This is much more than XCOM: Enemy Unknown in the grim dark future of Warhammer 40k. The fundamentals of the game play, and even the interface, are identical but this offers so much more than that… IF you want it.

XCOM: EU is an exceptional game and, while it can be very hard, it’s also relatively straight forward. This is a tricky balance to hit. Daemonhunters, however, is not trying to be as accessible. XCOM directs you neatly through the campaign. This does not. You are at much more liberty to explore and progress at your own pace. The talent trees for your Knights are MUCH more complex and, as in the source material, min/maxing your team is possible. Your research and construction choices are yours alone. However, not everyone will enjoy this.

The removal of the randomisation mechanics in battle and very long timelines (months not days) removes most of the temptation to save/load your way to success. It’s hard to foresee the impact of some decisions and by the time you do, you won’t want to go back.

As for the setting, I’m not sure a 40k game has been better realised. The attention to detail is off the chart. The Knights are gloriously rendered and the environments are packed with features you might recognise. The sound is excellent, from the sparkly psychic noises to the squishy, sloppy Nurgle-ness. The supporting cast are also very well realised and there is a strong under current of humour, which stops the story descending into a dreary melodrama.

If you like XCOM and 40k, you should love this. If you like one or the other, you might love this. For anyone else, it’s a great real-time strategy game but it might be a bit too crunchy for some people’s tastes.