootout and maneuver campaign as Blood Angels is a treat as they force you to focus on swarm tactics and high-value monsters to win. The only real limitation is the variety of units – around 13 units per side – which left me wanting more.
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Additionally, you cannot customize the appearance of your armies. Forgivable in the countryside, with its canonical color schemes, but a sad exclusion in multiplayer. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: all Warhammer games should have an Army Painter.
Battlesector’s basic turn-based tactics are fairly richly simulated, with each unit having a certain number of attacks each turn, each with its own chance to hit and throw damage. It’s quite satisfying to see a unit of Primaris Aggressors launch 120 distinct attacks in one turn, mowing down pattern after pattern of Tyranids.
Otherwise, most units move up to a set distance and can take only one action each turn, with the exception of heroic HQ units which can take two actions. As you maneuver, you set the orientation of your units and any units that have not acted or are holding fire in watch position so they can fire during the enemy turn. Orientation also determines how enemies interact with them – for example, you can rush to the flanks or rear of a defenseless enemy, without them attacking you in melee for free.
Melee rules are the most complex thing to understand, highly dependent on the weapons each side uses and whether or not they perform a charge action in combat. It may take some trial and error before you figure out when your units will or will not get free attacks with pistol weapons against a rushing horde, or avoid the same type of enemy attacks, as the tutorials are not as clear as they could be when it comes to explaining the system. Regardless, most combat is all about positioning your units at their optimum range, which is conveniently highlighted when you hover your mouse over a weapon.
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However, not all weapon stats are displayed so clearly and intuitively. Heaven help you if this is an enemy’s weapon you are looking for information on. But fear not! It’s a strategy game UI, folks – stick with it and you’ll end up figuring out the silly quirks.