Welcome back to The Backlog, where we review video games based on a certain genre or word each month. We are finally closing out our “strategy” games for February with a game that takes the cake for being the most tactical out of them all, “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2.”
This is an abrupt shift from the games we’ve covered so far. “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2” is part of the Warhammer 40k franchise and available cross-platform through Steam, the Windows Store and GOG. It was released in 2019 as a sequel to “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada” that was released in 2016. The sequel builds upon the first game’s mechanics and includes more factions, so I opted to review the second one as opposed to the first. “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2” is based around real-time space battles. Players command a fleet of ships from their chosen faction and must duke it out with enemies either online or through the campaign.
For background, “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2” is an extension of the Warhammer 40k universe. In the simplest description, the story takes place in the 41st millennium where war is the only constant. Humanity — or the Imperium of Man — is constantly battling against alien species like the Orks, Necrons, Tyranids and even other humans. What makes the Imperium of Man so complicated is that they are composed of militarized chapters, or groups of various Space Marine soldiers that act as the Emperor’s fighting forces. These Space Marines have very straightforward goals: surviving and purging heretics. Heretics are anybody who is either not a human or not on the Imperium’s side. If it seems like a very xenophobic mindset, that’s because it is. Many of these Space Marines can be equated to Space Nazis. The most popular of these chapters are the Ultramarines, which are essentially the default starter chapters for many players. They are the easiest to learn and use in both the video games and in the table-top games.
The Warhammer 40k universe is vast and contains a lot of lore, but it’s best understood in the context of being a wargame, where players build their forces and do everything they can to win battles in space and take over planets for resources.
As far as mechanics go, “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2” contains some of the most intricate and realistic systems I’ve ever experienced. It doesn’t just have spaceships with a health bar, but also includes fuel, morale and various other features that must be considered. What makes it so interactive and realistic is that the ships can be damaged in segments, so if something like the generator is damaged then the shields cannot be activated. Not to mention the fact that if the morale of a ship decreases enough, the crew may resort to mutiny and abandon their posts or leave the battle entirely. While the battle system can seem daunting, the format is actually on a 2D plane, so it’s easy to chart out ship paths and turret directions.
This can seem very complicated for beginners, but I find that the battles become simpler as they progress. Players will find that they have to change their tactics often or change their factions based on their enemies. What works on one group may not work on another.
The graphics are also where “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2” excels, although I would argue that a physics-heavy game like this requires a strong PC or console to be played well. My laptop that lacks a graphics card is not an option for something like this—it can barely run the “Sims 4.”
While there is a lot of content to play through and unpack in “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2,” the campaigns are generally straightforward, and rely on the lore of Warhammer 40k. I do have to commend the voice actors for the characters’ dialogue. They are able to deliver epic one-liners, along with the unintelligible screams of cosmic horrors beyond our comprehension.
Overall, “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2” is a great simulation of galactic warfare, but it can quickly become dull. It can get especially frustrating when competing with other players, but this is not a unique experience. For many gamers I can see how it wouldn’t feel very compelling to play this for long, especially if you find the act of balancing your armada a tedious task.
Rating: 3.5/5