We have to commend Relic Entertainment for the bold moves and creative detours it has taken with the Dawn of War franchise over the years. From the linear story driven campaign seen in the original Dawn of War to the broader tactical conquest approach introduced with Dark Crusade, the studio showed an early propensity for innovative game design.
Then of course there was Dawn of War II, which abolished base building altogether, opting instead to create something more dependent on tactical micromanagement of squads and units while introducing a robust RPG system.
For those who did not play Dawn of War II, the franchise has evolved to become something entirely different to more traditional RTS stalwarts like StarCraft. Check out our full Dawn of War II review.
Dawn of War II: Retribution continues in the direction Relic set out with in Dawn of War II, and runs with it even further.
The game starts off with the Blood Ravens’ home sector Aurelia in chaos. Various factions are running rampant across the stars, all with their own goals and ambitions. Not content to allow the chaos to run its path, and instead opting to fast forward to the end result, the Ordos Malleus’ Holy Inquision decides that the best way to end the violence is to exterminate all life in the sector.
Retribution lets you experience the events of the single player campaign from the perspectives of six unique factions: The Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, Tyranids, Eldar and Imperial Guard. With each campaign offering 7-10 hours of gameplay, Retribution is granted some impressive longevity in the single player department. Unfortunately, each campaign is not unique, and essentially has the player fighting through the same maps and set pieces with different units. After finishing the Chaos Space Marine campaign, I set out pursuing the Eldar campaign, and suffice to say I was disappointed to discover the same missions being rehashed with only slight changes being made to accommodate the unique story line and characters. Still, in terms of gameplay, each race is a unique experience and well worth playing.
In terms of game design, Retribution remains at its core largely unchanged from Dawn of War II and Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising. You start each campaign with four unique heroes, each of whom will have special abilities, strengths and weaknesses. It is important to micro-manage your squads and use heroes effectively in appropriate situations. Having also spent a fair amount of time playing Dragon Age 2 recently, I have been able to draw noticeable parallels between the two games. Both require the player to manage a party of unique heroes, maximise special abilities, and of course level up and kit out their heroes.
At the end of each mission, the XP and gear rewards are presented in a clear and concise menu. Each time one of your heroes levels up you can choose an attribute to upgrade, and in doing so that hero will usually unlock a new ability or trait.
You can also outfit each of your heroes with various weapons, items and armour. Each item has its own stats and some grant your heroes special abilities. Being able to allocate your gear and upgrade your heroes allows for a fair degree of squad customization, which gives you freedom to approach the campaign in a variety of ways.
Many gamers criticised Dawn of War II for being limited in scope due to the fact that you could only control a handful of units on the battlefield at any given time. In Retribution, Relic has given players the option to expand their army on the battlefield. Capturing bases allows you to call down reinforcements, which come in a variety of unit flavours depending on your race. These range from generic infantry to heavily armoured vehicles, and are priced accordingly. Mission rewards offer you a choice between unlocking new unit types for future missions or new items. This effectively gives players the option to approach the campaign as a traditional RTS with a wide selection of generic units to use, or to focus on a more RPG-centric approach, pouring all your resources into making your heroes as powerful as possible and keeping your army compact and efficient.
Relic has been constantly updating Dawn of War II with patches since its launch. Retribution’s multiplayer component fits in nicely with what already is on offer in Dawn of War II. It introduces some new heavy units that come in handy, particularly towards the end of big games. Of course, Retribution introduces the Imperial Guard to Dawn of War II, so if you’re a fan of that particular faction then Retribution is a must.
Dawn of War II: Retribution is a great game, and while it is billed as an expansion, it is actually a standalone game that gives you the full Dawn of War II multiplayer experience, plus a solid single player campaign which can be replayed six times using different factions. Technically it will not blow you away, but it holds its own and is able to run on even modest gaming rigs.
For a R260, it’s difficult not to recommend Dawn of War II – Retribution for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
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