Dungeon Crawling In Space, Earthbound Rat People, And Future Of Warhammer

For those who adore the grimdark Warhammer universes, both 40k and Fantasy, and anyone else that enjoys a fully fleshed out, tripped out, universe born in the 1980s, this news is for you:

Space Hulk

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An elite squad of eight foot tall space marines wearing terminator armor, effectively transforming the individuals into walking tanks, explore space and purge any xenos scum residing/and or lurking within. A space hulk is a conglomeration of space ships that were lost to time and space in this extra-dimensional plane called “the warp” that space ships travel through to speed up interstellar travel. Think warp speed, only through Hell. Think Event Horizon. In this realm of pure chaos and lawless physics (if those exist there), other physical objects, like ships, giant rocks, and demons, all smash together and haunt the ship. So, the ship spirit (yes, machines have spirits), becomes tormented and tainted by the demonic energies of this other plane. Spit that Lovecraftian amalgamation of metal, hate, and impossible back into our reality and let it drift through space. That’s what these walking tanks are exploring.

Now, why would anyone actually explore this thing? Because the ship is infested with all sorts of alien baddies, most notablely, the Genestealers, a unit from the Tyranid army, like Zerg but way cooler and more intense. These creatures are a threat to the Imperium, yadda yadda, burn, purge, murder, and survive. Surviving is the key. That’s the game. Being super overpowered and getting humbled by aliens is what this is all about.

Originally released as a board game, it was successful enough to receive a port to PCs as a DOS game. The newest iteration includes 12 missions for the single player and co-operative campaign, but also includes a multiplayer head-to-head versus mode, all in the delicious freedom of cross platform gaming. Full Control even stated in its press release that the company is including a level editor for fans to share their own interstellar death traps. I mean, levels.

Space Hulk is announced as a 2013 release with DLC in its future.

Warhammer Quest

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Before space demons, there were regular demons. Also dungeons. And I’ve heard rumors of dragons. Rodeo Games announced it’s transferring the old boardgame Warhammer Quest into an iOS game, making it the first Warhammer title for a mobile platform. Players take control of four characters and delve deep into the depths of Old World, exploring lost dungeons, under-empires (rat people), and slaughtering countless creatures and horrific abominations to attain fame, wealth, and bragging rights. Typical Warhammer stuff.

Too much awesome and hair spray

In a press release, Rodeo Games stated:

Warhammer Quest is the game of adventure set in the Warhammer World. You take control of a party of four questing warriors in search of immeasurable power and riches. Your adventures will take you deep into the dungeons and under-lairs of the Old World, fighting foul creatures as you explore hidden tunnels in the hope of finding lost treasure, hoards of gold and lasting fame.

Even better:

By using our existing engine it means we can really focus on developing the parts of Warhammer Quest that made it such a great table-top game; truly unique hero characters and brutal enemies from across all the Warhammer races

If Rodeo Games keeps its word by including all of the Warhammer races, we might be lucky enough to see Humans (lame), Elves, Dwarves, Lizardmen, Orcs and Goblins, Chaos (demonic Norse raiders), Skaven (rat people), Undead (Egyptian and Dracula-style), and Ogres. You know that they all have some awesome treasure. Then again, I wonder how long my party will survive with that much opposition.

Back when Conan got bored with Hyboria

This iOS title is slated for a spring 2013 release.

Sega bought THQ property Relic Entertainment

Thank the heavens, Relic Entertainment will live on and keep producing some of the best Warhammer content out there. THQ went bankrupt and started auctioning off its different properties, a frightening time for these developers. Thankfully, Relic survived and was purchased by Sega, a relic in and of itself. It’s uncertain what or where Sega will lead its new developers, but Sega is now in possession of the Warhammer license.

Long live Sonic the Hedgehog, our beacon of light in these dark times.

As a huge fan of not just the Warhammer games, but the universe itself, it pleases me to no end that the series is expanding beyond the RTS genre. While crushing an army of undead robot people with Orkish beat-sticks satisfies even the hungriest glutton, I can’t wait to dig into the dungeons of Warhammer Quest and the mysterious abandoned space hulks.