Necromunda: Underhive Wars

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a lot like many other Warhammer video game adaptations. It has rugged charisma to it and I got really immersed in its customization tools, atmosphere, and mechanics but once again, the game lacks that final polish. Alongside the uneven implementation of gameplay ideas and dodgy AI, I experienced crashes and loads locking up, so the game is in a severe need of patching (luckily, exiting, and re-booting the game takes back to the latest autosave). If only one day we got a big-budget Warhammer game with appropriate finishing touches. Meanwhile, anyone seeking for a grittier and more personal and transparent XCOM-type could do a lot worse than give Necromunda: Underhive Wars a shot. It has many genre-firsts that should be applauded for.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a great strategy game, with pacing that leaves the entire experience marred. The slow crawl of progress is enough to drive you insane, but despite all of that, it's still a darn good time. If you have a lot of time free and enjoy Warhammer, this is a solid choice, but I'm praying we get an update with a game speed increase option - or a mod, for the PC version.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a Third person turn-based strategy based on a war- game in the 40k universe. While it is a good representation of the core gameplay of the war-game, Necromunda is lacking in several segments that need fixing.

There is a lot to like in Necromunda: Underhive Wars, and there are some fresh ideas that bring a welcome change to the turn-based strategy genre. But those positives are let down by an overall lack of polish and finish. Combat drags on a bit more than it should, and the initial phase of learning the game is pretty frustrating for newcomers, without a whole lot of help from the developers. If you are a fan of the Warhammer universe, and especially if you’ve played the Necromunda tabletop game, you should definitely check it out. Otherwise, you might want to wait a bit for some updates.

Necomunda: Underhive Wars has a great verticality to its level design and a varied approach to the campaign. Despite the rather dour environments, the action does have some weight to it that can keep players engaged. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel convenient or streamlined and the learning process can feel steep. Battles require a serious time investment and it isn't helped by a dawdling AI that sometimes wont make the smartest decisions. Those with the patience might enjoy its tactical elements but I found myself somewhat daunted by it.

While we would have preferred to see an adaptation of the grunnier 90s tabletop game, Necromunda: Underhive Wars is still a thorough, faithful adaptation of a Games Workshop classic. Its strategic skirmishing gameplay can prove rewarding, but it's clunky and gets bogged down by technical issues and stodgy pacing. Necromunda fans will delight in being able to create their own Underhive mob though casual fans of the genre may want to stay clear if they’re not particularly fussed about Warhammer 40K.

Although Necromunda: Underhive Wars does have some interesting features, particularly with its vertical level design and emphasis on individual units, its flaws may be too much for some players to look past. When it's all clicking well it can be a futuristic thrill, but it can become tiresome quickly when things become too slow. Fans of the tabletop game may be pleased to see Necromunda get another lifeline, but it may be a little too obscure to be a must-have for anyone else.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars has potential, but never quite lives up to it thanks to slow-paced battles and dodgy AI.

On paper the game has it all; in reality, Necromunda is clunky, plagued by bugs, including hard crashes and desynced audio, and an old-fashioned approach to the genre. [Issue#181, p.94]

It's sad to see that Necromunda can't deliver on its full potential, even though the concept itself is great. Good tactical or RTS games, based on Warhammer 40,000 universe, are always a treat. We still cherish our memories of Squad Command for PSP, and in 2018 it was Mechanicus' turn. Rogue Factor had a solid foundation with Mordheim, but then went nowhere with it, which is quite disappointing.