Space Hulk - Does it hold up?

There's often quite a large difference in how Warhammer miniatures are depicted in lore versus their tabletop counterparts. Read through the Codex of any one faction, and you'll be shocked to learn they've not taken over the galaxy yet considering how it makes them sound like the most powerful force in the universe. Nevertheless, there are games which feel like they bring a good mesh of classic, dice-roll rules with enough honouring of the lore that you're not left feeling like one force is massively over or underpowered.

Enter Space Hulk, a 2013 game brought back to us via the new Warhammer Classics label. I've been going over quite a few of these games, seeing whether they stand the test of time, and Space Hulk is the newest game I've had the chance to play so far. Taking its name from the 1989 board game, Space Hulk sees you take charge of Terminator Space Marines as they lumber through a massive collection of dead spaceships known as a Space Hulk. There, terrible, unknown threats are lurking around every corner. Alone, not a single Genestealer is enough to take you down, but let yourself get surrounded in the dark corridors of this impossibly huge shipwreck, and you'll be brought down in surprisingly quick fashion.

Space Hulk is a rather simple game, especially when just going through the single-player missions. You get plonked down in a grid-based map with corridors that are just wide enough for your big Terminator body to squeeze through. Then, you're asked to complete an objective or two. As you go through the game's story chapters, you'll get tougher and tougher missions, but the gist of it is really easy to pick up, even if you're unfamiliar with the board game or universe as a whole. It's pretty much a 1-to-1 conversion of the board game, with all the simplicity that comes with that. This may be a con for some, as it doesn't allow for really nuanced strategy, but if you enjoy the formula, you won't find it switching up on you every few hours to completely redefine the type of challenge you get.

Personally, as a big fan of the lore, I enjoyed watching Terminators in action. The slow, powerful movements of the waking tanks shows how these units are the most-feared melee specialists of the Space Marine forces, but also how they can get taken out if deployed in the wrong fashion. Invincible one minute, split open like a tin can by Xenos claws the next. There's a great atmosphere set up in Space Hulk, making you feel quite vulnerable even if you are in the toughest suit of armour the Imperium has to offer.

This re-release of the original experience also comes with the added DLC for free, which is a nice bonus if you're stepping in for the first time and want to get all that was on offer back in 2013. Adding three extra campaigns, the Space Wolves as a playable Chapter throughout, and two skin DLCs, you get quite a lot of content added in for the price of £16.49 without any Steam discounts. I've not gone through it all to test out if the game's still worth it, but I have to give a shout-out to the Space Wolves DLC for adding an additional element of replayability to Space Hulk. Taking the Norse-inspired Terminators for a spin was a blast, and gave me a refreshing gameplay twist whenever I wanted to step out of the bulky red shoes of the Blood Angels.

Like a lot of the other games on the Warhammer Classics label, where Space Hulk might fall a bit short is in its lack of online multiplayer. You get lots of content via the DLCs, yes, but if you wanted to jump into the darkness of the endless Void with a friend via the internet, you can't sadly. There's also the aforementioned chance that the gameplay gets a bit stale for you, considering its repetitive nature. But, if you're a fan of the old-school board game, or looking for a Warhammer experience that goes beyond first or third-person action and sweeping strategy, you'll find a unique, atmospheric tactical experience in Space Hulk, a game that holds up, but might not be for everyone.