Making waves: Fatshark takes Vermintide’s co-op horde action to the next level in Edge 372 with Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

gamesradar.com:

If the devil is in the details, then Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is positively Mephistophelian. Fatshark’s firstperson vision of this beloved world has been fleshed out to an unprecedented degree. “There are biographies for places you spend ten seconds walking down,” writer Dan Abnett says. “I think we’re trying too hard.” 

Indeed, that level of investment in storytelling extends to the dialogue system: significantly more complex and expansive than its predecessor, it already boasts 75,000 written lines with the promise of more to come. But that’s crucial in a game designed to be replayed, with each new visit offering you fresh glimpses into the world, even if it’s just a change of terminology – a single street, for example, might go by four different titles while locals have their own names for certain landmarks. You might think much of this is beside the point in a game that’s largely about brutalising hordes of enemies alongside a few friends, but it’s testament to the richness of Fatshark’s intoxicating take on Warhammer: a world, lest we forget, that is more traditionally viewed from above. 

One key point of difference from the much-loved Darktide is the absence of preset classes. Rather, you’ll create your own hero – though that’s perhaps not quite the right word for a character recruited into the service of an Inquisitor via a prison vessel. You’re meat for the grinder, in other words, but assuming you survive these deadly missions you will steadily rise through the ranks. Though your personal progress depends on working alongside others: failing to stick together when faced with legions of pox walkers, cultists and the occasional Chaos Hound, and all four players can expect a one-way trip to the game over screen.