Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is a real-time strategy video game with turn-based elements and was developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive in April 2016. It lets you play one of the twelve factions existing in the original Warhammer 40,000 game. The game runs on Unreal Engine 4 and is available on PC (Windows).
Story
The game is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and tells three different stories in the included single-player campaigns. As a result of successful 13th Black Crusade, Cadia Prime – the most important and heavily-fortified Fortress World of the Imperium of Man – has fallen. This led to unexpected events and caused reshaping of the known reality. New conflicts emerged, and now you, as a leader of either Imperium, Necron, or Tyranid fleets, will have a chance to prove your worth and craft the future of 41st millennium.
Gameplay
The game is split into two parts. The first part is a turn-based strategy, where you will be able to plan your actions and manage your movement on a grand scale – like managing your empire and declaring battles. The second part is a real-time strategy, where you will be able to manually resolve declared battles and command involved spaceships in order to defeat the opposing forces. This part is also the core of gameplay in multiplayer matches.
Units you will have at your disposal are dependent on the faction you are playing. Each of the 12 playable factions is very unique and offers different strategies. For example, Asuryani enjoys better maneuverability and can use much stronger torpedoes than other factions, while Orks are better suited for ramming and boarding. Winning battles earns experience which rewards skill points that can be used on unlocking various technologies to further improve the effectiveness of your fleet.
Game Modes
The game offers both single-player and multiplayer experience. For single-player developers prepared three distinctive campaigns, each telling a different story and requiring a different approach, as they are incorporating different mechanics. There is also an option to play a single custom battle against the AI in the form of skirmish match.
Multiplayer elements are visible in campaigns as well, as they may be played together with other players in co-op mode. However, in terms of online playing, there is also an interesting option for a more competitive approach. This is thanks to the presence of 1v1 and 2v2 ranked matches, where you will face opponents of similar skill to your own, giving you an opportunity to test your strategies against a living player, and allowing you to climb the competitive ladder.
Reception
BG: Armada 2 received favorable reviews, and was considered a worthy successor to the first title in the Battlefleet Gothic series. Reviewers liked the engaging gameplay and the fact that the game respects Warhammer’s lore well. They also noted the presence of three full-fledged campaigns, with each telling its own story and providing tens of hours of additional fun.
