Space Marine 2's super soldiers are "almost invincible," so creating a genuinely difficult player experience was "quite the challenge"

GamesThird Person ShooterWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Space Marine 2’s super soldiers are “almost invincible,” so creating a genuinely difficult player experience was “quite the challenge"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesThird Person ShooterWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Space Marine 2’s super soldiers are “almost invincible,” so creating a genuinely difficult player experience was “quite the challenge"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

Space marine screenshot from Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Space Marine 2is all about the power fantasy of controlling these hulking giants and mowing down hordes of Tyranids in front of you. However, balancing around such a powerful unit can be a tricky situation. Brand and creative manager Yann Francois shares how the team decided to balance around such absurd power levels to properly portray the sheer carnage Space Marines can unleash.

InPC Gamer issue 400Francois shares; “When you are reading about Space Marines, Ultramarines and Primaris - you discover that those are superhuman on a really crazy scale. They measure up to two metres or three metres [tall]. They have two or three hearts functioning. Because they are the only humans able to support such a heavy armor, and that scale of damage.”

These giants are genetically perfect for fighting on the frontlines. However, that also means the team had to ensure that playing as one felt just as epic in scale as the lore makes them out to be. This turned out to be “quite a challenge for the team” and led to the design decision to limit multiplayer to three players. “That is what led to the choice of creating multiplayer of up to three players. Because many people asked ‘why is it not up to four players?’ They tried it, and they realized that it was too easy with four players. It was a massacre. So three was a good number, to find a good balance.”

Of course, when you have overpowered units like the Space Marines, you need enemies to match that level. “It took quite a long time to find the right balance between being able to show hundreds of enemies coming at you, but Tyranids are not zombies. They have their own behavior, and their own way of moving, and their own way of attacking the player. Tyranids in Warhammer lore are a hivemind faction. And how do you find the perfect balance between a rushing enemy coming at you that has its own intelligence behind it?”

The mix of three-player co-op and a more intelligent enemy design helped developer Saber Interactive showcase just how formidable a lore-accurate Space Marine is.

That doesn’t mean you should go into battle without theseSpace Marine 2 tips. Also, you can learn more about theswarm tech used for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s enemies.

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

1

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2

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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

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Squid Game season 2

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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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