Futility wriggles through Warhammer 40,000: Darktide like a maggot beneath a poxwalker’s skin. Where players were heroes of legend in Fatshark’s previous game, Vermintide 2, in Darktide you’re grist for the mill – condemned prisoners given a chance to prove their mortal value by clearing the Hive City Tertium of plague-infested masses. With impossible architecture and vicious combat, Darktide offers a thrilling depiction of 40K’s colossal, callous universe. But Fatshark goes a bit too far in trivialising the player’s role, presenting a live-service structure that is repetitive and listless.
Like the games, the game centres on the cooperative ruleset established by Valve in but with a heavier emphasis on close-quarters melee combat. Here, that melee combat is better than ever. The zombie-like poxwalkers may lack the visual personality of Skaven, but the way their heads squish beneath a Thunder Hammer is almost frighteningly tangible. If you’ve ever wanted to get hands-on with 40K’s eclectic arsenal, is ideal. Weapons such as the chainsword, power sword and eviscerator are all present and grimly correct, and the joy of experimenting with a new “Holy tool” (as described by Zealot Preacher class) is a central pillar of the game’s design.
