Darktide on PS5 – Another standout Warhammer 40K shooter

thesixthaxis.com:

The wait for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on PS5 was made a little more bearable for 40K fans earlier this year with the release of Space Marine 2. Saber Interactive’s surprise sequel to the 2011 hack n’ slash/shooter hybrid has achieved phenomenal success, and is certainly a tough act to follow.

However, Darktide is a markedly different kind of game, hailing from the same school of shooter as Left 4 Dead and indeed developer Fatshark’s flagship title, Warhammer: Vermintide. No doubt seeing how popular their co-op action series has grown, the Swedish studio applied a similar template to Game Workshop’s gritty sci-fi universe.

For the most part, it’s a great fit. Darktide delves deep into the dark underbelly of 40K, far away from the warring Space Marines and their xenos rivals, instead focusing on the spreading corruption of Chaos within the Hive City of Tertium. Here, hiding within a labyrinth of habitat zones, factories, and pleasure districts, sedition manifests in the form of mutant cults who have turned their backs on the Emperor, seeking salvation instead from dark and ancient deities.

One major difference between Darktide and Vermintide is the shift away from named playable heroes. Instead, you create your own avatar, choosing from one of four classes that each have their own distinct weapon loadouts and abilities though all are equally capable in combat. As you’d expect, the hulking Ogryn is a bullet sponge who excels in taunting foes and pulling aggro away from squishier squadmates such as the magic-wielding Psykers. Although Darktide gives you the tools to customise your own grimdark misfit, this isn’t to say they’re devoid of any character. In fact, there’s plenty to be gleaned about the 40K universe from the banter, barbs, and exchanges between heroes as they go about their Chaos-thumping crusade.

We won’t do a complete retread of our original Darktide review, though what we praised about the game at launch still rings true. There’s an immense amount of joy to