Warhammer 40000: Space Wolf

Lead your squad of Space Wolves into battle

Focusing on one of the franchises most popular armies, Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf does a fantastic job creating the feel of an original Games Workshop title with its mix of tactical play and card combat.

Cards and miniatures

Taking control of a squad of heavily armored Space Wolves, you must guide them in battle against the forces of Chaos. Fights are turn-based and take place on an isometric grid.

During your turn marines attack using cards associated with them. Each troop in the squad receives two actions per go, and as these are dictated by their cards. This leads to an interesting mix of skill (depending on the construction of your card deck) and luck (based on what they have drawn), which ensures there is never a fool proof strategy.

Lock and load

Masters of both long and short range combat, the Space Wolves have plenty of options in how they dispatch their foes. Starting with a basic set of cards you unlock more as the game progresses. The rarer the card the more powerful it is, with you able to combine weaker items together to strengthen them and swap cards in your deck though an intuitive interface.

Once in the foray, control of your Space Marine team is straight forward. Each turn cards appear at the base of the screen with a single tap used to activate them. This lets you see the effective range of the weapon and target any unfortunate enemy you want to dispatch. Alternatively, you can choose to use a card for movement, ignoring its offensive powers.

A lick of paint

The isometric map can be twirled around and zoomed in on with ease. Though the environments vary from area to area, and can prove a bit gloomy at times – though arguably given the dire state of the 40K universe this is probably deliberate.

On the small screen though, the character models look fantastic. They perfectly evoke the tiny Games Workshop miniatures as they battle. Each card’s represented weapon appears on the marine as they attack, and as you deal the dramatic final blow the camera will regularly zoom in on the action occasionally even switching to a devastating x-ray view for even greater effect.

Marvelous marines

Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf is a superb interpretation of the Games Workshop ethos. Its mix of cards and tactical position play feels familiar but at the same time fresh as you guide your squad into battle. The great visuals and sound simply top off the package, with each kill giving a rewarding sends of achievement.