Thanks, Warhammer 40k Mechanicus 2, your Steam demo has Necron-pilled me

Warhammer XCOM is a hell of a pitch. It's such a good pitch that it's been done countless times already. Chaos Gate: Daemon Hunters. Mechanicus. Even the upcoming Menace is essentially a totally-not-Warhammer XCOM clone. Warhammer 40k Mechanicus 2 has the difficult task of improving on what has come before. It will inevitably be compared to it's predecessor first and foremost, but there is a pantheon of turn-based Warhammer games to surpass.

On a basic level, Warhammer 40k Mechanicus 2 improves on the fundamentals of its progenitor in nearly every way. The first thing you notice when you load up the new Steam demo is the music. I lingered on the title screen for five minutes or more, just to listen. The demo itself looks great, with updated character models in both cutscenes and turn-based action sequences.

The UI, too, is much improved. The turn order is now displayed on the right-hand side of the screen, rather than at the top. As someone who puts their Windows taskbar on the right-hand side of their monitor, this pleases me greatly. It just makes more sense. The UI for your units' weapons and abilities has been simplified, taking a blueprint-style approach rather than the images of the previous game. I prefer this, too; it's clearer and easier to parse.

The most important aspect is gameplay, however, and this is the most difficult aspect to judge from this tutorialized demo. While the presentation is slick, the easy early-game slice never offers much challenge. That's the point of a tutorial, and it's good to get a sense of returning mechanics-forking paths are back and the Mechanicus' Cognition points system has been reworked. There are more routes to points and more opportunities to spend them.

The biggest talking point is the Necrons, playable for the first time in the series. They feel fundamentally different to play than the Mechanicus, which is a must. This is aided by their slow, hulking movement and animations that show the weight of millennia (and of their metallic bodies) bearing down on them.

However, I'm happy to report that they also feel different from a mechanical sense. The two factions are perfect foils to one another-we know that from the first game-but a small part of me worried that they'd play too similarly to each other. But from the units you can select, to the Dominion points, Necrons are a completely new prospect.

Whereas Cognition points can be earned and spent, Dominion points act as a snowball, allowing the Necrons to become more and more powerful as the battle progresses. The more damage they inflict, the more points they earn, and the more powerful their next attack or ability may be. While this didn't have much of an impact on these tutorial missions, I see the signs that this will become important later in the game. When battles become more tricky, you'll hopefully have to balance your slow, sleepy start with doing enough damage to get your more powerful systems online.

It's far too early to say whether Mechanicus 2 is a great iteration on the Warhammer XCOM formula or not, but the early signs are positive. It's well presented, with a compelling narrative, and the ability to play both sides (so you always come out on top) adds a whole new dimension to proceedings.

The biggest compliment I can pay this game is that this demo has me, a staunch (Dark) Mechanicus player since before we even had a Codex, considering playing as the Necrons. There's no higher praise than that.

The Warhammer 40k Mechanicus 2 demo is available on Steam now. You can download it here.

If you can't wait for the full game to release, why not check out the best Warhammer 40k games instead? Our list of the best turn-based strategy games should also do you well.

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