I was equal parts intrigued and intimidated when Sega invited us to try an alpha build of Total War: Warhammer 40K ahead of Tokyo Game Show this year. I’m a (casual) fan of real-time strategy (RTS) and tactics games, but as a newcomer to both franchises involved, I wasn’t sure I could properly grasp what I was about to get my mitts on.
My time with Total War: Warhammer 40K ended up smoother than expected, thanks to a nifty tutorial that equipped me for the subsequent campaign snippet and battle challenge. To be clear, the game is by no means a cakewalk, and I got my butt whooped during my many attempts to clear the latter two segments.
Yet I ultimately found Total War: Warhammer 40K to be very intuitive and, crucially, frighteningly addictive with the violent spectacle of its battles. Where has this game been all my life?
Total War: Warhammer 40K Hands-on
Starting out, the demo allowed me to design my chapter of soldiers, who are part of the Space Marine faction. Integral to Warhammer 40K’s appeal is that you can paint your miniature units to your liking, and the game translates that into a customization suite that provides a vast range of color choices for different parts of the armor, as well as a detailed emblem creator. I knew I could spend hours on this section alone, but I eventually managed to tear myself away and jump into the meat of the game.
The tutorial begins with a cutscene that sets the signature grimdark tone of Warhammer 40K and establishes my mission: retrieve lost cargo from a crashed ship on the planet Umbral Prime. Simple enough!
From an overhead view of my Space Marine on the planet, the game teaches me that moving requires Action Points doled out each turn. I’m quickly led to the crash site and an encounter with enemy Orks, which is when the RTS action begins.
It was from this point that I was truly swept up into the brutal spectacle of Total War: Warhammer 40K. My first time watching my Space Marines mow down an incoming horde was viscerally satisfying to watch, and I chased that high all throughout my session.
Of course, I also took key mechanics to heart along the way, like cover, which lets units defend against gunfire using walled parts of the terrain, and the use of reserves, which lets you airdrop reinforcements at the frontlines to further pressure the enemy. It’s also worth noting that you can speed movement along with a fast-forward option, which helps keep lulls in the action to a minimum.
Hands down, the coolest tools on hand were the bombardment abilities, which rain down death by way of cluster bombs or intense laser fire. Listen, I get the need for cooldown timers and range limits, but part of me just wants to fire these off over and over without any restrictions. It’s that satisfying.
Before I knew it, the tutorial was over and I moved on to the campaign mission, where I was tasked with retaking a citadel occupied by Orks. This second portion introduces the basics of base management and training new units, which might feel familiar to anyone with a cursory knowledge of RTS games.
The demo doesn’t go into detail about the different HUD elements, so I mostly relied on the help overlay to gain an understanding of concepts like Requisition and Influence. Regardless, I mostly focused on training some units and attempting an assault… which never went well. Despite my constant use of bombardments and reserves, the sheer numbers of Orks would always overwhelm me in the end.
I fared even worse in the battle challenge, where the sole objective was to annihilate all enemy forces. Unfortunately, my forces fell again and again to the enemy, no matter how I positioned my troops or how carefully I used all the tools in my arsenal – there’s something I’m missing, clearly, as Total War veterans haven’t run into the same wall as I have.
That’s the thing, though – I never stopped feeling motivated to try again, and I chalk that up to the sheer fun factor of Total War: Warhammer 40K. I felt downright gleeful every time I got to shellack the enemy with cluster bombs or flank my foes with reinforcements, and I’m definitely the target audience for the base-building, my favorite part of any strategy game like this.
Total War: Warhammer 40K is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series from SEGA and Creative Assembly.
