Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

I'm getting an XCOM vibe from Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters gameplay

Stop the rot.

We finally have a decent look at Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters gameplay - and I'm getting a distinct XCOM vibe.

The video, below, shows off the turn-based combat, which sees the player control a squad of Grey Knights against the puss-packed followers of Chaos god Nurgle in a story penned by Black Library author Aaron Dembski-Bowden.

Watch on YouTube

I'm impressed! The combat looks like it packs a punch (although the weapons could do with more audio oomph), and I like the detail on the models. I'm a big fan of the Death Guard from the tabletop, so to see the traitor legion flap about the place spreading their bile in a video game is pretty cool. And yes, that's a Great Unclean One weilding the Doomsday Bell at the end. Lovely jubbly.

Elsewhere, we see base management (the XCOM comparisons continue!), which takes place aboard a Space Marine cruiser called The Baleful Edict. There's a skill tree and class system, which lets you customise each Knight in your squad. You build experience from each encounter, and invest resources into the advancement of your cruiser.

Expect maps to include crumbling gothic cathedrals and daemon-infested factorums. You can also use the environment to your advantage, targeting plasma generators and smashing pillars to bring them down on the heretics.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is developed by Complex Games and published by Frontier Foundry, the games label of Elite Dangerous maker Frontier Developments. It's due out on PC at some point in 2022. Definitely one to watch.

Read this next