I’m a relative newcomer to the Warhammer 40K universe. I enjoy the overall theming and tone of the universe as well as the expansive lore which is ripe for storytelling. I also have some familiarity with the tabletop game, though I’m by no means a master of it. Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is the newest entry in the large catalog of games set in the dystopian sci-fi universe. Rogue Trader is developed by Owlcat Games and is a story-driven top-down RPG.

This story is certainly one of the best I’ve played through recently with hours of content to get lost in. In the 41st millennium, mankind has spread throughout the galaxy conquering and evangelizing planets in the name of the god emperor. Rogue Traders are the ones tasked with expanding the influence of the Imperium while managing various sectors of the galaxy. You’ll create your own character, choosing from a myriad of options and backgrounds which all have an impact on the gameplay and stats.

You are introduced as a successor to the previous Rogue Trader, Theodora Von Valencia, who is killed in a coup led by another advisor, leaving you in charge. Taking command of her vessel, you will then traverse the far-flung reaches of the Koronus expanse, encountering dozens of nuanced characters, environments, and places to explore.

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader offers numerous side quests and adventures to lose yourself in and each feels just as compelling as the main quest. There’s a good morality system built around three personality types: Dogmatic, heretical, and iconoclast, as well as fun dialogue options that will affect how your interactions with others will go. I enjoyed how the gameplay systems encourage freedom allowing you to be whatever kind of hero or villain you want.

The overall presentation is also incredibly strong here. The voice acting is fantastic, along with the score which is booming and grandiose. Character and enemy designs are dripping with a distinct visual style that combines science fiction with 20th-century warfare and Gothic architecture.

The extreme nature of this world is truly special. I can’t remember the last time I legitimately enjoyed interacting with NPCs as much as I did here. There is such a wide range of personalities on display that you’ll encounter along your journey; villains are truly detestable and merciless, while lowly peons grovel at the feet of superior officers; and religious zealots praise their deities at every opportunity while psychic mages teeter on the brink of insanity.

It all leaves you with a great sense of immersion. Be warned, however, that this is a very dense world with a lot of background information that might turn some people off – expect to be doing a fair bit of reading.

The core gameplay is built around isometric strategic combat that’s quite similar to titles like XCOM and Baldur’s Gate. You’ll move units around the map attacking and utilizing terrain and skills to deal damage. Positioning is very important here and without careful movement, you will be punished for overextending. There are four main classes: Soldier, Warrior, Officer, and Operative, each of which has hundreds of options and skills to customize through leveling up. On top of that, you have your usual equipment stat buffs which can offer additional skills to character move pools.

Truly, you can spend hours here simply reading and comparing skills and customizing gear to craft the perfect party, which makes up six characters. To be honest, it’s almost to the point of being overwhelming a lot of the time, and there were a few moments where Rogue Trader throws paragraphs upon paragraphs of text at you to explain mechanics or skills. Sometimes, it can be especially hard to grasp what certain things do until you try them out in combat yourself.

In addition to the ground combat, there is also space combat which allows for even more customization as you can change the weapons and defenses of your ship. The lack of overall terrain in these battles makes it slightly less interesting than the usual combat encounters. It feels much more like a Pokémon battle, where each player spams the most powerful attacks back and forth.

In terms of graphical fidelity, Rogue Trader looks great. Characters have nice models and the environments are richly detailed down to small minute background elements. Combine this with the exceptional dialogue, and I was always fully engaged by this universe and it’s gritty, brutal portrait of deep space. I also particularly enjoyed the hand-drawn art portraits of each character.

However, Rogue Trader doesn’t always run well. There are some bugs that I encountered during my time playing. For example, I frequently encountered moments where the game partially froze allowing me to move the camera but nothing else without restarting. Some battles and animations will also cause stuttering and frame rate issues.

Overall, I really enjoyed Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader. It gave me just the kind of hardcore RPG I was looking for even though it has a bit of a learning curve. If you love the 40K universe and are familiar with the tabletop game you’ll probably enjoy this even more. There are a few mechanics that are ripped straight from the tabletop version, like charges and the wound system. You can also expect to find the same level of in-depth customization and strategy within the satisfying progression systems and morality options.

A PC review copy of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader was provided by Owlcat Games for the purposes of this review.

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Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader

$49.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Great presentation
• In-depth progression
• Strategic combat
• Lots of content

Cons

• Can be overly complex
• Some performance issues