Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is often considered one of the best games in the Warhammer community. Until recently, I had missed it mainly because it was released when I was seven. Thankfully, Relic Entertainment has helped me right that wrong by releasing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition. As the name suggests, it brings the classic 2004 RTS to modern-day standards by polishing it up while staying true to what made the original game so iconic in the first place.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Price: $29.99 ($26.99 until August 28)
Platform: PC (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a Steam code for review
Dawn of War Definitive Edition contains four games: the Dawn of War base game and the Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, Soul Storm expansions, and a dedicated multiplayer mode. Even if you’re looking to ignore the multiplayer altogether, there is plenty of content that’ll keep you busy for a while.
Before I even loaded one of the four games, I found myself toying around with the game’s Army Painter mode. This feature allows you to customize all the playable armies by changing their colors and banners. Although this may seem like a tiny detail, it gave the game a lot of life and really allowed the players to express themselves in unique ways. But once I was done dressing up with my little army men, I jumped into the Dawn of War campaign.
Almost immediately, I understood why this game is held in such high regard. It’s a classic RTS that challenges you while teaching you how to emerge from a battle with the best possible outcome. Each mission assigns a different task, but how you go about it is entirely up to you. I often found myself building resources and ensuring my base would be safe from attackers before I ventured off into enemy territory. Even though I spent a lot of time preparing for a fight, I didn’t mind it.
A big part of RTS games is ensuring that building a base is as much fun as attacking your enemies, and thankfully, it was, especially in the early stages when you’re presented with minimal space to lay out crucial items that’ll be needed as the battle goes on. This was always a fun challenge for me because it forced me to think about what was more important in the early parts of each game/level: getting an early start on taking over land? Or was it building up resources to properly defend myself in case of an attack?
The storytelling helped me evaluate my experience. It’s worth pointing out that the base Dawn of War game and Winter Assault expansion are the only two with a traditional campaign. Both offer very different stories, but each is great in its own way. I enjoyed seeing firsthand how the Blood Ravens chapter fought off a war on multiple fronts. On the flip, seeing how the team-up of a few factions works towards a common goal in Winter Assault was something I didn’t think possible in a video game until now, and the fact that it has two campaigns and multiple endings gives you even more reason to see how differently each story plays out. As I said in my Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – Lex Imperialis DLC Review, “You know Warhammer content is good when you find yourself getting lost in countless lore videos and looking into how much a small box set of minis costs.” This is precisely what I did for multiple factions across the Warhammer 40,000 space.
Dawn of War Definitive Edition captures a lot of that old-school charm you don’t get to see anymore. There’s something so heartwarming and funny about seeing two clunky characters duel it out on top of a cliff while maintaining a straight face. Or having someone give a threatening speech while their soldiers are stuck in an idle animation makes it seem like they’re not listening to what’s happening. But the nice cherry on top is that the voice acting holds up, and listening to them talk was always a joy.
Even though Dark Crusade and Soul Storm don’t offer too much regarding story beats, they’re well worth playing in their own regard. In short, both modes have you fighting to gain control over a planet or a series of planets next to each other. That’s where a lot of the story begins and ends. But that’s not to say it’s not worth checking out; it’s quite the opposite. In both expansions, you can pick from various armies across the Warhammer 40,000 universe and get to toy around with how they play out. It’s a great way to learn the ropes and see what you do and don’t like about each army. A lot of the story is more roleplay-based, and it’s up to you to create many of them. This can be done by gaining new abilities to help you get the one-up on your opponent in battle, or by losing a plot of land.
Each army offers something a bit different that I really enjoyed. For example, the Space Marines are all around good and offer the most for someone learning the game for the first time. The Astra Militarum are more challenging to play because many of their battleline troops are easily killed and don’t offer too much firepower. But make up for it in volume and vehicles. While the Tau rely on more high-tech gear and powered suits, the Orks are just happy green men looking for a good fight.
Even though all armies play differently, they all follow some standard rules, such as having a leader attached to specific troops, maintaining morale, and unlocking new abilities. Each of these offers something unique and interesting to keep an eye out for in the heat of battle. Because some leaders make it easier to bring back fallen soldiers, while others make them stronger overall, knowing what upgrades to equip your army can make all the difference.
The Final Word
All in all, my time with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition was nothing less than spectacular. I understand now why a larger portion of the Warhammer community praises this game. It has a lot of heart and offers a lot to both the RTS and Warhammer communities. Each expansion provides something different and unique; the supported multiplayer is a nice cherry on top. If you’ve ever been curious about Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, I couldn’t think of a better way to play it than with the Definitive Edition.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
