'Warhammer: 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr,' Hands On

NeocoreGames, the creative minds behind The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing showcased Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr, the first open world action RPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

An Explorable, Evolving Universe

Inquisitor - Martyr will place in the Caligari Sector, a small region within the Imperium of Man containing countless worlds, many of which will be explorable. To achieve a true sandbox experience while ensuring that each playthrough is unique, the missions and maps will all be randomly generated. Neocore confirmed that players may be randomly assigned an objective from a pool of at least 50.

Progressing through the Inquisitorial Campaign, which is the main story, will reveal more of the Caligari Sector’s star map, but players are free to maneuver their ship and pursue missions wherever they please. Don’t be too gung-ho about exploration, though; the Calgigari sector’s challenges aren’t scaled, so some worlds and sub-sectors are particularly dangerous for lower-level players.

Completing missions might procure clues that lead to new missions, and a string of missions forms a Grand Investigation, which is essentially a side quest. Events in the Sector will evolve depending on what missions you pursue, how you complete them, and the overall balance of power within the sector. Additionally, there will be live events that may be influenced by the community’s choices as a whole. Committed to expanding the Caligary Sector, Neocore plans on adding free content packs and hopes to feature any and all types of enemies and factions that can exist in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Playing As An Inquisitor

Inquisitor - Martyr plays much like a traditional top-down action RPG would. This includes a leveling, skill trees and a loot system. The primarily weapon-based skill trees will be massive, allowing players to experiment with a variety of character builds throughout multiple playthroughs. The loot system will feature crafting, item management, and of course, loot with a wide range of flavor texts. Neocore is still experimenting with these systems to deliver a game that fits the Warhammer 40,000 universe while remaining fun and engaging. 

Combat in Inquisitor - Martyr will feature a cover and targeting systems, which allows for different styles of combat. The enemy AI will also utilize cover and attempt to flank you. The environment is totally destructible, so you may demolish the walls that enemies desperately hide behind. Alternatively, cover-reliant players need to clear enemies swiftly before their cover is destroyed. Weapons and skills dictate a player’s combat style, and some allow players to selectively target enemy body parts. Destroying body parts hinders enemies to some degree; for example, destroying a target’s legs restricts their movement, and destroying the target’s shooting arm forces them to resort to melee. Bosses who have been handicapped this way may be executed in a gruesome manner fitting to the 40K universe.

At launch, players may represent the Inquisition as a Crusader, an Assassin or a class that is yet to be revealed. The Crusader is a tank-like character whose skills and armor allow him to fight with minimal cover. In contrast, the Assassin uses her twin swords and sniping to kill enemies stealthily or from afar.

Team Up With Friends . . . Or Invade Your Enemies

Besides the Inquisitorial Campaign, players may invite up to three additional friends on missions. Progressing through the Inquisitorial Campaign allows players to build their own Inquisitorial Fortress, which acts as a safe haven for the player and may be improved and modified. The Inquisitorial Fortress also acts as the PvP hub, allowing you to invade other players’ fortresses or defend your own fortress from invasion.

Still A Long Way To Go, And NeocoreGames Wants Your Input

I had to opportunity to play Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr during E3. The gameplay still required polish, especially for the Assassin. I roamed around a barren planet for about five minutes, slaughtering enemies as I went. Afterward, I played through a mission as the Crusader, and the level and combat felt much more refined. Considering how ambitious Inquisitor - Martyr wants to be, NeocoreGames still has a long way to go.

Because Neocore aims for Inquisitor - Martyr to be a community-driven game, it also needs community input now more than ever. The devs gather input through community votes, and several aspects of the game have been determined by community feedback. For example, the community voted for the best out of three sound effects to be used for the Bolter.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr will be released in 2017 for PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter. 

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