Review for Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2. PC game, the video game came out on 24/01/2019
Imagine being in command of a giant spaceship, several kilometers long and with a crew larger than the population of a provincial town. Imagine launching this monstrous space leviathan, bristling with spiers and pinnacles like a gothic cathedral, in a ferocious close encounter with a hallucinating bio vessel, a gigantic living creature acting as a star cruiser, up to the ramming and, - the Emperor there save! - on boarding.
If you can imagine this epic scene, you already have a good idea of what we can expect from Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2, the new naval RTS (astro) of the French of Tindalos Interactive set in the dark and very dangerous universe of Warhammer 40.000.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 arrives two years after its predecessor and, like him, tries to bring to our screens the atmosphere and mechanics of the homonymous boardgame published by Games Workshop. For those unfamiliar with the title (and related videogame transpositions), we are talking about a game that reproduces on a tactical scale, clashes between space fleets belonging to the different races that populate the darkness of the 41st Millennium.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 looks very good, taking up the good that had been done with its predecessor and trying to improve what was not, starting with the user interface a bit too chaotic, and which we will talk about shortly.
This new chapter, in terms of setting, kicks off with the events that brought the universe of Warhammer 40.000 to the lore of the eighth edition. The long single player prologue, which must be played before being able to unlock the different campaigns available at launch, starts right from the beginning of the 13th Black Crusade, when the hordes of Abbadon the Destroyer emerge from the Eye of Terror, a portion of a corrupt galaxy by the pernicious influences of the Gods of Chaos, and target the glorious fortress planet of Cadia. The player will have to lead, for a couple of missions, a joint force of ships of the Imperial Navy and Space Wolves in the heroic, but useless, attempt to defend Cadia.
The prologue, in addition to introducing those who are not already an expert in the setting to the events, serves above all as a long and detailed tutorial, where the player can become familiar with the controls of the tactical phase and learn how to manage his ships. As now seems to be a distinctive feature of this series, each unit can be managed individually in a large number of aspects, such as the average distance from which to engage the target, whether to use the front or side weapons by default (and also which side preferably) and other details of the kind, which give you a sense of completeness and absolute control over what happens in battle, but can not just surprise the neophyte, in light of the fact that these details are far from negligible , significantly impacting the success of the clashes.
This completeness of command was rather poorly handled in the first installment of the Battlefleet Gothic series, created confusion and frustration, and ultimately couldn't be used to the fullest. Fortunately, in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 the management of these factors has been greatly optimized, as has the management of ship groups. Now, by selecting a group of several units, they can all be managed together by simply giving the order to the group, it will be up to each individual vessel to implement it in the manner most suited to it, based on the specifications. Example: if we go to select three ships, of which only one has forward armaments, giving the order to attack with the bow weapons to the whole group this will be carried out only by the vessel with the right equipment, the other two will continue to fire broadsides from the sides.
During the battle, we can also delegate individual vessels to operate autonomously, after defining the objectives, and let them be governed by their respective captains, all with excellent AI, capable of adapting to situations as well as that of our enemies. . During the clashes we will also have to pay attention to the elements of the battlefield. The cosmic void is not so empty, and therefore we will have to know how to extricate ourselves from gas clouds, asteroid fields or real minefields. For example, we can hide one or more ships inside a gaseous cluster, waiting for the right moment to ambush the enemy fleet.
In addition to the tactical phase, the real heart of the game, between one clash and another we will be called to try our hand in a purely strategic / managerial part, where we will have to expand and improve our fleets, keep rebel systems at bay, recover resources, explore and plan trips. Although pretty well done, this section of the game doesn't turn out to be overly complex, and in the long run it loses a bit of bite. Nothing boring, but the tactical part is still more than a notch above.
The single player campaigns available are three, the Imperial, the Necron and the Tyranids, for a total of twelve different factions, all of which can then be used in skirmishes and online matches. The online section features only one type of match, the classic skirmish, which sees players face off in 1V1 or 2V2. Definitely a bit too sparse, but we are confident that it will be expanded later with post launch updates.
On the technical side, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 looks really good. With clear and fluid graphics, full of details. The space clashes are a real feast for the eyes (and satisfy the omnipotence delusions of us budding Admirals) so much so that by zooming to the maximum on a unit, you can also distinguish the various gothic cathedral friezes or individual interceptor fighters, tiny but perfectly detailed.
The characterization of the factions was also carried out in a masterly way, managing to best represent the strengths and weaknesses of each type of ship and each type of fleet. Features that you need to know how to make the most of, especially in a multiplayer battle.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 has definitely come a long way from its predecessor. The improved interface and the better management of the units counterbalance venial defects, such as a non-optimal management of the room at stake, defects that can be easily forgotten thanks to the enormous attention to detail, a very important factor for all fans of this setting. A really good title, ultimately.
► Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is an RTS-Strategy game developed and published by Focus Home Interactive for PC, the video game was released on 24/01/2019
