Dark Heresy has the potential to become the best Warhammer 40,000 game

When attending a closed preview of a new game from Owlcat studio, you have a certain set of expectations in your mind. You know that a monumental-scale cRPG awaits you, with systems so dense that fully understanding them will take dozens of hours. You expect a game that is outstanding in its niche, but at the same time not beginner friendly - a title that you would enthusiastically recommend to hardcore fans of the genre, but also warn anyone who is looking for more accessible entertainment. These were the thoughts accompanying me before the presentation of Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy. Another game set in a universe so vast that the entry threshold here looks almost like a vertical wall. Another game by the masters of complexity. I knew what to expect.

And yet I was wrong. And rarely has a mistake given me so much satisfaction. An hour-long demo show (one of the devs played and talked about their work) proved that Owlcat does not intend to serve the same dish again. Instead, the studio is doing something much more impressive and is consciously dismantling the entry barrier to one of the most inhospitable worlds in pop culture. And it does this not by simplifying mechanics, but through extremely intelligent and bold decisions. What I saw was not just another good cRPG by Owlcat studio. In my opinion, it was a presentation of a game that has the potential to become a fresh, innovative, and - surprisingly - accessible title, without losing any of its depth.

Related:Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy announced. Check out the Baldur's Gate-style RPG trailer from the Pathfinder creators

A story that invites to a rich universe

Every game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe faces the same fundamental problem - how to tell a story without requiring encyclopedic knowledge from the player? Owlcat in Dark Heresy found a simple yet brilliant solution. Instead of throwing us into the center of galactic politics and conflicts spanning entire segments of space, it focused the action in one specific region - the Calixis Sector. Moreover, the entire game is supposed to take place on one carefully designed planet and its moon. This is a masterful decision that changes everything. Thanks to this approach, the overwhelming, cosmic lore of Warhammer 40k takes a backseat, and the focus is on a personal, almost detective-like story. The game does not require us to have a huge knowledge of the history of this universe to understand the motivations and assumptions of the plot - it is enough that we listen carefully, observe and connect the facts that appear during the local investigation. This makes its world more tangible and understandable.

Such an approach allowed the developers to pay unprecedented attention to detail. The game world is hand-designed from scratch, without using any ready-made assets from previous productions. This can be seen in the immense detail of locations characterized by high verticality and multi-levelness. These are not flat arenas, but complex, thought-out spaces, encouraging exploration. The developers clearly focused on details, which makes this world seem much more believable and tangible.

The plot throws us right into the middle of a dark intrigue. As a newly ordained acolyte in the service of the powerful and terrifying Inquisition, we are sent on a mission to track down and destroy all manifestations of heresy, corruption, and xeno influences. The Calixis Sector, located far away from the main military forces of the Imperium, has long been a place marked by ill repute and dark prophecies. Our task is to reach its darkest corners and remove the rot that is eating away at this part of the cosmos.

Evolution of turn-based combat

Owlcat is famous for its complex combat systems, based on the rules of tabletop RPG systems. In Dark Heresy, they decided to go a step further and introduce innovations that seem to be the answer to the biggest problems of the genre. The first of them are the newly developed covers. This is a dynamic system in which the position of a character behind cover has a huge tactical advantage. What's more, the covers have durability points, but once this pool is depleted, they can still affect the line of sight. Enemies can also target covers instead of our character. It's a simple but brilliant change that adds a completely new tactical layer to combat.

The second, perhaps even more important, innovation is the morale system. Everyone who has played a cRPG knows this problem - we have already achieved victory, there is only the last, pathetic enemy left on the battlefield, and we have to chase them around the map for the next half a minute to end the fight. But Owlcat says 'stop' to this. In Dark Heresy, when our party is significantly stronger than the opponents, their morale begins to drop. They start making worse decisions, panic, they may even give up. It's a small, yet incredibly immersive change, which makes the game world seem more responsive. Enemies cease to be mindless drones, and become beings that feel fear and can assess their chances in a fight. It builds the credibility of the world and makes our power have a real, visible reflection on the battlefield - plus it shortens the already won battles.

The burden of choices

However, the greatest potential of Dark Heresy lies in the approach to narration and quest design. The game focuses on an elaborate investigation system, in which our task is to gather clues and draw conclusions. And here we come to the crux of the matter - there are no good or bad decisions in this game. There are only consequences.

During the demo presentation, the developers explained that our protagonist - as an acolyte of the Inquisition - enjoys enormous authority in the game world. Their word is law and it will not be challenged. This means that if we make a mistake during the investigation and unjustly accuse someone of heresy - this person will suffer the ultimate consequences. There will be no "wrong answer, try again" message. There will be an execution that we could have avoided. This system completely changes the psychological approach to gameplay. Instead of looking for the optimal dialogue path that will bring the best rewards, we start to genuinely think about what we say and analyze evidence. The awareness that our mistake can cost someone's life creates a tension that is hard to find in games that do not allow us to make mistakes. The devs mentioned that they want to show the path of evil, but in a way far from cliche. They are interested in complex morality - the player will be able to make cruel decisions, justifying them with the greater good. This also represents a huge potential for replayability - the desire to see how the story would unfold if we pointed to a different culprit can be a strong motivation to play the game again.

Passion and approachability

In the end, I must mention something that I felt throughout the entire show - the developers's authentic passion. People from Owlcat seemed absolutely in love with what they're working on. They emphasized that their productions are complex because they themselves like complex games. This depth is fully intentional and thought out.

However, what's most important, their passion does not translate into making the game inaccessible. On the contrary, the core gameplay shown in the demo - combat and investigation systems - seem clear enough that new players should not feel overwhelmed. Of course, a certain degree of caution must be maintained - we haven't seen key elements such as equipment or character development systems. So we don't known whether it is there that the truly hardcore complexity is hidden, which may affect the final reception of this title. Despite this, the demonstrated fragment fills with optimism.

Summary

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy was a pleasant surprise for me at this year's gamescom. This is a game that on paper seemed like another proposal for a specific group of fans, but in reality it may turn out to be a project that is extremely fresh, bold and - most importantly - intelligently conceived.

Owlcat not only perfects its method by overhauling cover system and introducing morale mechanic, but also treats new players with respect, offering them an ideal entry point into one of the most wonderful, but also the most complicated universes in fantasy. After this show, I am absolutely confident about the future of this game. I will be eagerly waiting for it, as this game has the potential to become not only the best game in the Warhammer 40,000 world, but also one of the best cRPGs of recent years.

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy

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