B&B Warhammer 40K Darktide

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Our game featured today is Warhammer 40 K: Darktide. Wikipedia states, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a first-person action video game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, developed and published by Fatshark. It is a spiritual successor to Warhammer: Vermintide series. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 30 November 2022, and for Xbox Series X/S on 4 October 2023.

The game uses a similar formula to that used in Fatshark's Warhammer: Vermintide 2 in which four players cooperate to defeat periodic waves of AI-controlled enemies. Rather than a set of pre-made characters, the game allows players to customize their class, appearance, and gender. The four classes consist of a Veteran, Zealot, Ogryn, and Psyker. All classes make use of a regenerating shield.

Unlike in Vermintide 2, multiple missions can take place in the same area, some of which include optional secondary objectives that allow players to obtain better loot. Difficulty has been divided into two variables, one affecting enemy count and the other damage received from enemies. Progression is split between random rewards, an in-game currency that allows the purchase of weapons and a contract system to earn a weapon of your choice. Crafting also allows the player to upgrade their weapons and increase their stats.

The game's story, written by author Dan Abnett, focuses on a squad of Inquisitorial Agents investigating a potential Chaos infiltration in the Hive City of Tertium on the industrial planet of Atoma Prime.

The player character Operative begins the story detained aboard the prison transport Tancred Bastion for a crime determined during player creation. During transport the Tancred Bastion is suddenly swarmed and overwhelmed by followers of the Chaos god Nurgle. The player rescues Explicator Zola and the two successfully evacuate the ship. Zola agrees to spare the player from the death penalty by conscripting them to the Inquisition. From their base aboard the ship Mourningstar, the Inquisition deploys the Operative to different sectors within Tertium to research and suppress the Nurgle infestation and cult.

Once onboard the ship, the player begins to earn the trust of the Mourningstar's different members, all of whom are subservient to Inquisitor Grendyl. They must enter the depths of Atoma's largest hive, Tertium, and foil the plans of the chaos cult by claiming supply drops, investigating the daemonic plague, assassinating leaders of the renegade Planetary Defense Forces and reclaiming important facilities across the city. After some time, it is discovered that the Mourningstar has been infiltrated by a spy for the cult, who was sending out detailed reports of the Inquisition's operations and subsequently killing off entire squads of elite agents planetside. Interrogator Rannick, the right hand man of Grendyl, leads the investigation of the Mourningstar's mole problem while also showing interest in the player's progress. Once enough trust is earned, Rannick welcomes the Player fully into the Inquisition while also killing the traitor once and for all. After this, the player continues their ongoing mission to purge the corruption of Nurgle in Tertium as a full member of the warband

The plot is set to evolve over time in a manner that parallels a live service, continuing to develop on a weekly basis and following a set meta narrative.

The Decision

Xbox Intel says, “Warhammer 40 K: Darktide is visually wonderful and the gameplay is solid. Spoiler Alert: Enjoy the brain-bashing beginning, just know, the game only gets better from there.” Brew and Breakdown gives this title 4.5 out of 5, Coffee Beans.  

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Thank you for tuning in to Xbox Intel. 

Intel next time.