We have discussed many different ideas over the last while about different video games that could be made as adaptations based on the long-running Warhammer 40 000 franchise. We are not done yet, as here are four more ideas for the franchise to take in video game form.
A Social Deduction Game
Social deduction games have been around for a while, with games such as Mafia and Werewolf existing outside of video games but became a big hit in the video game world when Among Us took off during the pandemic. Finding out who among your group is really out to cause harm is a great online experience and a great way to create tension. As for how this can be done in a 40K setting, there is a simple answer and that is the Alpha Legion.
The Alpha Legion are (mostly) traitor space marines who are known for infiltration and having spies everywhere and a 40K social deduction game could see a group pf Astartes having a mission sabotaged from within and needing to find out who is the Alpha Legionnaire. Most players would control the marines trying to keep things running, while the Alpha Legionnaire would go about trying to sabotage and ruin the squad. For an added bonus, given that the Alpha Legion is not a cohesive unit and there are still Alpha Legionnaires who are loyalists, one player could also secretly be a loyalist Alpha Legionnaire trying to stop the traitor without being found out themselves by either side.
Admittedly this is a bit different than the usual 40K video game, but given the Alpha Legion’s tactics, this would make for a truly innovative experience.
A Side-Scrolling Beat ‘Em Up
We are getting a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up in the form of Shootas, Blood & Teef very soon, a game that sees the Orks running and gunning to take out enemies, but a brawler would also be a welcome experience. Imagine a game very similar to the Capcom classics like Dungeons & Dragons and more importantly the Punisher, where there are a variety of classes a Space Marine can have, such as a devastator, Apothecary, Librarian and so on, and will be able to use not only their fists to pummel enemies into defeat but also their guns and other weapons. Each class would have a different ability, such as psychic powers for the Librarian, healing for the Apothecary and so on and so forth, to make for a well-rounded experience.
This game could even incorporate action RPG elements like the aforementioned Dungeons & Dragons games and provide numerous paths that you can take. Enemies could include traitor marines, chaos Daemons, Genestealers, Orks and so on, and a variety of worlds could be present, such as Armageddon, Cadia, spake hulks and other chaos and Xenos ships, all of which would make for great locations to battle on. Given the wide variety of characters in 40K and the many different space marine chapters, there is just so much that can be done here.
This is not as crazy as it once may have sounded, because of the aforementioned Shootas, Blood & Teef, which has many excited and show there is a market for more offbeat games like this.
A Dating Sim
Yes, this is a real suggestion. People forget there is a satire element to 40K and a 40K game that lets the franchise poke fun at itself would be amazing. You could play as a common Imperial Guard member and have a chance to romance various characters. Perhaps sweep the Sister of Battle off of her feet, or go a heretic route and sweet talk a chaos worshipper? You could betray humanity and romance a Tau, or try and win over the heart of an Eldar. Perhaps even a commissar could overcome their hatred for an enemy and realize there is true love to be found
Each scenario would be humorous and have multiple ways it could go wrong, such as getting a visit from an inquisitor to investigate your actions. And possibly give you a chance to romance the Inquisitor as well. No need to limit this to a single gender either, and for added fun even an Ork could be an option. Beat a certain score and you get to ask the question, does Love Really Bloom in a Battlefield?
A lighthearted take on 40K doesn’t have to be a bad thing and could easily have the grimdark elements present but just presented in a joking way, and bad endings would poke fun at your actions. Obviously, this would not be for everyone, but a 40K game that is a parody of the series, while exploring the deeper lore would be a big winner and is definitely something that should be considered.
An Imperial Guard RPG
The Imperial Guard does not get as much love in 40K video games as they deserve, but one game that is giving them attention is the upcoming Darktide. Darktide is a multiplayer FPS experience about teaming up to take down enemies in a hive city and features multiple classes that can be chosen. But what if this idea was applied to an RPG along the lines of Cyberpunk 2077?
There have been 40K FPS games with RPG elements before, such as Necromunda Hired Gun, but that was more of a Doom-influenced game with RPG elements added in. Instead, what if we had an FPS RPG starring the Imperial Guard on a hive world that gave you full control of where you went and how you handled things? Your classes could include various different regiments of the Imperial Guard such as the Catachan, the Valhallans and the Krigers, but could extend beyond the guard and also include sanctioned psykers with their unique playstyle, or even tech priests assigned to aid the regiment. Each option would give you a different experience for gameplay, such as the warp-based ability of the psyker, the combat prowess of the catachans, the siege mentality of the Kriegers and so on.
The game could be set within the confines of an invasion of the Imperium on a planet. The player would have the chance to see the horror of the 42nd millennium up close and personal during one of the many wars in the Indomitus Crusade. Player-made decisions could influence the wider war. What happens if that Kreiger dies before he takes the pillbox? What happens if the Catachan kills so many orks that they begin whispering about him behind the lines, attracting the warboss himself? The possibility for content would be literally endless, with DLCs for battles like the Seige of Vraks, the Damacles Gulf Crusade, the Badab War, or any of the many other battles in 40K franchise lore.
This would be the most ambitious of any game on this list, but such a game would work well. Many have expressed a desire for a game like Darktide but as a single-player experience, and mixing it with an RPG would open many doors to giving players what they have been desiring.
And there you have it, four more ideas for 40K video games. Which did you like best?