Necromunda: Underhive Wars

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 29
  3. Negative: 10 out of 29

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  1. Angelhelm
    Sep 14, 2020
    10
    if you do play this, do the world a favour and don't rate it because it'd be like a person with no taste buds rating classy cuisine.
  2. doc_rocker
    Sep 9, 2020
    9
    As a 25 year vet of the tabletop version, and being my favorite GW/Warhammer TT game i can confidently say this is a faithful and fairly good representation of the underhive. OK, the visuals, whilst maby not being the awe-inspiring 4K 240Hz RTX enabled thing that some have come to expect of games these days... IMHO the look of Underhive Wars is fantastic and captures the aesthetic of theAs a 25 year vet of the tabletop version, and being my favorite GW/Warhammer TT game i can confidently say this is a faithful and fairly good representation of the underhive. OK, the visuals, whilst maby not being the awe-inspiring 4K 240Hz RTX enabled thing that some have come to expect of games these days... IMHO the look of Underhive Wars is fantastic and captures the aesthetic of the GW IP. The Campaign mode is somewhat linear, but i think some are missing the point in that Necromunda is all about gang creation, curation and campaign opponent play.

    Sure there is an AI but the general strategic chops of most AI's leaves a lot to be desired. Playing against another person, pitting strategies and skills against another gang is exactly what the TT version of Necromunda is all about. The construction of a gang, the narrative that you want to build with that gang is the real joy of the game. Who gets what skill, do you build around a single strategy and what happens when the whole thing goes 'Pete Tong!'

    The game is supposed to be about 'regular' grunts with pretty basic weapons beating seven shades of stuff out of each other. We're not Space Marines, and so crazy powerful weapons are not supposed to be common, things are supposed to break/explode in you're face... some gangers are supposed to be useless... that's part of the charm. There is nothing quite so satisfying when you roll that 6 and do something very unlikely with a character that isn't supposed to be able to do that... those are the things that you remember for years.

    And in that, the game does a great job of taking the TT version of Necromunda and translating this into a digital format. I get a really good sense of the rules, the narrative and the overall feeling. Apart from some of the obvious rule changes they clearly had to make for the transition, the game (to me) feels exactly like a Table Top experience... Fantastic IMHO!

    So far I've put about 10 hours into the game and I've had no crashes, no graphical glitches and very few other issues

    Being totally honest, yes there are some down sides...
    - The AI is a little dumb in places, or makes some strategically questionable decisions
    - Some of the TT rules don't seem to have translated - pinning tests near edges of walkways and blaze tests for flamer weapons
    - The inability to upgrade characters throughout the story mode... seeing as you're playing all of them, i don't see why it would be an issue.
    - Lack of ALL the ORIGINAL gangs... We do need the Cawdor, Van Saar and Delaque as a minimum... but i also want to see the Outland (Redemption, Scavvies, Ash Wastes, Sump sea, Spyrers, Underhive Monsters etc). And also the new things recently added such as the Corpse Grinders, Genestealer Cults, Chaos Cults etc. The 30+ year IP is HUGE!

    Overall, these are small nit picks against a pretty solid game that should have a lot of life in it... if you enjoy that sort of thing.

    For me the best thing is that i can now play Necromunda with my Gaming Group, but do it digitally... this is a big thing. And when i can't, there is always the AI to beat down!

    Now we just need some expansions for the rest of the IP    … Expand
  3. Demongunner360
    Sep 9, 2020
    8
    I have seen a lot of talk about this game recently. People keep trashing the campaign, but they fail to understand that the developer stated from the beginning that the campaign is actually a glorified tutorial with some story fluff.

    To give this some context, Necromunda has A LOT of skills, abilites, mechanics and weaponry. More than any other turn based strategy game i have ever seen.    I have seen a lot of talk about this game recently. People keep trashing the campaign, but they fail to understand that the developer stated from the beginning that the campaign is actually a glorified tutorial with some story fluff.

    To give this some context, Necromunda has A LOT of skills, abilites, mechanics and weaponry. More than any other turn based strategy game i have ever seen. As you work through the campaign, the story bounces between 3 different gangs. Every time you play one of the gangs you see the same gang members but at higher level than the last time you played them. They are basically auto levelled for you as you progress. The reason this is important is because even at chapter 11 out of 15, i was still learning about new abilities and mechanics. People who casually play this game for a few hours will judge it while having no clue about its depth. Its the most tactical turn based strategy game around. Of that i have no doubt.

    Beyond that, graphics are really good. The maps are particularly detailed and lovingly crafted. They capture the feel of Necromunda perfectly. Their verticality is also unprecedented and while this could lead to confusion, the mapping tool is the best i have ever seen. It clearly shows everything and you can strip away layers at will to expose details in the more built up parts.

    Customisation and variation is also incredibly vast. You can change many parts about each gang member while also having an astounding amount of weaponry and abilities to choose from. Whoever put together the mechanics for this game and how all the abilities work with each other deserves a medal.

    I haven't really played the sandbox mode where you create your own gang and this is intended to be the main game mode. I want to complete the story first as it unlocks some extra fluff for the gang creation.

    However i already appreciate how good the game is without even starting that yet!

    As for negatives, well the AI sometimes makes questionable choices but its NOWHERE near as bad as some people make out. I think it is also countered by the fact the AI sometimes pulls things out you would never realise as a human so it balances.

    The pacing can be slow at times but that is the nature of the game. Each character is far more in depth than other turn based strategy titles and so there is more emphasis on small numbers but more control.

    Some of the campaign missions are a bit tricky too as they reveal objectives after the fact, so if you made certain decisions earlier in the mission it may cause you to fail in the long run and each mission can take a while so it can be frustrating. Word of advice: don't plant any explosives until everything else is done as it starts a countdown of turns.

    All in all, a great turn based strategy title in its own right with some genuinely fresh mechanics over the rest of the genre. Marred by some pacing and missions objective issues.

    If you are a Necromunda fan as well, the review is a 9 and you will love it. Just give it a chance.    … Expand
  4. hiotogreth
    Jun 10, 2021
    9
    A good meat shooter in a familiar setting.
    Good music, good shooting, only WAAAGH is missing ^^

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 3 out of 9
  1. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 21, 2020
    50
    Necromunda: Underhive Wars is potentially a splendidly entertaining tactical game with lot of depth and atmosphere but, at the moment, it is marred by a plethora of technical issues that make it a chore to play.
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  2. The Indie Game Website
    Sep 30, 2020
    60
    Building off of the XCOM style of strategy, you get to decide how you move and act or react as you’re fighting it out. While the strategy can be fun, it’s all a bit sluggish, and that can make each fight feel as though it takes an eternity. On top of that, it’s visually just a bit early 2000s, with the colour brown seemingly being the inspiration for everything. It’s not a bad game, but it’s not a good one really either.
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  3. Strategy Gamer
    Sep 10, 2020
    60
    Necromunda: Underhive Wars works and that's just about all that it does. The frustrating lack of color and speed does not do it any favors.
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