Warhammer 40k Inquisitor Martyr (PS4, PC, Xbox One) (Rated Mature)
Console Editon Review
Video Review
When you think of top-down action role-playing games, I am sure you like myself think of Diablo first and foremost. There is something incredibly special about this genre when it is done right. So I had cautious optimism going into Inquisitor 40K. If you have played a game like this, you will have a general idea of what you are in for, however, Inquisitor 40K does reinvent the wheel in some pretty spectacular ways.
You will start your adventure by choosing one of three main classes, this is the most important choice you will have at the start of the game. Each class not only plays incredibly differently, but each character has their own unique personality that makes them all worth playing. You will be able to name your character anything you like, however you will be simply called Inquisitor in game. Once you choose your class, you then choose your subclass, however, this has very, very little effect on the game with the exception of the opening 30 minutes. All the subclasses are for, is so you can choose the type of loadout to start the game with. You can play as a Crusader your standard tank type, you then have a character that is essentially a mage, and last but not least you have an assassin type. I found myself utterly in love with not only the Crusader's abilities and weapons, which could include a chainsaw sword and machine pistol, but his personality without a doubt kept me listening to every conversation.
The story is nothing special in its plot, however where Inquisitor 40K's story prowess lies, is its exceptional writing which is the perfect blend of drama, camp and exquisite attention to detail. I am not a fan perse of the Warhammer 40K franchise, I am aware of it and played the hack and slash Space Marine game a few years ago, but other than that, I have a very limited knowledge of the series lore, yet I was instantly engrossed by this game's atmosphere. There is also so much lore information and world-building present, that unlike the previous 3rd person action game, I was finally gaining a real interest and knowledge for the lore of Warhammer 40K. The unique blend of dark gothic fantasy and science fiction was right up my alley, this is a dark game where you play as a one-man genocide, who is out to save the universe, by cleansing it of anything the beloved emperor deems evil. It is all done with a very tongue in cheek attitude, while at the same time being just serious enough to stay thrilling.
Once you get a weapon in the game and start slaying, you will understand why the emperor chose you to cleanse the galaxy, and boy is it a blast killing everything in sight. You will be shouting "cleanse that heretic" in no time, as you rampage across interstellar locations, blasting or chopping your way through. The combat has a far more tactical feel than other ARPG's, you have a cover system that comes in quite handy, and the as mentioned assassin class has some very useful stealth abilities. You will also not want to simply stand and kill, as that will result in your untimely demise, this is a game where you will need to run and gun, then sometimes hide your ass behind cover till you can pop a health potion. This meant that every action encounter was a total blast to experience. Not only were the levels well designed for combat, but the enemy A.I is outstanding, making for some truly tense encounters. Don't fret if the challenge seems too much though, the game's story mode will make it much, much more endurable.
Another element that sets the gameplay apart from other ARPG's, is that you have two weapon sets you will take with you on missions. This may not sound that different, but it is due to the fact that you can not access your inventory mid-mission. There is no open world here, you will choose your missions from a Star Map and then proceed on. Inbetween those missions is where you can buy, sell and equip your gear. This is honestly not a bad thing in the least, as you spend far less time in menus due to that design choice. The weapons, gear and loot are plentiful and offer tons of variation, both in stats, design and functionality.
Beyond the game's 20 plus hour campaign, you will have access to a wide range of side missions to tackle, all with varying difficulty and level requirements, there is also cooperative play meaning you will have hours of content to experience. On top of all that, the game is very replayable due to its insanely fun combat and exquisite character variation. Beyond wanting to reach the top level, you also change your stats based on your gear, meaning ming for gear is always worthwhile. You will only see the loot you acquired at the end mission screen, which actually gives the game an even greater feeling of satisfaction. Enemies do not have to spew out tons of loot for the combat to stay interesting, nothing in the game ever feels tedious or dull, which is quite a feat in this genre.
Sadly I have to report that the game features a number of glitches, they are never game-breaking perse, but one, in particular, was quite frustrating. While the game does have it's fair share of screen tearing, it's worst offense is that the sound cut out completely, forcing me to restart the entire game before my PS4 would play sound again. The game also displays a number of in-game tutorials, however, some of them still feature the PC counterparts controls, on top of that sometimes instead of activating an important object, my character would run to the nearest item instead. The game also crashed, while it was extremely rare, it was still disheartening, due to losing all progress in a mission. You start it, you finish it, or you have to redo all of it. These issues are clearly due to the port from PC to Console. I am also quite sure these issues will be fixes sooner rather than later. All in all, Inquisitor 40k was one hell of a fun ride, and one that I have no intention of getting off of. While it may have its share of bugs, the truth remains that it is still an incredibly fun time.
No comments:
Post a Comment