I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but we’re currently in the Golden Age of Warhammer video games, and not just because of Darktide, which is due to release next month and take up every second of my free time from thereon out. Or so I thought until fellow Features Editor Eric Switzer previewed it.

Space Marine 2 should be coming next year, and this year’s Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters was a surprise hit for me. I must load up a new save of that, actually, if only to batter down some doors with a bloodthirsty Terminator. But another game has appeared on the scene to add to the plethora of pixel proxies that make Warhammer gaming so great right now.

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Technically speaking, Moonbreaker isn’t a Warhammer game. It’s a miniatures game, and that’s where the similarities end. But it does something that very few, if any, Warhammer games do, and that is embrace its miniature-ness. Space Marine morphs the Emperor’s finest miniatures into a third-person shooter, Necromunda becomes a first-person looter-shooter, and Shootas, Blood & Teef makes the fearsome Orks better at platforming than crushing skulls.

Moonbreaker Is The Warhammer Game I Never Knew I Wanted

Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters and other strategy games like Dawn of War and Total War come the closest to the tabletop experience, with the former pitting the Grey Knights against a daemon incursion in the form of a turn-based tactics game. However, there’s a lot missing.

Firstly, strategy games aren’t necessarily like tabletop games. There are similarities, don’t get me wrong, but miniatures games have some clear differences. There aren’t usually levels if you’re not playing a campaign, and even if there are it’s rare that the terrain at your disposal creates authentic looking gothic cathedrals one moment and a diseased sewer the next. Most of my Warhammer games have been played on 4’x4’ boards with a smattering of ruined buildings. Then we’ll shift the terrain around, maybe swap opponents, and go again. Exactly like Moonbreaker.

Moonbreaker Is The Warhammer Game I Never Knew I Wanted 3

Moonbreaker puts you on a small, randomised map against one opponent who has created a list of equal power to yours. From there, you have to kill their captain. It’s simple, but endlessly replayable, especially when taking on real opponents. AI battles are a good way to learn the game, and Supply Runs give you a nice experience boost and a slightly different way to play. There’s no campaign, no story missions, just quick, tactical battles.

While there isn’t a campaign, Moonbreaker does have a story. It’s presented through an audiobook, which is frankly a fantastic idea. I love to stick a podcast on while I’m painting, and the Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks are some of the best out there. There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the grimdark future than with Toby Longworth’s recital of Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn series, and the same goes for Moonbreaker. Playing missions and fighting battles while the story unfolds in your ears is great, even though your decisions have no impact on what’s happening – and with a universe created by prolific genre author Brandon Sanderson, I wouldn’t want to change anything. That’s the true miniature wargaming experience right there.

Moonbreaker Is The Warhammer Game I Never Knew I Wanted

Then we come to the painting. While some Warhammer games have customisation, Moonbreaker comes with an in-depth painting system that allows you to completely redesign any of the miniatures you’ve unlocked. I’m pretty bad (much like IRL, converting is much more my forte – though currently unavailable in Moonbreaker sadly), but there are options to airbrush, drybrush, or deftly highlight models in a vast range of colours to make them truly unique. The developer also says it’s working on some sort of sharing system so you can download other people’s paintjobs for your own models – kind of like downloading someone else’s beach house on The Sims.

I’m a big fan of Warhammer games, and love charging around the various universes in first-person or finding the best angle for my Flamer in an XCOM-like. But Moonbreaker scratches an itch that I didn’t know needed scratching. I don’t get much time to break out my paints any more, and painstakingly setting up a board to play out an hours-long scenario is impossible with a small child on the loose. Moonbreaker solves that. I can play a few games on my Steam Deck while watching the television, or test out a new colour scheme without any mess, any clearing up, or any mixing up of paintwater and tea. Being in early access means that there’s a lot more to come from Moonbreaker, but I’m already relaxing into a wargaming routine with it. It may not be a Warhammer game, but it brings the tabletop experience to video games better than almost any other attempt. And for that alone, it should be commended.

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