Space Hulk: Tactics is a downloadable computer version of the original board game of the same name, but the digital and online version of it. Released on the 9th October 2018, the game was released by Cyanide Studio, the same team behind games such as Blood Bowl, Styx, and The Council to name a few. Designed to be the digital version of the board game, Space Hulk: Tactics puts you in charge of a group of Space Marines that take on the ever-encroaching and more deadly alien hordes.
How to Download Space Hulk: Tactics
The full game of Space Hulk: Tactics can be downloaded from Steam. To start, click on the Download button at the end of this review. You can enjoy the game also on PS4 and Xbox One. Before you commit to a download watch the trailer below.
The Game Review
Unlike many games, Space Hulk: Tactics actually allows you to play through two separate campaigns, one focusing on the Space Marines and the other one focusing on the alien Genestealers. In the campaign, the Space Marines board a spaceship, known as a Space Hulk which appears to have been overrun by these Genestealers for whatever reason and must take them out, at least from the Space Marines side of things.
As things progress, you learn more and more about either side and their overall goals, making for a more interesting story the longer you play the game.
Space Hulk: Tactics – the Gameplay
Gameplay is played from a top-down, board game like perspective. Depending on which side you choose, you’ll either be given a squad of Space Marines or Genestealers, with each one having their own form of attacks and tactics that the other won’t make use of.
From this top-down perspective, you have a number of different options to progress to your objective, whatever it may be. Each member of your team has different abilities and weapons that the others might not use, and all actions require a set amount of AP (action points). With the game being based on the board game, it takes place in turns, so one turn it will be your chance to take different actions, and then the next turn it will be up to your opponent to make all of their actions before passing the torch back over to you.
To help you progress into the later sections of the game without worrying too much about the increase of difficulty, you can make some small improvements to your squad by upgrading their gear. You can unlock and provide them with different weapons, of which each has their own benefits and strengths in comparison to the previous ones.
A new inclusion for the Space Hulk series of games is the addition of these things called cards. Cards allow for sudden buffs and temporary improvements to your squad, allowing for a new addition to the game to keep things from getting too difficult and allow for more strategy as well.
Other Games
In terms of comparisons, Space Hulk: Tactics is very similar to the previous Space Hulk game and is even somewhat similar to games like XCOM 1 and 2, with the same sort of turn-based combat. This time, though,
it’s a lot more close-quarters than anything like in the XCOM games.
The Bottom Line
For anyone that enjoys Warhammer or Space Hulk: Deathwatch, Space Hulk: Tactics is pretty much more of the same but adds a few new additions to the game to make it more fun and a little bit less of a grind.
