True satisfaction in real-time strategy games comes when the base-building and army-commanding systems come together as you furiously rush the opposing army and annihilate them. The Ork faction in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 feels built for that style of play, as they get more powerful the more you build, spawn, and kill during a match. Activating Waaagh! (yes, that’s what the mechanic is called) stratagems by filling up its meter and unleashing hordes of units on my opponents is some of the most fun I’ve had in a game this year.
I’m not surprised it’s the campaign that Dawn of War 4’s developers recommend players check out first, as it offers a fantastic crash course in what’s shaping up to be a great RTS — and the ultimate Warhammer 40,000 game. The Dawn of War series may have switched developers and publisher – this one’s made by King Art and Deep Silver rather than Relic Entertainment – but it has not lost a step in offering a comprehensive Warhammer 40,000 experience in RTS form. Having only scratched the surface of the vast content on offer in Dawn of War 4, I’m already setting my expectations high to close out the year with one of the franchise’s games yet.
My preview build gave me access to a sizeable chunk of the game, including its Prologue and two of its four campaigns. I got to try a bit of the Space Marines and Astra Militarum in the prologue before going hands-on with the Orks and Adeptus Mechanicus. In Dawn of War 4, all four factions are fighting over the planet of Kronus for their own self-serving reasons.
The narrative is emblematic of Warhammer 40,000 as a franchise: grand in scale, very violent and brutal, and overwhelming in an enticing way that makes you want to learn more about the lore. While gameplay is king in an RTS, I suspect Dawn of War 4 players will be happy with its story. During that moment-to-moment gameplay, Dawn of War 4 hits all the hallmarks of an RTS.
At its core, every faction wants to build up their bases, gather resources, build units, and then tactically take down the opposing faction. A thoroughly tutorialized prologue ensured I was up to speed on the basics, so by the time I got to the campaigns, I could enjoy how each faction shakes up that core formula. The Orks, for example, focus on building and spawning units quickly.
Meanwhile, the Adeptus Mechanicus will have you playing more defensively with their Void Shield mechanic and plethora of vehicle units. I’ll need more time to truly learn the ins and outs of each faction, but so far the Orks are definitely my favorite. RTS games can feel overwhelming at times, because players have to manage so many units and structures simultaneously, but I found Dawn of War 4 surprisingly approachable.
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