That’s right, Space Marine, the fan-favourite video game which had you booting, chopping, and blasting Orks to pieces as Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, is getting a sequel.
This awe-inspiring trailer was revealed at the Game Awards, leaving everyone gobsmacked as Titus dispatched a Tyranid Warrior with brutal efficiency.
Now we’ve got Oliver Hollis-Leick, the Creative Director at Saber Interactive, and Dessil Basmadjian, the Creative Director at Focus Entertainment, to apply that same level of finesse to dissecting the trailer scene by scene.
Oliver: We know how important Space Marine is to so many of you out there, so we needed to make sure the sequel lived up to expectations. We’re proud of the resulting trailer, so we wanted to share some insight into it. If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, we suggest doing so before reading on!
The story we’re telling centres on Titus, but it was very important for us to place our hero in an authentic Warhammer 40,000 setting.We wanted to portray the way a mortal would perceive a Space Marine: a towering Angel of Death, sent down from the heavens by the will of the Emperor. A Space Marine is a warrior of the highest order, a demigod-like figure with almost superhuman powers. There are legends of lone Astartes being sent to turn the tide of war on a planet where the Astra Militarium were facing defeat.
To feel the awe that accompanies an Adeptus Astartes, we must look through human eyes. As the Space Marines walk across the courtyard, the Guardsmen kneel before them. “His angels” are the only words the vox operator can find to describe his emotions.
In the trailer, an Imperial hive world is overrun by Tyranids. Colossal towers, each containing millions or billions of human lives, peak out above the clouds, and each of these towers is overrun with Tyranids whose sole purpose is to reduce all organic matter on the planet to a liquid that will be sucked up by vast, living ships waiting in orbit.
Holding back the enemy are the Cadians, the forces of the Astra Militarum. These men and women are faced with overwhelming numbers, but on the brink of defeat, their prayers are answered.
Carrying our heroes into battle are three Thunderhawk Gunships. The Space Marines are shown with a variety of weaponry, including chainswords, bolt rifles, and bolt pistols.
When duelling the Tyranid Warrior, Titus is unfazed and takes it out with unparalleled skill. We also get to see three Space Marines working together, communicating wordlessly as they clear the Tyranid-infested courtyard.
Although I’ve shared a lot about the details in the trailer, there’s a ton of stuff that we’ll leave to all of you to figure out…
Dessil has more on the direction of the trailer.
Dessil: One of the most exciting aspects of the Space Marine franchise is that it gives players an opportunity to experience the Warhammer 40,000 universe directly from the battlefield, making it one of the most immersive portrayals of this vast setting.
To achieve this modern movie feel, we simulated long lenses, shallow depth of field, and colour grading, accentuating the realism of the scene. The directors Stéphane Montel and Raoul Barbet, alongside the rest of the Capsule Studio team, did a fantastic job of interpreting the 40k world in a mature, grounded way.
It was key for us to build up tension for the arrival of the Space Marines on the battlefield, emphasising their mythical status and the shift in power that their presence brings.
To build that tension we show their inexorable approach, first as dots in space, then ships in the sky. Finally, we see an armoured fist, and that’s when even the Tyranids stop fighting to look upwards. Then the Astartes drop from their ship, their armoured boots fracturing the courtyard.
The Imperial Guard react the way a regular person would upon seeing the Ultramarines: silently staring in awe. The vast majority of humans in the Imperium live their whole life without seeing one, let alone in combat.
We wanted fans of the franchise to wonder throughout the trailer if this was a new IP or the sequel that they’ve been craving for 10 years now. For perceptive viewers, however, we included subtle hints at who was under the helmet.
Three notes from Titus’ theme from the original Space Marine swell to the surface, then fade during parts of the trailer. We’re delighted to have composer Nima Fakhrara working on Space Marine 2, who reinterpreted Titus’ theme for this new era.
He’s aged, and he looks more determined than ever. Is he still a Captain? What about those chains on his right arm? We look forward to hearing everyone’s theories!
Thanks to both Oliver and Dessil!
As a final treat, let’s zoom in on a particular part of the trailer – Titus hasn’t lost his devastating assault jump, and time hasn’t slowed his fury. As he smashes aside a hormagaunt brood with extreme prejudice, you might notice that the jump pack pattern he’s using is a little unfamiliar. In fact, you won’t have seen it anywhere before, because it’s a brand-new pattern designed by the Warhammer Design Studio for the Mk X Tacticus armour used in Space Marine 2.
We’ll have news for you on Space Marine 2 in the future, so sign up for our newsletter for more when we get it. And head over to our Twitter page to let us know what you thought about the trailer.