Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition Review – Worthy of the Emperor

Between Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Rogue Trader, Darktide, and Boltgun – alongside upcoming titles like Mechanicus 2 and Boltgun 2 – the 40K franchise has seen a definite uptick in quality over the years. However, there was another time, led by Sega and Relic Entertainment, which seems too good to be true. The time when Dawn of War 1 and 2 launched to extensive praise, and instead of following up immediately with a sequel, Relic released the first Space Marine in September 2011.

A third-person shooter with hack-and-slash combat, it arrived way too close to a much more eagerly anticipated title, Gears of War 3, to attract much attention. Despite the above-average critical reception, it still resonated with both 40K and action game fans. Of course, the rest is history as Space Marine 2 launched last September, almost 13 years after the original in some regions, and became a massive hit.

We’ve since come full circle as Sega partners with Relic once more, joined by SneakyBox, to deliver Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition. This can be considered a remaster with 4K resolution support, improved textures and character models, a modern control scheme (though the original is still available), and remastered audio.

Even the interface has been revamped while every piece of previously released content, from the Armor Sets and Chapter Packs to the Chaos Unleashed Map Pack, is included. The question is: How does it hold up after all these years? The answer is, unsurprisingly, very well. Gloriously well, even. The real question is whether it’s worth picking up, especially if you own the Anniversary Edition.

"Even if some environments may be viewed as monotone, the art direction stays true to the 40K series. The Manufactorum is dense with industrial structures mixing Gothic and brutalist architecture, imposingly overlooking residents and invaders alike."

Space Marine kicks off in a streamlined fashion. The Orks have invaded the Forge World of Graia, which serves as a Manufactorum for the Imperium. More importantly, it houses a Titan Invictus, so the Imperium can’t just commence Exterminatus or wait for its fleet to show up. Cue the Adeptus Astartes, the Ultramarines, led by Captain Titus. Together with Sergeant Sidonus and Marine Leandros, they drop onto Graia in a hard-hitting fashion and commence slaying the Orks.

If that were the whole tale, it would be enough, thanks to the extremely satisfying gameplay, but Space Marine tells a compelling story, with the intrigue surrounding a mysterious Power Source keeping the Manufactorum’s lights on. There is the customary twist and revelation, and before you know it, the mission has become much harrier than Titus and his squad imagined. Nevertheless, the plot maintains a consistent tempo and pace, introducing compelling characters like Lieutenant Mira, Inquisitor Drogan, without bogging you down with extraneous details.

The same goes for the atmosphere. Even if some environments may be viewed as monotone, the art direction stays true to the 40K series. The Manufactorum is dense with industrial structures mixing Gothic and brutalist architecture, imposingly overlooking residents and invaders alike. Most importantly, it doesn’t stand unblemished with copious smoke, dust clouds, and rubble, adding to the effect of Graia being under siege as you stomp through corridors and trenches.

The level design is decidedly linear, but gameplay rarely feels boring, thanks to the objectives. You start by landing on an Ork ship, busting through its barricades and ultimately turning a turret against it. From there, it escalates into full-on skirmishes, from the initial ambush to planting an explosive charge to sabotage a massive cannon and even hopping aboard a train doubling up as an Ork battering ram to destroy it, which culminates in a battle against a gunship.

It would all be for nought without incredible combat, but that’s Space Marine’s bread and butter. Titus can carry up to four ranged weapons – a pistol with unlimited ammo, two primaries, and a power weapon – and a melee weapon like a combat knife, Power Axe, and, of course, the Chainsword. Gunplay relies on an over-the-shoulder perspective for more precise aiming, but you can seamlessly transition to melee strikes and combos. No parries here – stunning an Ork allows for an execution that restores health, though it leaves you open to surrounding attacks. Since armor requires not taking any damage to regenerate, some scenarios can be tense, as you’re fighting off a horde of Orks, desperately regenning health, slicing and stomping them away while seeking the next healing pop.

"Granted, the graphical options on PC aren’t extensive – you can change the Shadows and Visual FX Detail along with enabling Ambient Occlusion and Vertical Sync, but that’s pretty much it. Aside from missing an option to enable Post Processing, it’s pretty much identical to the original."

It never feels stale either, especially when you’re receiving new weapons like the Stalker Bolter or Vengeance Launcher, on top of upgrades for your current arsenal. Even Fury Mode ascends from your average Rage mechanic into an effective sniping tool as everything slows down, allowing you to line up headshots. Combined with the Orks displaying effective enough intelligence, like gunners seeking cover or melee combatants swaying this way and that to make it harder to hit headshots, each skirmish is very enjoyable.

That being said, there are some negatives. In true Space Marine fashion, your squad’s AI can be hit or miss. One second they’ll valiantly fight off a dozen Orks, assaulting them at once, and the next, they’re casually standing by while two heavies pursue you. The Orks aren’t immune to lapses in judgment either, at times staying behind cover unresponsive, and at others, ignoring gunshots and their comrades being murdered. I’m not saying I expected improvements on either front in the Master Crafted Edition, but it can occasionally take you out of the action. The other criticism which still holds up is the overall length of the campaign. It’s ultimately up to personal preference, but considering the overall mission design, pacing, and action, I feel like it delivers enough quality for its runtime.

Of course, the biggest selling point of this “remaster” is the visuals. You’d be hard-pressed to notice any major differences from the original, but after returning to the Anniversary Edition, I can confirm improvements. The opening cinematic, including the establishing text, is sharper. The higher-fidelity textures on the Ultramarines are also notable with crisp details – the weathered metal on the armor looks much better defined. Even the shadows on Sidonus’s beard look better.

The differences in environmental details are more challenging to discern. In some places, the texture work in both games looks great, while the lighting, shadows, and smoke effects (especially in the opening assault) are noticeably improved in the Master Crafted Edition. I did spot some additional touch-ups to structures, making them look more damaged, but then you have more baffling changes like the opening Ork barricades being colored black instead of red. Technically, there is some shadow dithering in places, especially on close-ups in the cutscenes, and the anti-aliasing can be less-than-impressive over long distances, especially in the factories where harsher lines are more plentiful, but it’s noticeable in some foliage as well.

Performance on PC is otherwise quite good, with consistent 60 frames per second at 1440p on a Core i5-11400, RTX 4060 and 32 GB of RAM. Granted, the graphical options aren’t extensive – you can change the Shadows and Visual FX Detail along with enabling Ambient Occlusion and Vertical Sync, but that’s pretty much it. Aside from missing an option to enable Post Processing, it’s pretty much identical to the original. As for bugs, aside from my screen suddenly turning completely dark and requiring reloading to a previous checkpoint, I didn’t face any issues.

"If you haven’t picked up the Anniversary Edition or want to experience it in 4K with some visual improvements (and don’t mind dropping $40 or subscribing to PC Game Pass or Ultimate), then Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition is worth playing."

The UI is the other notable change, and it definitely looks cleaner. Gone is your health bar at the top of the screen – it’s now positioned in the upper left. Weapons now denoted how much ammo is left in each magazine, and I kind of prefer the older style, which represented each bullet as a notch. The menus are also cleaner, while the text denoting each chapter is now positioned in the center of the screen instead of to the right (once again, I prefer the latter).

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any multiplayer games and couldn’t really test out Versus Mode or crossplay. Exterminatus, the default horde mode, at least allows for solo play in Private Matches, and as impossible as it can be – especially since you can’t execute stunned enemies to regenerate health, an annoying carryover from the original – it’s still fun. Ambling around as a Devastator, unloading shots into the coming horde, or dashing with the Assault Marine’s Jump Pack before delivering death from above is enjoyable.

If you haven’t picked up the Anniversary Edition or want to experience it in 4K with some visual improvements (and don’t mind dropping $40 or subscribing to PC Game Pass or Ultimate), then Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition is worth playing. Despite lacking many of the modern bells and whistles of Space Marine 2 and suffering from some AI hiccups, both friendly and otherwise, it’s still an endearing, pulse-pounding action experience.

This game was reviewed on PC.