March’s RPS Game Club pick is... Warhammer 40,000: Darktide!

Hope everyone enjoyed the RPS Game Club returning with Cobalt Core, though personally, I’ve always found deckbuilders a bit short on the screaming slaughter of unclean heretics. Put down the cards and pick up a boltgun, then, as this month’s Game Club pledges eternal service (until April) to Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

While it only released late in 2022, this co-op shooter/slasher has both grown considerably and pulled off an ambitious rework of its four misfit, Emprah-loving player classes. In addition to a number of entertaining, increasingly intense new missions, a massive skill tree overhaul has unlocked all manner of outlandish new abilities to play with. Shoot lightning from your hands! Shout at your friends so loudly they become invincible! Throw a big stone at people, killing them instantly!

These additions and tweaks were not just welcome, but arguably necessary. I liked Darktide on launch, but in hindsight it was just a pretty good Left 4 Deadlike with a rubbish, overly randomised gear system. Now it feels much more like it’s doing its own thing, which happily still involves plenty of meaty shooting and rhythmic bludgeoning, not to mention a somewhat less rubbish gear system that grants more control over which mutant-smiting tools you unlock and how you upgrade them.

In other words, if you recoiled at the touch of 2022-spec Darktide’s rough edges, now is a fine time to give it another shot – and if you’ve never tried it, why not have a go this month? It’s £33 on Steam but is included with PC Game Pass, and there’s full crossplay between the two. Another patched-in improvement, incidentally. And of course, we’ll be scribbling our own thoughts here on the site throughout March, culminating in a big friendly liveblog in which we can all share our thoughts/complain about RNG/hold hands and pray that Space Marine 2 isn’t delayed again.

I’m pencilling in 4pm on Friday March 29th for that liveblog. See you then, unless we end up sharing a righteous purge in the meantime.