Warhammer 40,000: Darktide review - An unforgiving yet stunning ‘grimdark’ co-op shooter

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a brutal first-person co-op shooter developed and published by Fatshark. The game is set in the unrelenting darkness of the 41st Millennium, where hopes and dreams fade away as fast as life itself.

Rejects will get a chance to redeem themselves through combat to honor The God Emperor of Mankind. Failure is not an option, and only those worthy of his blessing will make it out alive.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide: In the 'grimdark' there is light

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide can best be described as a co-op and PvE experience unlike any other. After spending years perfecting the Warhammer: Vermintide series, Fatshark has managed to bring the darkness of the 41st Millennium to the forefront unlike ever before.

You will start your journey as a Reject aboard the Tancred Bastion transport. The cool part about this is that your crime or act of heresy will be determined during character creation. Depending on the class that's chosen and the options selected during this stage, your character's notorious deed will be conceived accordingly.

Friend or Foe, Reject? (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

As with all life in the 41st Millennium, nothing is permanent and chaos can erupt at any given moment. This is exactly how the plot evolves. Towards the end of the opening gameplay, you will find yourself aboard The Mourningstar.

Your life will be spared and you will be conscripted by Explicator Zola, who's a key character in the Inquisition. From here on out, once basic training has been completed, you will be able to team up with other Rejects to pull off suicidal missions in different sectors within Tertium. This is where the term 'grimdark' takes on a whole new meaning in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

First impressions and gameplay

From the moment I finished creating my character and the cutscene kicked in, I knew I was going to be in for a wild ride unlike any other. After playing Warhammer: Vermintide, I had an understanding of what to expect and experience in-game. Suffice to say, my expectations were blown apart.

Given how powerful Psykers are in the lore, it was only obvious that I followed suit and jumped on the bandwagon. With a fractured mind and sarcastic voice lines, I was more than pleased with my character and I knew it would be worth it in the long run (I was right).

Power Overwhelming! (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

The very first time you step into your character's shoes and traverse the underbelly of the Tancred Bastion transport, you'll know that you're in the Warhammer: 40,000 universe. The opening combat is intense and Fatshark doesn't mind throwing endless cultists your way.

That said, once the tutorial ends, the real experience begins when you set foot on The Mourningstar. Staying true to the gothic architecture and foreboding vibes, the interior of this Imperial Navy vessel would make any fan of the Warhammer 40,000 universe smile from ear to ear.

The artwork is beyond amazing (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

Once the cutscene ended and I had completed basic training, I was allowed to go on the first operation in Tertium. From the moment I set foot on the ground once the level loaded in, my mind was completely blown.

The way the world is forged in terms of lore accuracy and finer details is nothing short of brilliant. To add to the atmospheric feel, the haunting soundtrack and low visibility caused my stomach to churn as I ventured into the plague-infested underbelly of the hive city.

Into the fray Rejects! (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

The opening moments were scary, but I was well aware that this was only the beginning and things would get worse from here on out. True enough, the deeper you venture into the plagued-ridden underbelly, Nurgle's present grows stronger.

After mere minutes of dealing with normie cultists, I got my first taste of elite troops. Unlike cultists who rush at you and can be taken down easily, these are more tactical and fearsome in their approach. Enemies like Dreg Ragers and Crushers rush into the fray and cause massive close-range damage.

The only good cultist is a headless one (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

Long-range elites such as Gunners and Scab Snipers can pin you down and hold you in place while others rush to attack you. During my playthrough, I soon realized that taking down these elites was imperative to be successful. The longer they are alive, the harder combat becomes. Thankfully, as mentioned, Rejects don't go in alone.

Although I never really experimented with any class other than the Psyker, I got to see the Zealot, Ogryn, and Veteran in action. Knowing how to combine abilities to take down hordes is essential to winning each fight. While you can take out a considerable number of enemies single-handedly, the forces of Nurlge know no end.

Papa Nurgle has been busy lately (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

Before you know it, you're surrounded by enemies on all sides, hit-points dwindling, and no ammo left in reserve. I learned it the hard way that being a team player and sticking together in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is of the utmost importance.

Even so, some boss-type enemies like the Plague Ogryn can be tricky to take down even when working as a squad. Given that Rejects are cannon fodder, I doubt the Inquisition cares if we live or die. That said, with a strong team, a good mix of classes, and a sound strategy, taking on hordes of enemies becomes a trivial task.

This plague must be stopped (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

Nevertheless, in most missions where my team worked together to complete objectives and 'actually' shared ammo, things turned out well. Even when surrounded by cultists and being shot at from multiple directions, we were able to break through their ranks and flank them.

Fatshark has done a marvelous job of keeping things entertaining when it comes to missions. There are numerous mission types to take on and there's never a dull moment with different modifiers. Some are tougher than others in general, but players can choose their difficulty setting before jumping on a transport ship to head down to Atoma.

Wonder what's on sale today? (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

With increasing difficulty, starter weapons just won't work. As I leveled up and profited from the spoils of combat, I was able to purchase better gear from Grendyl’s armory. As I progressed, access to more perks for my class was unlocked.

When combined with a sound playstyle, adequate loadout, and tactical thinking, missions that were once nearly impossible to complete become a cakewalk. However, with higher difficulty levels offering better rewards, the easier ones stop being worth the effort.

Purge the heretic, burn the mutant! (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

That said, since you're not forced into choosing a certain difficulty at a high level, you're free to set the pace according to your fancy. If you feel like becoming a God-level Reject and slashing through foes at the lowest difficulty level, then why not?

Want to go in underprepared and die being torn to shreds by elite enemies? You can do that too. This kind of flexibility is great as it allows me to try out new weapon combos without worrying too much about meeting my demise. However, in the 'grimdark,' one is never truly prepared for what awaits them when Nurlge is involved.

Performance

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, provided by Fatshark, was played on the system with the following configuration:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
RAM: 32 GB

For me, the game worked like a charm with everything maxed out at 1920x1080 resolution. There was some occasional stutter, but it was very rare, and at most times unnoticeable.

In conclusion

Does Warhammer 40,000: Darktide achieve everything it sets out to be? Honestly, the game delivers on every front and this is just the start of things.

With more missions and conditions likely to be added in future updates alongside a refined crafting system, there's no doubt that there's a detailed roadmap in place. While there will be occasional bumps in terms of performance-related issues to navigate, things are off to a fantastic start.

The Imperium of Man stands firm (Image via Fatshark/Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)

As mentioned, while the game did perform well (for me), I do wish that the overall requirement to play the game with RT on was just a tad bit lower. Other than that, I can't find anything that would otherwise stop newcomers from joining the Warhammer 40,000 universe and purging Papa Nurgle's abominations.

To sum up, in my 20-odd hours of grind time, I had a blast. From lobbing off the heads of cultists to zapping Scab Captains and melting their brains, there was never a dull moment.

With there always being something new to see and experience, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide kept me on my toes at all times. I, for one, cannot wait to see what Fatshark has in store for the game moving forward.