Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is a wonderfully animated Sci-Fi adventure for Windows 10 that places you in a mechanical battle suit to slay endless invaders to your home planet.
Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, the free game sports user-friendly combat controls, tons of upgrades and additions for your battle suit that includes cannons, missiles, thermal blasters, shields and more to destroy enemy troops and armaments. The campaign mode includes over 170 missions to tackle and there is a multiplayer mode where you can take on another gamer's knight.
Overall, Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is a visually stunning game and represents the best of what the Universal Windows Platform can offer touch-based games.
Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade has you playing the role of a young Imperial Knight who joins the Dark Angels Space Marines to defend the planet of Tarnis. You are equipped with an armored battle suit, the Freeblade, that can be fitted with cannons, missiles, Gatling guns and other weapons. Your job is simple, destroy the enemy invaders who wish to overtake Tarnis.
When you first launch Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade, the game takes you through a comprehensive tutorial on gameplay and managing your battle suit. While the game has several modes of play, initially, only the campaign is available. This mode has over 170 missions to tackle, ridding the streets of ogres and other monsters who are up to no good.
Additional game modes become available as you advance through the campaign, including a Salvage Team operation, Quests, Events and Multiplayer Modes. The Salvage Team mode has you sending additional Freeblades to search for natural resources that can be used to upgrade weapons. Quests and Events are objective based missions, and the Multiplayer Mode pits you against another Warhammer player's Freeblade to see who's top dog.
Regardless of the game mode, forward movement is automatic, and the Freeblade stops as it engages the enemy. Weapon control is gesture based, for example firing the main gun is done by tapping on the screen on your target or firing missiles requires a two-point tap and drag to your target. Mouse and keyboard controls are available for Windows 10 devices that lack a touchscreen. As new weapons or techniques become available, additional tutorials for new gestures appear.
One thing to keep in mind is that some weapons take a few seconds to reload and the primary machine gun can overheat. When the gun overheats, it takes a few seconds to cool down and become operable again.
Along with fighting minion forces, you often encounter enemy Freeblades and Bosses in which combat is turned based and success is dependent on timing. A meter appears along the bottom of the game display, and you tap the screen as twin bars move across this meter to the center of the display. The closer these bars are to the center; the more intense your strike is against the enemy.
Eventually, you have the option to customize your Freeblade's armaments before deployment for a mission. You can choose shields, missiles, Gatling guns and more to wreak havoc on your enemy. The color scheme of your Freeblade can also be customized to offer a personal touch to your efforts at annihilating the enemy.
Utter Destruction
The gaming experience with Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is rich and incredibly fun. The graphics are top notch with plenty of detail and fluid animations. Learning the controls can take a few tries to get right, but never frustratingly so. Its gameplay offers an entertaining level of difficulty to test your skills at strategy, management, and multi-tasking. It can be challenging to launch a series of missiles at enemy tanks as you shred ground troops with your primary machine gun. In among the visual carnage, there is an infectious sense of satisfaction with the utter destruction you can unleash upon your enemy.
The only nit I can think of with Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is that when played from a Windows 10 Mobile phone, load times can be lengthy. If you are looking for a game to satisfy your gaming itch quickly, this is not what you are looking for. Asides from the lengthy load times, Warhammer plays out extremely well from the Microsoft Lumia 950XL and 950. If you can be patient with the load times, Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is a great, time-consuming mobile game.
I did not experience any load time delays with the Windows 10 PC version, however, and the larger screen pulls out more detail with Warhammer's graphics. While there is keyboard/mouse support, its touchscreen controls seem to make gameplay more fluid and smooth. This is a game in which the additional resources a PC offer comes in handy with regards to overall performance.
Outstanding
4.5/5
While the Windows 10 Mobile version calls for a little patience at times, overall Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is an excellent Windows 10 game. The graphics will not disappoint, the controls are user-friendly, and its gameplay keeps you on your toes. If you like action/adventure games to fill your gaming needs, Warhammer is a can't-miss game.