GamesActionWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 evolves World War Z’s swarm tech to build “epic battles” with “maybe thousands of Tyrannids"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 evolves World War Z’s swarm tech to build “epic battles” with “maybe thousands of Tyrannids"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: Focus Interactive)
Before starting work on Space Marine 2, developer Saber Interactive pumped more zombies than I’ve ever seen on screen in its co-op World War Z shooter that had players mowing down hundreds of brainless foes who would literally topple over each other and come at you in waves.
In a Gamescom interview with Gamesradar+, Saber Interactive CCO Tim Willits explains that Space Marine 2 and World War Z are so committed to that carnage because both games share a director (Dimitriy Grigorenko) and “swarm tech.”
“The swarm tech brought in all these hordes of zombies and then we evolved that technology with updates to World War Z,” Willits says, before explaining that the tech has seen a “new evolution” in Space Marine 2. “So we’re able to create these epic battles where you have just hundreds, maybe thousands of Tyrannids coming at you in the swarm, and then when they hit the breaker, and they start to turn, and separate, and come after you.”
Not only do Warhammer’s Tyrannids have numbers on their side, but they’ve also got the brains the zombies were lacking. “In World War Z, the zombies were a little dumb,” Willits continues. “But in Space Marine 2, when those Tyranids break off, they are smart, and they’re coming for you.”
What makes matters even more frightening is the existence of an under-the-hood “AI director” that “controls the swarms, controls the enemies” and “knows about you, and knows about your teammates.“Space Marines are canonically OP, but hopefully the threat of being outsmarted will keep us on our toes because, as Willits says, “the game won’t be fun if you’re just invincible.”
“So there’s this kind of balance, and then you start to get overwhelmed with the heavier Tyranids, or Chaos Marines, appear in the battle, and then things start to maybe go bad for you, but you fight through it,” Willits says. “And we created this system where you can really get that power fantasy of being a Space Marine, kicking ass, destroying Tyrranids, having fun, and you can truly feel like you are the toughest, most badass Space Marine in the universe.”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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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”
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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”
1Sonic 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”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4
Skeleton 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”