Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 5,069 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 Game Cover
Involved, spectacular, space battles packaged into satisfying campaigns, and great fan service too.
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Greatly expanding on the groundwork laid out by the first game, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is a full-blown sequel: bigger, richer, and more ambitious than the original game. At launch, it will include all 12 factions from the original tabletop game and its expansion Armada it is based on: the Imperial Navy, Space Marines, Adeptus Mechanicus, Necrons, Chaos, Aeldari Corsairs, Aeldari Craftworld, …

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Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,069 reviews
story269 positive mentions
stability118 negative mentions
  • The game features enjoyable naval warfare mechanics, allowing players to ram ships and engage in tactical battles.
  • It runs smoothly on a variety of hardware, providing a visually stunning experience with great sound design and voice acting.
  • The game captures the essence of the Warhammer 40K universe, offering multiple campaigns and a variety of factions to play.
  • The game frequently crashes, especially on newer Intel CPUs, making it unplayable for many users.
  • The campaign can feel tedious and repetitive, with limited mission types and a lack of meaningful choices.
  • The user interface can be clunky and overwhelming, making it difficult for new players to grasp the mechanics.
  • story985 mentions

    The story in "Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2" is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its rich lore and connection to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. However, criticisms arise regarding the clarity of campaign missions, repetitive gameplay, and technical issues such as crashes during story sequences. While some players find the narrative compelling and immersive, others feel it lacks depth and suffers from poor mission design, leading to a frustrating experience overall.

    • “The introduction of multiple campaigns—each with distinct storylines and faction perspectives—adds depth to the single-player experience, making it feel more immersive and rewarding.”
    • “The story is engaging and fun, and the ins and outs of handling all the different scenarios requires lots of planning and forethought.”
    • “The campaign offers a short tutorial for ship movement and attacking, as well as 3 different full campaigns (imperium, necron and tyranids), while each playthrough from start until the end could easily take at least 40 hours.”
    • “The single player / story mode is broken... crashes all the time and it has been broken for years so don't expect it to get fixed anytime soon.”
    • “Overall the campaign is just not fun to play through with a lot of the story missions being tedious and annoying.”
    • “The story is very basic but it's presented similar to a 4x (it's nowhere near as complex as an actual one; also like a 4x most of the time you are just engaging in the gameplay rather than the story) so if you like those it should keep you going through them.”
  • gameplay779 mentions

    The gameplay of "Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2" is generally praised for its engaging mechanics and strategic depth, offering a mix of real-time and turn-based elements that cater to both newcomers and veterans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. While many players appreciate the variety of factions and the tactical nature of battles, some criticize the user interface for being unintuitive and the gameplay loop for becoming repetitive over time. Overall, the game is seen as a solid improvement over its predecessor, with beautiful graphics and a rich atmosphere, though it may require patience to fully grasp its mechanics.

    • “Building on its predecessor, this sequel not only addresses previous shortcomings but also expands upon the core gameplay mechanics to create a rich and engaging experience for both newcomers and veterans alike.”
    • “At its heart, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 offers a complex yet accessible gameplay experience.”
    • “The gameplay loop takes a while to get used to but otherwise is very fun.”
    • “The gameplay is painfully slow.”
    • “Unfortunately, the gameplay is tedious and clunky.”
    • “The gameplay can get a bit repetitive, but when it keeps crashing after so many battles, and you're forced to replay those battles over and over, and it keeps crashing, it's a nightmare.”
  • graphics420 mentions

    The graphics in "Warhammer 40,000: Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2" are widely praised for their stunning detail and faithful representation of the Warhammer 40k universe, with intricate ship designs and vibrant space environments. However, some players have noted issues with lighting and optimization, which can hinder visibility and performance, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight of the game, technical glitches and performance problems have been reported, affecting the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are stunning, with intricately designed ships and vibrant space environments that truly capture the essence of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.”
    • “Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is a masterful blend of strategic depth, captivating lore, and stunning visuals that has truly elevated the real-time strategy genre within the Warhammer 40,000 universe.”
    • “The visuals are this game's greatest accomplishment.”
    • “The graphics are muddy and terrible regardless of settings, and look nothing like what is shown.”
    • “This game just has no soul; it feels like playing some Warcraft 3 total overhaul mod, graphics are bad, on max settings it looks nothing like screenshots, ships are very poorly made.”
    • “The graphics aren't exactly something to write home about (especially when textures are popping in and out like popcorn) so why am I forced to view everything so close in?”
  • music122 mentions

    The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its epic orchestral quality that enhances the Warhammer 40,000 atmosphere. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over extended play sessions, leading to a desire for more variety. Overall, while the sound design and voice acting are highly regarded, the music's impact varies, with some considering it a highlight and others finding it less impressive compared to previous installments.

    • “The soundtrack is fantastic too and definitely adds to the 40k flavor of the game.”
    • “The music is incredible, and the sheer number of options available to tweak the single player campaign means that there are endless variations to the campaigns.”
    • “The atmosphere, the music, the voice acting, the artwork... everything is insane.”
    • “Worst part of the game for me is actually the soundtrack at this point.”
    • “The music on the star map is so annoying by now that I either play with music muted or I have it on and then quit after 30 minutes.”
    • “The music score gets a bit repetitive, and the UI is serviceable but could do with improvements; wider zoom for a start.”
  • stability122 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and freezes affecting gameplay across various modes, particularly in multiplayer. Many players express frustration over the game's unplayable state, citing issues with menus, cutscenes, and overall performance, leading to a consensus that it remains a "buggy mess" even years after release. While some users report occasional smooth experiences, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game requires significant updates to address its stability issues.

    • “The game runs great on both my Ryzen 2600 CPU and RTX 2080 GPU, as well as on my AMD CPU and GPU laptop.”
    • “The game also runs very smoothly; I've had no glitches or crashes.”
    • “No glitches to report so far, which is nice.”
    • “The game is really buggy; I couldn't even click anywhere on the menu or move the mouse across all menu items when I first launched the game.”
    • “Game crashes constantly, and the development team has abandoned the game in a buggy, unplayable mess.”
    • “It's a shame then that the game is all kinds of buggy, crashes a lot, and feels janky in the menus.”
  • grinding95 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the campaign tedious and repetitive, particularly in the mid to late stages. While some appreciate the strategic depth and enjoy the overall gameplay, others feel that the micromanagement and filler missions detract from the experience, making it feel more like a chore than fun. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game has strong visuals and engaging elements, the grind can significantly hinder enjoyment.

    • “The campaign is nothing too special, offering 3 different factions (and a fourth with DLC) that do play quite differently from each other with decent storylines, but can get pretty grindy/tedious late game.”
    • “However, this game's campaign is best defined with one word: tedious - and that's the worst thing when you try to just beat the game and instead of thinking: 'can't wait to see what's next' you're thinking 'geez, when will this be over.'”
    • “The single player missions just seem tedious and a lot of the campaign battles seem way harder and more frustrating than they should be.”
  • atmosphere69 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and detailed representation of the Warhammer 40k universe, with exceptional graphics, sound design, and voice acting that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to capture the grim, dark essence of space battles, complemented by well-crafted storytelling and atmospheric effects. While some note minor gameplay flaws, the overwhelming consensus is that the atmosphere is a standout feature that draws players into its richly designed world.

    • “The attention to detail is commendable, from the fiery explosions of ship destruction to the atmospheric effects that enhance the overall experience.”
    • “The visuals are top-notch, with detailed ship models, dazzling weapon effects, and environments that ooze atmosphere, whether you're navigating asteroid fields or breaching fortified space stations.”
    • “The sound design, voice acting, and atmosphere are all top-notch for getting you immersed in the universe of Warhammer 40k.”
    • “Despite the below negatives, the campaign does have atmosphere.”
    • “Atmosphere from BFGA 1 is a bit toned down, but more factions really multiply replay value... while I have to admit that most effort was given to Empire and Chaos which have way more options and variety than others... but overall good game 8/10 :)”
    • “The game dialogue, the cut scenes, and the atmosphere and design of the game itself captures the feel and aesthetics of the gothic universe perfectly.”
  • optimization64 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting smooth performance on high-end systems, while others experience significant issues such as stuttering, crashes, and poor performance even on powerful hardware. Many users highlight that the game is poorly optimized overall, leading to frustration, especially for those with lower-end machines. Despite some positive remarks about graphics and stability, the consensus leans towards a need for further optimization and bug fixes.

    • “As a newcomer to the genre, I think this is the perfect game for someone to try as it has a modern interface, great graphics, good optimization for entry-level systems, and it's just a lot of fun!”
    • “The quality and performance has been excellent and it is released in a polished state.”
    • “I am really enjoying the game so far, all races play uniquely, graphics are really good (maps and their backgrounds are beautiful), the game is fun and fairly well optimized for having just released.”
    • “The game is in an unplayable state ever since they 'fixed' the performance issues many users had, except now it's even worse, making the game completely unplayable for even more people.”
    • “Game performance is slow and sometimes freezes with top settings specs.”
    • “This game isn't optimized very well at all.”
  • replayability58 mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it high due to diverse factions, customizable campaigns, and engaging multiplayer modes, while others criticize the campaign for being repetitive and lacking depth. The persistent skirmish mode from the previous installment is missed, and many feel that the overall replay value is diminished by the simplicity of gameplay and limited campaign options. However, those who enjoy experimenting with different fleet builds and strategies report significant enjoyment and replay potential.

    • “The game's campaign mode still has my attention and replayability; I enjoy the progression and have a ton of fun with different fleets using various builds and styles of ships.”
    • “Every faction is so different in their gameplay that there is a whole lot of replayability even without counting on how different each campaign is.”
    • “The varied ship types and mission types have made the solo campaign extremely replayable.”
    • “In short, this game feels way too overly simple, to the point that it offers very little replayability.”
    • “The few choices you can make feel really inconsequential and don't add replay value in my view.”
    • “The replay value is low because every fight is the same.”
  • humor19 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the absurdity of certain mechanics and scenarios amusing, such as the reliance on network connections for a single-player game and the AI's cheating tendencies. While there are moments of genuine hilarity, particularly in multiplayer and campaign cutscenes, the overall comedic tone can feel inconsistent, with some players noting that the humor sometimes detracts from the game's serious elements. Despite these quirks, many players appreciate the lighthearted moments and find enjoyment in the game's chaotic and often ridiculous scenarios.

    • “I really wanted to play orks because they're hilarious!”
    • “Zoom in when big cannons fire to see a hilarious cloud of Minecraft pixels.”
    • “Cathedral ships and junk craft blasting each other while laughing gods revel in their slaughter is just beautiful.”
  • monetization10 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a "shameless cash grab," with players feeling misled by advertisements that promise more than the game delivers. Many reviews highlight the addition of content that should have been included at launch, and while there are no microtransactions, the overall sentiment is that the game exploits nostalgia for the franchise without providing a satisfactory experience.

    • “There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
    • “I appreciate that the game doesn't include any microtransactions.”
    • “The absence of microtransactions really enhances the overall gameplay.”
    • “This is a shameful cash grab that they know the fan base will want to get.”
    • “Major cash grabs to add in additional ship models for another race that should have been included at launch.”
    • “Its a cash grab for suckers like me who reminisce about the tabletop version.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its powerful score, which amplifies the weight of the narrative and character responsibilities, evoking strong feelings in players. Many reviewers express that the game elicits deep emotional responses, making it a memorable experience, though some caution against engaging with the series without prior context.

    • “The score is also noteworthy, providing an epic backdrop that enhances the emotional weight of the gameplay.”
    • “It really made me feel the weight of Stride's responsibility.”
    • “Few games have yielded such an emotional intrigue from me.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is largely criticized as being non-existent, with previously intriguing characters failing to evolve or receive any meaningful growth throughout the game.

    • “The character development is non-existent.”
    • “Previously interesting characters receive no character development at all.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

79% average critic score

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Play time

28hMedian play time
74hAverage play time
5-150hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 21 analyzed playthroughs

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