Warhammer 40,000 is one of my favorite gaming franchises and sci-fi universes ever. My brother and I spent several years collecting different races from the miniatures game and painting (but mostly playing with) the plastic and metal figures until we had a formidable army of soldiers and vehicles.

It’s a fiscally-draining hobby, but it was one that we loved dearly. As I got older, I had to decide between continuing that and being able to buy literally anything else, so I paused the collecting and moved on to other things. But I never lost my love and enthusiasm for the tabletop miniatures game and all of the licensed games and products that have come from the partnerships with Games Workshop.

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is one of the newest and best things to come from the expanded universe, as it highlights one of the most interesting factions from the game—the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Imperium is the empire of man that controls much of space, while also fighting against the many enemies across the void. And the Adeptus Mechanicus is the engineering and scientific core that makes much of the army’s military might possible.

That setting has been mined for all of its value and translated into a turn-based tactical game. Originally released in 2018 for PC via Steam, the action game is now available on consoles.

Even though it’s been out for a while, Mechanicus still feels great to play, and I enjoyed diving back into the Warhammer 40,000 world. Let’s see what the game’s all about.

STORY

The narrative is the backbone of Mechanicus and there are three endings that I’m aware of to reflect on the decisions that the player makes throughout the Imperium’s campaign on Silva Tenebris.

The ship, and its army, are under the control of Magos Dominus Faustinius, an emotionally-segmented leader who is counseled by a group of other high-ranking Adeptus elites. Together, this diverse group of men and women will guide the exploration and invasion of the planet while fending off the growing Necron threat.

Life and death hang in the balance. How you direct your resources on the planet will ultimately decide what kind of story unfolds.

Faustinius is the rational and firm-handed commander of the army. The other characters, though, are dynamic and amusing people that will bring color and life to the game. Each mission begins and ends with a conversation between Faustinius and the other leaders, those directly involved and those who simply want to be heard. The dialogue here, and the gradual reveal of these leaders’ motives and passions, are what give context and intrigue to dozens of missions that are able to be played in Mechanicus.

You’ve got the war-weary Skitarii leader, who oversees the troops on the ground. Or the technological zealot who seeks all knowledge, no matter the potential corruption. And the dogmatic Tech-Priest who perceives all problems and solutions through his religious fervor. The bounty hunter. The quartermaster. All of these characters have their own flavor.

And they breathe life into the game’s story. It’s one of my favorite parts in Mechanicus, and I would strongly encourage players to not skip over the dialogue whenever possible. It’s the savory meat on the bones of this turn-based strategy game.

It certainly helps that it’s all written by Black Library author, Ben Counter, who is deeply familiar with the Warhammer 40,000 universe. He’s crafted the narrative to fit the quirks and characteristics of the Adeptus Mechanicus faction. That’s why each character feels so real, and there is a tension woven throughout all of the game’s events that align with this creative structure.

GAMEPLAY

There is a lot to do in this game. Over the course of the more than 50 missions, the exploratory team will grow from just two Tech-Priests and some measly cannon fodder troops to a sophisticated combination of well-equipped Tech-Priests and a cohort of specialized and strong ground troops.

Using that intimidating force, you’ll fight back the Necron threat in their sci-fi interpretation of Egyptian tombs and pyramids. Whether it’s a scavenging mission for resources, a scientific expedition for knowledge and technology, a religious crusade to purify the subterranean world, or a rescue mission to help the embattled Skitarii, players will be able to craft their own experience with a team composition that fits their playstyle.

Be careful, though. Every decision will affect future missions and influence the health, morale, and availability of troops in the future. Whatever path you choose may very well late the course of the Imperium.

Turn-based strategy games are best when imbued with a deep progression system that will augment and improve the characters or soldiers being deployed on missions. Thankfully, Mechanicus has a very exciting design that leans heavily into the strange and sci-fi lore of the Adeptus Mechanicus to enable players a multitude of combat options. You can upgrade the Tech-Priests with weapons (ranged and melee), armor, support items, and useful little Servo-Skulls (which affect both the environment and cohort). There are numerous tech-trees to explore that influence different aspects of the game. But you can also upgrade and strengthen your expendable troops by completing certain missions, which can bestow extra powers or improved stats that extends throughout the rest of the game.

It’s a cool setup, and it definitely encourages experimentation and replay.

Combat is very strategic, with the enemies growing stronger with the addition of more formidable units and tough bosses. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on the current slate of enemies, a new one will appear that interferes with your tactics and forces you to reassess your battle plan.

Weapons and abilities are also locked behind Cognition Points, which drives much of your cohort’s tactics and abilities. Figuring out how to balance your team to best utilize movement, attack, and defense is critical in understanding Mechanicus.

Beyond the story, though, what adds tension to the game is the ticking clock that counts your progression, fast or slow, in the game and marks the impending rise of the Necron overlord. Spending a long time in a tomb might yield some nice weapons or rewards, but it will also shorten the window of time before the end. This is only heightened with the inclusion of the Heretek content, that infests the Caestus Metalican ship with wayward Tech-Priests and a dangerous threat of insurrection and sabotage.

Get the job done, and get it done quickly.

Coming back from the brink of death is possible, however. Canticles are blessings that aid your wounded and beleaguered troops with substantial bonuses and it’s nice to unleash those big offensive or defensive measures whenever you need.

Everything about Mechanicus feels fine-tuned, and the console edition was well-done. I had a couple of hiccups, but nothing that detracted from the overall experience.

VISUALS

If the Matrix was conceived in a cult of cybernetically-enhanced humans, who were fighting a race of Robocops gone wrong, then it might look something like Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus.

The Necron enemy will comprise almost all of your encounters, and their tombs are filled with sickly green tones, structures of neo-Egyptian design, and a ground force that looks like chrome skeletons were infused with green pulse energy and maniacally attached to robotic vessels. It’s weird, but it’s also very engaging. The lore comes to life in this visual world, and I felt very immersed.

Adeptus Mechanicus is a rarely-studied faction of the Imperium, but these fascinating Tech-Priests and advanced soldiers are a really cool bunch to play with. Their physical attachments, body augments, weapons, and attitude all just exude a badass vibe.

I like the game. I like the looks. And they work together quite nicely.

REPLAYABILITY

Three alternate endings definitely give this a kick in the butt in terms of replay.

As well as the dozens of missions. I didn’t complete all of them in an effort to kill off the Necron as quickly as possible. But I’d love to go back and see what I missed and how it changes the story, as well as what other weapons, tactics, and strategy I would incorporate. The big Kastelan Robot made me so happy every time I deployed him, but maybe the Ruststalker would have been more fun in a different game.

Mechanicus promises hours of gameplay due to the abundance of missions, optional encounters or choices in almost every room, and the variation in troop deployment due to the Tech-Priests and the other soldiers.

I’m still relatively new to the turn-based strategy genre, but I really enjoyed what this game has to offer—and will continue to offer in future playthroughs.

WHAT IT COULD HAVE DONE BETTER

I mentioned there were a couple of gameplay hiccups during my playthrough. The first only happened once, but it was a weird bug and I’m not sure how frequent it is for all players. I had to quit during a mission and so I saved at the very beginning before combat had even lasted one full round. Later, when I loaded up the game, the save slot started to load up the mission and then fast-forwarded to the end, with the “Mission Complete” text and the return to the Caestus Metalican. I was never able to replicate it, but it’s definitely an issue if you’re wanting to experience all of the game. If it happened more than once, I would say it’s a bug that Kasedo Games and its partners would definitely need to check out. Another problem was with the activation of a troop’s ability. If I didn’t move the screen, it wouldn’t activate. I would have to move the joystick around to shift the view of the battlefield, then use the ability, and it would work as intended. Again, not game-breaking, but it was a confusing and sometimes halting moment that would trip me up.

For a console edition of a PC game, though, I was very happy with Mechanicus. A couple of small cracks in the paint, but nothing that takes away from the beauty.

VERDICT

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is a lore-filled journey into the depths of the Warhammer universe, packed with memorable tactical action and a delightful cast of characters who make the adventure all the more worth it. The console edition of the well-received title is a chance for the rest of us to understand why this PC game is so great.

If you want to check out more on the game or order it now, click here. It’s available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.