The video game Space Hulk (2013 version), developed and published by Full Control, using the Unity Game engine, and released for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on August 15, 2013, and released on December 5, 2013 for the IOS, is a turn based tactics video game that is based on Games Workshop's famed table top board game called Space Hulk. Much like the Table Top game, you're in command of a group of the Space Marine Chapter, Blood Angels, and their detachment of terminators, elite units clad in one of the most heavily armored suits in the setting, who must enter inside the dangerous Space Hulks, massive derelict ships that have been adrift in space and the warp itself where they are to face one of the few units in the setting that can rend even their mighty terminator armor next to useless in the dreaded Tyranid Genestealers who infest the space hulks in countless numbers.

Positives:

1. For those who have enjoyed the Table Top game would probably enjoy this game's strict adherence to the Table Top game itself. This game pretty much picked up all the rules of the table top game if what others have said about it. That means that your gameplay consists of a large turn based tactics board where you take turns to move your terminators into position against the swarm of Genestealers, whom are able to come out at certain locations at their choosing to reach or complete certain objectives. Your movement and actions performed are based on how many action points per terminator has and how many command points you carry per turn. Each Terminator has 4 action points compared to the Genestealers 6 action points. Your terminators have several abilities in the form of attack using their submachine guns on steroids in Stormbolters, Heavy flamer, and assault cannons, their melee weapons that include power fists and chain fists, Lightning Claws, Power Swords, and Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield, overwatch that allows terminators to snap fire at any approaching Genestealers in their line of sight, guard that provides terminators with a free reroll of their die should their first roll fail to match the Genestealers roll, opening doors or even outright destroying them if you choose.

Space Hulk gameplay.

There are several things to know about the weapons you come equipped in the Space Hulk.

A. Your standard terminator load out is the terminator equipped with Storm Bolter and Power Fist. My advice is to stick him to shooting and overwatch as due to the Genestealers three rolls against your one roll that is unmodifiable, the Genestealer has the advantage in melee combat. Only fight in melee with these guys as a last resort and stick to shooting Genestealers with em and you're fine.

B. Terminator with Heavy Flamer is a special heavy weapon terminator that can bathe an area with flame. The terminators flame can not only burn multiple Genestealers to death very well, but the burning flames can last for a single turn as well, providing a very effective measure of crowd control and area denial to Genestealers. Unlike other ranged weapon terminators, he cannot be put into overwatch, cannot reload after his limited 6 fuel of flames can cause friendly fire with his flames so use it cautiously, and his melee capabilities are the same as the Storm Bolter terminators so the mentioned rule applies to him as well.

C. Terminator with Assault Cannon is your best ranged terminator in the game thanks to his high accuracy, and unlike his Heavy Flamer brethren, he can reload one time in the whole mission for his respectable 10 ammo clips to a total of 20 in a mission, and he can be put into overwatch. However, if he uses his assault cannon for too long, he can suffer a chance where his assault cannon can jam and malfunction, causing an explosion that kills him and anyone near him so keep an eye on how his assault cannon glows yellow to indicate overuse. His melee abilities are the same as the mentioned above so avoid fighting in melee.

D. Terminator with Chain Fist is similar to your Terminator with storm bolter and power fist save for that his chain fist has a special rule where he automatically destroys a door upon command due to his chain fists power field able to slice through doors easily. Much like his compared brothers, he should be put into overwatch and shooting despite his chain fist as he really should avoid using it if he can in combat.

E. Terminator with Lightning Claws has no ranged weapons to use so he can never be put into overwatch or shoot. However, to compensate for it, his melee abilities are significantly better than the previous terminators as not only does he has two rolls compared to the Power Fists one roll of die he can use in combat, but he also provides a +1 modifier to the highest roll to better his chances at winning.

F. Terminator Sergeant with Power Sword provides a unique rule where you can reroll for command points for better or worse results. Equipped with Storm Bolter and Power Sword, unlike his more melee adept brethren, he can shoot and be put into over-watch at your command and not like your terminators with Power Fists however, he is also good in melee combat thanks to being a sergeant providing him with a +1 modifier to his melee abilities, and should an enemy's roll be higher than his, his parry rule goes into effect, forcing the enemy to reroll his highest dice for better or worse results. While he doesn't excel in any particular role, he's by far your most adaptable and versatile unit you can have in your squad.

G. Terminator Sergeant with Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield is by far your best melee terminator in the game. Not only does being a sergeant provide him with the ability to reroll for better or worse command points and a +1 modifier to go along with his +1 modifier he naturally receives wielding a Thunder Hammer that provides a +2 modifier to his combat rolls, but his Storm Shield allows him to negate one roll of die from the Genestealer's combat rolls, canceling 33% of the Genestealer's combat effectiveness against him while he touts an impressive +2 modifier to his own combat roll. Due to lacking ranged weapons however, his only real weakness is that he cannot shoot or ever be put into overwatch.

H. Terminator Librarian is your mage of the group. He carries his own unique combat abilities in the form of Psychic points that he carries 20 per mission. This can be used in melee where if he were to suffer a lower roll, his passive rule of pre-cog allows him to add psi points to his roll, guaranteeing he wins the round. However don't use him in melee if you can despite this and his +1 modifier from his Power Axe to his melee attack to make him a respectable melee terminator. Instead use his storm bolter for combat if you can and especially use his psychic powers. He has several in the form that he can trade his psi points to add to your command points per missing number though I'd advice only use it if you really need it as a terminator sergeant's reroll is more than good enough, a psychic barrier that blocks anyone from moving on this square space, very effective at denying movement to the enemy while keeping your guys safe for one turn, psychic storm that allows him to attack one target with a high chance to killing it, and psychic wave that works similar to his psychic storm only that it has a weaker chance at killing foes while being able to attack multiple targets with one attack.

Whatever terminator you come equipped with, you must use their abilities to the best of your capabilities to ensure you're able to survive the mission against Genestealers, whom have no ranged weapons to attack but are deadly in melee as they can roll three unmodifiable dice compared to most of your terminators one roll of die in melee combat, encouraging you to use ranged attacks whenever you can, and they're limitless in number so you're always outnumbered by them, though their patterns of attack can be anticipated by the red beeping circles to indicate they're moving. They have one unique unit in the Brood Lord, a giant vicious Genestealer that can roll three or four dice and can add the lowest and highest number in his dice to combine for the best roll he'll pit against your own, has high dodge rating to make him very evasive towards ranged weapons, and is immune to psychic attacks.

Learn the rules in this game well as knowing them can mean the difference between you losing badly or doing well.

2. The atmosphere in the game works pretty well. While not great, you can tell that effort was put into ensuring the Space Hulk was as authentically dark, tight and claustrophobic, and filled with Genestealers to increase the mood of despair as possible. The little side camera at the top right while adding little to gameplay value does add a nice touch of an alien like aura around the Space Hulk. And the game's aesthetics looks well from a distance. I'd avoid looking too closely or you'll notice the rather poor detail and clipping issues this game has.

3. You can get DLC's for more campaigns and missions, including a separate chapter in the Space Wolves. Not only can you get more missions from the DLC campaigns available along with the purely aesthetics dlc skins for Genestealers, but you can get the Space Wolves exclusive campaign where you play as the Space Marine Chapter Space Wolves that come with their own unique rules such as having one less command point at the benefit of having a natural +2 modifier to all melee combat rolls, making Space Wolves far more adept at melee combat than the Blood Angels despite lore suggesting that Blood Angels should be on par with them in melee combat as both specialize in melee.

4. The multiplayer provides you with the best experience in the game. Due to the game's nature of being inspired or ripped from the Table Top game, Space Hulk should be played with friends. There you and your friend get the option of playing either terminators or Genestealers, which the Genestealer player is provided with the ability to pick and choose which entry his Genestealers should crawl out from and he can coordinate, how many Genestealers he receives per turn, and which tunnel should his Genestealers appear to plan for whatever the terminators have planned for them. This set of gameplay and the nature of it can provide alot of fun for good friends.

Negatives:

1. Graphics aren't that impressive. As I mentioned, while the game looks impressive from a distance, however even so, you'll notice some problems in various clipping animations and the details up close aren't good. Due to the stiff and repetitive animations used, one of which is notably hilarious for how Genestealers dodge flames by ducking despite being submerged in it, this can also wear whatever affection you had for the game's graphics.

2. Combat is very luck based. Due to the nature of the game being based on the Table Top, this means your chances are based entirely on how well the dice gods love you. Thus this can lead to an awesome streak where your guys are able to kill multiple Genestealers in one turn, or seeing your terminator sergeant with thunder hammer and storm shield lose out to Genestealers multiple times and die each time. To make matters worse, because the game takes it's sweet time to complete a turn, meaning should you lose a guy you really needed alive for your chances, you will have to use the windows button to quickly exit and return to the last save point as it is much quicker. This style of gameplay can be frustrating against computer players as unlike the more friendly and competitive nature of battling between friends, you don't get such love for CP's so you'll grow more ticked if you start losing guys in Single player because of these rules in their game.

3. You can't really customize your terminator load outs outside of what types of units you can carry. Your options are very limited as you're dependent upon what types of terminators you'll deploy in your mission so you're pretty much stuck with what the game's mission provides for you on the mission.

4. Missions and Objectives get repetitive and tedious pretty quickly. Because your missions largely consist of 'Capture object, defend, keep important guy alive, or kill Brood-lord,' you will get bored of the game's campaign and missions pretty quickly as save for the Space Wolves one, most of the campaigns are Blood Angels so prepare for the same repetitive flavor and game throughout this mission.

5. Storm Bolters sound rather unimpressive. Being a WH40K fan, one thing I'll note is that bolters are essentially rapid firing rpg rifles as the rounds are huge at .75 caliber and are explode on contact so I was disappointed hearing how the Storm Bolter sounded more like an angry Submachine gun than a gun that is shooting heavy rockets at you.

Conclusion: Despite being a faithful adaptation of the Table Top game, this game is rather bare in performance, graphics, stiff and repetitive animations, it's tedious missions and objectives, luck based combat, and poor and stiff animations can wear out plenty of players for this game. Even if you're a fan of WH40K and the Space Hulk, it is recommended that you get this only if it is one sale and you're interested in getting this game. Personally, I'd wait for the price to drop on Full Controls Sequel game, Space Hulk Ascension as I've heard it is much better in comparison.

Score: 6.5/10

Grade: D