There are few things as satisfying as sending multiple enemies flying with one swing of a weapon. The Dynasty Warriors series created an entire genre out of that called Musou – and while it's not the most popular genre, elements of it can be found in a number of iconic titles. For instance, hacking and slashing at a wave on Orcs in the PS2 era Lord of the Rings games. However, with the advancement of technology, especially processing power, Musou elements have started returning to games without compromising on visuals or performance.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 aims to give you that very feeling, with legions of tyranids swarming at you as you hack them down with your arsenal. And when I say legions, I mean legions as far as the in-game eye can see, as that's what creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick claims you'll be up against. While we didn't learn too much from the game's announcement trailer, Hollis-Leick revealed that Saber Interactive's proprietary game engine helped bring these swarms and the Warhammer 40K universe to life.
"What's most important about this universe is that it's epic," he said in a conversation with PC Gamer. "Wars don't take place in cities or countries, they take place on planets, solar systems, and even local groups of stars. So what we want is for the player to feel embedded in one of those great Warhammer 40K wars."
"We have our own proprietary engine at Saber which allowed us to do things in World War Z that you couldn't get from any other engine, things like 500 enemies on screen at the same time. Without compromising the graphics," he continued. "Our engine has allowed us to give an authentic Warhammer experience with hundreds, if not thousands, of enemy tyranids assaulting you and your allies. This war isn't just taking place in front of you but all the way up to the horizon."
Hollis-Leick went on to say that like the previous game, Space Marine 2 does not employ a cover system, instead opting for a run and gun approach like a true Space Marine.