Chaos Gate was a 1998 turn-based strategy game based on Warhammer 40 000 that left an impact on the franchise. While the lore would become outdated, it would be fondly remembered by fans for its representation of the old lore and its amazing music. Now a sequel has been made after a decade and a half, but does it live up to the original game?
Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters follows the Grey Knights this time around, rather than the Ultramarines like in the original game, but this works out for the better. The Grey Knights have not had a presence in video games for the most part and seeing the chapter get their chance to shine is always good. In terms of gameplay, more can be done with the Grey Knights as well since the Grey Knights all possess psychic powers in the lore.
Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters is a fast-paced game and plays somewhat differently than other turn-based strategy games. This is a game that prioritizes aggressive movements rather than heavy use of the overwatch phase, although going into overwatch at the end of a turn can be done here as well. The key to the fast-paced gameplay is that there is no RNG here, and your attacks will lack the frustrating misses that often plague the genre.
Even with the faster pace the game has, there is still a need to plan things out, as the wrong move can be devastating for your marines. Permadeath functions slightly differently than other games as the Grey Knights can be downed once and then get back up. Should they be downed again, the knight is dead and their gene-seed extracted, but Knights downed and not defeated will be sent to the apothecary for a time and return later with an Augmentic that will affect the Knight’s stats.
The big drawback to the game is the UI and Hub interface as it is counterintuitive and can get in the way of your playing. While the game has a learning curve at first, this can be overcome after some time playing, while the UI and Hub are things that affect the experience throughout. If anything, the interface feels overdeveloped and this is a problem some 40K games like Aeronautica Imperalis have.
The game does manage to translate the tabletop experience well though and really gives the Warhammer gameplay fans like while mixing in what made XCOM beloved. The lack of RNG in attacks and defence is a welcome factor and the game makes it clear what the level of damage will be depending on the weapon and range. Another great touch is that the battlefield is fully interactable and destroying a statue or weapons cache to get to an enemy or lure them into a trap is something that can be done with the right plan.
Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters has AP for turns like many other turn-based strategy games, but there are also WP or Willpower Points. WP will allow you to augment abilities and moves and use special powers. But be careful because using the special abilities of the Grey Knights will affect the warp meter in a reflection of the lore. When the meter is full, it affects the battlefield, and will sometimes give enemies a boost and sometimes adds debuffs to the Grey Knights among other possibilities.
There are some good role-playing options here and the dialogue trees as are a nice touch, but the voice acting seems to be done in a half-hearted way. That said, the Grey Knights Ship known as the Baleful Edit is the source for a lot of the RPG parts of the game. There are sections here for interacting with the various characters to learn more about the situation and you can make choices on how to proceed.
The Baleful Edict has a few main sections such as the planet screen that shows your missions and status, as well as area hazards, while the system map shows the planets and bloom sites and corruption levels, the latter of which can be mitigated with the right upgrade. Another key area is the barracks from which you can recruit new marines and upgrade them as needed, and swapping out marines is key because being sent to the apothecary will stop you from levelling up that marine for a time and if they die, all your progress is lost
The research lab is one of the most important areas, as it allows you to unlock strategies and new abilities that can be assigned to the Grey Knight marines, as well as learn about the enemies. This is where a lot of the lore will be discussed and those wanting a complete experience will want to check this out. You will also be able to upgrade the ship to repair it to its full glory and unlock various upgrades for the ship, including one called the Stasis Chamber that allows you to pass on character attributes and abilities to other Grey Knights after one is defeated.
The game runs well enough and no real technical issues were experienced, aside from some minor framerate issues when panning across the battlefield. Visually the game is stunning and every minor object is as detailed as the major things in the game, which makes for a visual feast. The audio was something we were worried about since the first game’s music is so iconic, and while it is not as good as the first game, it still is good in its own right and even recreates one of the most famous songs from the first game, though some more could have been done to capture the feel of that music in general.
Overall, Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is a great game and a good follow-up to the classic, even if it does have some issues with the interface. The story by Aaron Dembski-Bowden may not be one that is to everyone’s liking, but it serves its purpose well. All things considered, Chaos Gate Daemonhunters is a game we can easily recommend.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
Warhammer 40 000 Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters is available on Steam and Epic Games Store.