Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor - Martyr stomps angrily out of early access
Nobody suspects the Slaneesh inquisition
In the grim future of the 2010s, there are only Warhammer games. One every other week, it seems, thanks to Games Workshop's new licensing structure being an all-you-can-eat IP buffet. Not that I'm complaining - while there's been some forgettable games, there's no shortage of solid fun in there too. If nothing else, NeocoreGames' Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor -Martyr looks the part. This grimdark action-RPG has been skulking around in early access for a while, but today it launches its assault on wallets and enemies of the Empire of Man alike.
While I've not had a chance to play the game myself (something I shall be rectifying soon), Inquisitor definitely has the look of a proper Warhammer game, leaning heavily into the overblown black-metal sci-fi aesthetics that tend to adorn 40k book covers and art pages in tabletop rulebooks. Everything is grungy and greebled to the n'th degree, and a lot of things are Very Large in in addition to being Very Angry. At least you get to drive around tanks and mechs to even things up a bit, as you can see in the gameplay trailer below.
The game boasts an interesting feature-set, with a focus less on storytelling and more on wandering a procedurally generated universe, taking on enemies in random missions. It gives the immediate impression of a game designed for short play sessions, rather than the usual loot-hoarding hours of play that you'd sink into the likes of Diablo or Path of Exile. Whether it pulls it off is another thing entirely, but it's nice to see a slightly different structure.
I must admit that I'm rather inquisitive about this one myself, and will be holding it over hot coals and demanding it confess its sins tonight. While I've heard mixed things about the game while it was in early access, I did quite enjoy Neocore's previous Van Helsing action-RPG series, especially once they polished them up and combined them all into a single game. Neocore are also known for their wobbly launches and solid post-release support, so while I'm fully expecting at least some degree of jankiness here, it should eventually get the worst of the kinks smoothed out.
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr is out now on Steam and Humble for £34/$50, minus a 10% launch discount.