With Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, renowned cRPG developer Owlcat Games proved it has everything needed to tackle a sprawling adventure set in the vast universe created by Games Workshop, beyond having the chops to adapt tabletop RPGs into engaging cRPGs, as already shown in previous games, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, especially. Not content with having upped their game with their title set in the Warhammer 40K universe, Owlcast Games is ready to the return to the Imperium with another adaptation of a tabletop RPG, Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy, which promises to be the best game to date from the developer.
During last month's Gamescom, I had the chance to attend a hands-off session set at around 15 hours into the game which did an excellent job showcasing how Owlcat Games is building on the foundation laid by Rogue Trader to offer a much better experience. The choice of protagonist and setting within the Warhammer 40K universe - an Inquisitor traveling in the Calixis Sector to investigate a series of events and uncover the mysteries behind the Tyrant Star, which has the power to destroy planets - is a marked difference from Rogue Trader, allowing for some interesting narrative possibilities. Being part of the secret police force and intelligence service of the Imperium makes each Inquisitor not only feared but also essentially untouchable by anyone, as what an Inquisitor says is the truth, no matter what anyone else thinks. With this premise in mind, Owlcat Games created an adventure where there's no right or wrong, but only consequences to one's actions, which can be dealt with in many different ways.
This setup and how it influences Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy was clearly evident in the Gamescom demo, which featured an investigation into a series of mysterious disappearances set on Scintilla. The game features a lot of environmental storytelling, which works extremely well with the investigation features that require the Inquisitor to find clues to complete investigations. After discovery, these clues are added to an Investigation Journal where companions provide additional insight, which is a very nice touch to make them feel more involved into the story even if they play no major role in certain quests. Once insights have been gathered by checking the enovrionment and talking with NPCs, it is possible to recreate the chain of events and make the Inquisitor pass judgment on the case. As mentioned above, the word of an Inquisitor is absolute, so there are no wrong answers and no ways to fail investigations, only different consequences that must be dealt with, in typical Owlcat fashion.
Together with the investigation mechanics, exploration and combat will play a significant role in the Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy experience. Things have improved considerably in both cases since Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader: maps are now bigger, more detailed than ever before, and with imrpoved verticality that makes them feel even bigger. On the surface, however, combat doesn't seem to have changed a lot, but the devil is in the details, as a lot of tweaks have been made to the turn-based system seen in Rogue Trader that will make fighting enemies in Dark Heresy much more enjoyable. The cover system, for example, has been overhauled with the removal of half-covers and the ability to target covers to reduce the enemy's defensive options. A new targeting system has also been implemented to allow players to target different body parts to debuff the enemy and disable certain abilities of theirs, adding more strategic depth alongside the Concentration mechanics, which allow the player to prevent any enemy from using a powerful attack by using certain type of attacks, such as grenades, before the attack goes off as indicated in the Initiative Bar. Based on the momentum system from Rogue Trader, the Morale system is another central addition that will impact combat considerably, as low morale causes enemies to make stupid decisions beneficial to the player. Another excellent quality of life improvement is how a battle can be ended once it is determined that the enemy has no chance of winning. Players can still decide to continue, but the rewards will be the same if the battle is ended earlier, so taking advantage of this system sounds like the way to go to enhance the game's pace.
At a glance, Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy may not look that different from Rogue Trader, but the new main character and setting, visual improvements, investigation mechanics, and combat improvements are set to make it a much better game that will retain that unique flavor Owlcat Games infuses in its cRPG. Despite having a really basic knowledge of the Warhammer 40K universe, I really enjoyed with I saw of the game during Gamescom, and I can't wait to experience more of this morally gray adventure when it launches on a yet to be confirmed release date.
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