It isn’t a MOBA. If there’s one thing Eutechnyx wants to make clear, it’s this. Though the misconceptions that have arisen surrounding the game are largely of its own creation, the developer explains that it wasn’t intentionally trying to cause confusion, and instead wanted to make it clear that the title isn’t a strategy game in the traditional sense.
As it turns out, opting to describe Warhammer 40K: Storm of Vengeance as a “lane strategy” game backfired slightly, but even the briefest encounter with the title makes it clear why such a phrase was chosen. The truth is Storm of Vengeance has far more in common with the likes of Plants vs. Zombies than it does with Riot’s wildly successful League of Legends, all covered with a lick of Games Workshop-approved paint.
Planned to enter beta on February 27 with a full release coming in a month’s time on March 27, Storm of Vengeance offers an intriguing twist on a formula we already know can be successful. One of the strengths trumpeted by Eutechnyx is the fact that you can purchase the title on Steam, where it'll set you back £6.99 and play against friends on iOS or Android devices, where it'll cost £2.99. That's all well and good, of course, but how does the thing actually play?
Your arena consists of five lanes, with you able to place your own buildings and units at the left hand side of whichever one you choose. Your opponent will be doing the same on the right and, once units are spawned by dragging and dropping them on your chosen lane, they march down them destroying anything in their path. The end goal is to destroy your opponents building and claim their lane, all the while preventing him doing the same to you. Once three lanes are claimed by one player, it’s game over. It sounds simple, but there’s a range of factors that can influence your chances of victory.
For a start, there’s your choice of faction, each of which have different playstyles, resources, Hero Units, strengths and weaknesses. At launch there will be two: the Dark Angels and the Orks, though a third, the Imperial Guards, is planned to be added as 69p DLC. For the Dark Angels, placing buildings like the Comms generates resources you can spend purchasing units from troop training buildings. What choice will you make? Will you place more resource generating buildings to bring more upgrades and stronger units within your grasp, or will you go for more variety of troops?
Further complexity is added by the inclusion of both levelling and skill tree systems. You can spend resources during battle to power-up your units, opting to make them stronger or give them special abilities, such as the ability to throw grenades onto lanes other than the one they’re walking down; an extremely useful option to have.
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The Orks on the other hand work slightly differently, both in terms of how resources are generated but also in terms of units. Troops such as the Bomb Squig are very weak but capable of one-shotting anything they encounter. Similarly, the Weirdboy Tower adds a range of tools to your arsenal, whether it’s a cross-lane damage ability or the chance to take over enemy units and make them fight for you. There’s also an emphasis on combining upgrade cards manufactured at the Mech Shop with your units to make sure they’re as powerful as possible.
Single-player is shaping up to be fairly robust, boasting 55 levels that tell the 27-day story of the best-selling book Purging of Kadillus by Gav Thorpe. Multiplayer is where the action’s at though. While selecting units or upgrades when you’re playing through the campaign causes everything to pause, giving you time to breathe, you’re afforded no such luxury in multiplayer. You need to be fast, clear-headed and tactical.
Storm of Vengeance looks set to be a confident first step into the unknown for a studio best-known for its dedication to racing games. The hope, at least for the developer, is that this success will open the door for more opportunities involving licenses with Games Workshop.
Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter.
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