Games Workshop, Proxy Studios e Slitherine Ltd. take us to a mysterious and narrow planet, where four of the most famous factions of the mythical world of Warhammer 40,000 (Orcs, Necron, Space Marines and Astra Militarum), must give them a holy reason for the absolute conquest of the dominance over the resources of Gladius. Who will be the winner of this bloody new fight? 
An endless struggle
Whenever we talk about video games set in the magnificent universe of Warhammer, wargame fans always go there with lead feet. How can you blame them? Unfortunately going to tighten the games that have really hit the mark released so far are very few (Vermintide 2 or Dawn Of War).
Very often it was directly blamed on mom GW, because it sold its rights to small software houses, unable for resources and perhaps experience to make titles worthy of the sequel to this particular universe. Warhammer 40,000 Gladius: Relics of War luckily though, it could be one of those pleasant exceptions. The new title of turn-based strategy has been entrusted to the Proxy Studios, a small software house founded in 2009 by highly skilled developers.
In the first turn-based strategy video game set in the universe of Warhammer 40,000, the developers offer us an unconventional video game, where a very brutal approach is needed right from the start. In this title, the use of "diplomacy" is not covered and the factions on that planet have only one purpose: to fight. This is one of the most revolutionary ideas of the title; certainly the lovers of the 4X genre may not initially take it well, but the abandonment of diplomacy establishes a dynamic that streamlines everything else, making the title pleasant, fast and very intuitive, also suitable for newbies to the genre. Suffice it to say that generally this function within a 4X title is strongly intertwined with many systems, from war, to trade, to exchanges, not to mention kingdoms and strategies. For this reason, by eliminating it you will miss the weight of an entire system.
The only small diplomatic note, if we want to find it, concerns the part in which our kingdoms will be able to accumulate important resources, buying them from some shops considered neutral on the territory of Gladius; otherwise everyone is at war with everyone.
Explore, Expand, Harness and Exterminate
The four words chosen for the title of this paragraph are not taken at random. We took them directly from the video presentation of the game and we have proposed them again because the title of Proxy Studios it focuses only on these dynamics.
Exploration is the first thing we learn to do when we start playing this new 4X title. After choosing one of the four factions, Astra Militarum, Space Marines, Orks or Necron, each with its own style of play, players will have to explore the world that is generated randomly, each time fraught with special characteristics and above all wild monsters to face.
Exploration is fundamental and complicated at the same time, as exploring the whole map without first having created solid defenses behind it is practically useless. In every corner of the map you can meet dangerous monsters (NPCs) capable of making you lose many resources and sink the morale of your army or, even, you can be taken aback by one of the other factions. It is therefore important to fortify yourself and find some artifacts that will grant you a certain advantage against your enemies for a certain period of time.
Expansion, as we said before, is one of those dynamics that tend to be taken lightly. In Gladius, doing so could be devastating. The construction of cities and buildings is also closely linked to the construction of fortifications or defenses. Expanding your empire is an important undertaking, and you will need all your strategy to understand when and where to build your most important outposts. In this phase, in addition to founding cities, you will also have to look for new technologies and new resources, creating small internal economies capable of making you take giant steps with new and very strong technologies: upgrading war machines, building new weapons or even improving nutrition. of your citizens. Hence the word, exploit.
It is of fundamental importance to exploit progress: each faction will have its own technologies and ways of using certain resources. The background of Warhammer 40,000 it comes out precisely on these occasions, where the real difference between the various factions emerges in all its beautiful facets.
Finally we have come to the word that perhaps everyone craves most: Exterminate. As I mentioned at the beginning, the predominant part of Warhammer 40,000 Gladius: Relics of War it is war itself. It is deliberately the last of this short list because, if you don't work hard first, once you arrive in battle you will often find yourself defeated. Get into action with Gladius it's really cool, because you will be impressed to see how well the models are made and it's thrilling to be able to lead your armies not only on the real game table, but also from home with the mouse.
A simple but effective strategy
Gladius overall it collects almost all the dynamics of a normal 4X game and, despite this, it is surprisingly intuitive. The developers, in addition to launching an attractive interface, in perfect line with those who are the designs GW, they have also made it simple thanks to the insertion of a simple red button that, at each turn, reminds you what can be done on that occasion so as to never lose pace with the enemy and not to forget to search for, requisition new units, claim tiles and so on.
The players will have to be careful, despite this, for many dynamics: juggling, requisition, population, energy, research and expansion points. It is also really interesting to be able to modify the abilities of your heroes and upgrades along the way, so as to direct the equipment and armaments as you wish. And this is precisely one of the strengths of the title: even if the factions are few in comparison to all those existing in the universe of Warhammer 40,000, each of them is really well characterized.
Each faction will use their own weapons and will enjoy different customizations, ranges, mechanics and statistics. The part relating to the statistics is obviously similar to that of the wargame: in fact, every army will love certain places rather than others and will have to move intelligently to build the establishments necessary to win this long and bloody war. Players will have to take care to manage a simple and effective economy, with few resources and with truly non-existent internal revolutions. It will also be important to be able to increase one's level of research. There are in fact 10 levels of research, in which it is not difficult to progress, and every time you manage to unlock a level you will conquer a weapon, such as a fragmentation grenade, new units, such as huge Dreadnought or new bands of Ork Boyz, o special abilities, including orbital attacks and temporary buffs. Mercifully there are some incremental state changes or minor economic improvements.
All this simplicity and intuitiveness could sometimes dampen a bit the enthusiasm for the title, but just when we feel the lack of betrayals or internal riots, Gladius proposes surprise enemy or alien attacks that will be able to get us back in the right mood, ready for a new battle.
In conclusion
Graphically and technically, the title succeeds in satisfying the eye: the small studio has worked hard with the characterization of landscapes and armies; sometimes, however, some animations or some models seem a bit neglected. The sound sector manages to carve out its space, with all-out effects that stand out during the battles. Technically, the game is simpler and more intuitive than the rest of the 4X in circulation, but it will be able to reach many more people, because not everyone wants to puzzle for hours, sometimes even just to understand the basics of the game. I liked this interpretation a lot, in addition to the fact that it was also set in the universe GW, another reason why I would recommend buying the game. Warhammer 40,000 Gladius: Relics of War is one of those games where the license GW has finally been well used: it is worth being able to risk falling in love with this simple but energetic 4X.
