Games Workshop’s tabletop games are legendary, and none more so than Warhammer 40 000. But what about the side games in the 40K universe? There are many of them, but none stand out more than Necromunda, the game set on the hive world featuring game warfare with a cyberpunk aesthetic. Video games based on Warhammer are not uncommon and now Rouge Factor has made a game set on the world where players can establish their own game from one of the great houses of the planet and go all out. But before I go any further, some explanations are in order. While I could take endlessly about Necromunda’s lore, the best way to make things understandable is to share this video from Remleiz of 40K theories
Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a third-person turn-based strategy game, similar to Valkyria Chronicles, albeit with a cyberpunk theme rather than WW2. The game has both a multiplayer and a single-player section, with the latter containing a fleshed-out story campaign with developer created characters, as well as a “Create Your Gang” mode. This mode lets you choose from one of three factions, House Goliath, House Escher, and House Orlock gangs, and features operations and skirmish battles. Both are excellent ways to experience the single-player, but it is recommended you play the story mode before anything else because it acts as a tutorial and teaches you how the game works in an accessible and entertaining way that leaves you satisfied.
Combat is done in rounds and in each round, both you and your enemy will choose a unit to go at it. You will need to keep track of Movement Points in order to move around, though these have ways of recharging, as well as Action Points that are needed for carrying out basic and complex actions. Looting items and weapons is a key part of the game as well, an aspect taken from the tabletop game. You will need to manage inventory and loot in order to make the most of the experience. Finding weapons is also key, as each class has a variety of weapons to choose from, including ranged, melee, long-range. short-range, sniper, and more. Basic attack shots will you a base about of AP while aiming at the target, while you can use additional AP to do a focus targeted shot that lets you target which part of the enemy body to attack. This is helpful as your attack has a higher percent damage and chance of success when focus targeted.
Now for the good and the bad. To start off, the game has pacing issues and a problem with balancing. Many abilities have high costs that do not seem to make much sense, such as crouching or picking up dropped items, and the enemies are often damage sponges that take too many hits to die. The game is also very slow-paced, and while this is true to the Tabletop Game, there were ways the developers could have done something to speed things up as everything moves too slowly, and there are unnecessary steps you must take such as basic selection each round that gets tedious. For the good, however, the game is extremely faithful to Necromunda’s established lore. The game does replicate the multiple tactical options from the tabletop well, including the various buffs and debuffs, multiple attack options, and ways of approaching the game in a fully realized 3D environment that does not get in the way of the experience. The 3D map is done exceedingly well here, and the visuals are stunning.
I do want to note though that the developers have recognized the issues the game has and have begun to fix them. The big October patch will fix the following.
- Game Pacing
- Crash Fixes
- Save Files – Backup, Recovery and Repair
- Eliminating Major Soft Blocks
- Overall Bug Fixes
It is refreshing to see that the game is not just being dumped on stores. Speed will be increased, new loot options will be done, round transitions will move quicker and missions will start much quicker. Most of these were my complaints, but I needed to mention them in the review as they were present at the time I was playing.
My mid-range PC had no issues running the game and it still looked incredible. There are numerous presentation options, such as different framerates or performance modes, as well as ways to truly customize the experience for yourself. The voice acting could be a little better I admit, and I do get tired of some repetition, but overall the package is a well put together one. Fans have waited a long time for Necromunda: Underhive Wars and I do think that fans of the tabletop game will be pleased with the overall experience and its faithfulness.
In conclusion, I do recommend the game and advise people to be patient and know what they are getting into. Once you take the time, the experience is a lot better.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided