Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Reviews
If you have enjoyed previous Owlcat works, then odds are good that you’re going to like Rogue Trader as well. The game is obviously a work of passion for the team, and while it is by no means perfect, you can get a lot of enjoyment from it if you are a fan of classic isometric role-playing games and Warhammer 40,000 in particular.
Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader does a great job of putting you in the shoes of space royalty. You travel around galaxies and explore new areas while addressing issues that plague your rule. Combat is strategic and encourages you to use the strengths of your companions. Exploring new galaxies and harvesting resources immerses you in the role of Rogue Trader, encouraging you to be the ruler you want to be. Unfortunately, there's a lot of information to learn for players new to Warhammer 40K and the maps aren't very helpful. But if you are willing to spend the time to learn and experiment, there's a fun strategy RPG waiting to be explored.
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader delivers the sort of space opera CRPG we didn't know we needed. From excellent visuals to combat and character systems so detailed it almost hurts, Rogue Trader will keep CRPG players busy for a very long time.
So if you're a Baldur's Gate 3 fan hankering for another expansive CRPG adventure, your first glance may put you off Rogue Trader. But if you temper your expectations, and give it some time to grow on you, you'll find a lot to love. And if you're a Warhammer 40k fan hoping for some grim dark adventuring among the stars, you'll love it all the more.
CRPG fans heavily invested in Warhammer 40K will thoroughly enjoy Rogue Trader, but there’s enough backstory and written lore to bring newcomers up to speed and into the fold. Rogue Trader is generous to a fault with combat and sometimes the momentum stalls in the naval combat or over-lengthy tactical battles. Overall, Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader is an engaging turn-based RPG and another reminder of how rich the Warhammer universe can be.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader treats the Games Workshop board game license with respect, granting the opportunity of fully immersing into a universe that fully meets the expectations of franchise's fans. Owlcat Games has crafted a role-playing video game that guarantees a fair amount of freedom of choice with concrete consequences both in the development of the plot and in the balance of power within the Koronus Expanse. It's a shame for the technical state it is in, otherwise we'd have a masterpiece in our hands.
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Owlcat Games took special care of their endeavor in creating a beautifully grim setting within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Nearly everywhere you look, Rogue Trader nails its digital realization of the source material. The grittiness of the surroundings is reflected in the brutality of battle, but ground combat far exceeds the tedium of the space-bound dogfights. There's truly a great Warhammer 40,000 game here, both for newcomers and longtime fans, but its edges remain rougher than desired due to a litany of bugs and inconsistent difficulty problems. A great game exists on the other side of focused patches, but right now it's only "mostly" good.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a game with immense potential, steeped in the rich lore of its source material and offering a depth of gameplay that will delight fans of the franchise. While its current version is marred by technical issues and a steep learning curve, the game’s commitment to its universe and narrative complexity make it a noteworthy addition to the RPG genre.
This is the Warhammer 40,000 experience that I’ve wanted from a video game for two decades. A game that gleefully wallows in the medieval futurism of its setting. A game that isn’t about winning wars on the battlefield, but focuses on all of the grim-dark insanity that goes on behind it all.
In the end, the moments of jank and the less-than-gripping combat didn’t diminish my experience or my desire to play. I still enjoyed leveling my character. I still enjoyed building my party, especially where skills were concerned. I was also impressed by the intuitive nature of skill checks. When making a check, the game will automatically select the character with the highest rank in that skill to carry out the check. It’s a small touch, but a nice one. Ultimately, this is an easy game to recommend if you like RPGs that put their narrative forward and build their characters in meaningful ways. It may not find a home in everyone’s collections, but it will be a shining star for fans of the setting who appreciate a narrative focus.
Rogue Trader is a near-perfect encapsulation of 40k. Its dark-but-pulpy story puts you in the position to make tough choices with no right answers, its combat is a healthy mix of TTRPG and game balance, and the amount of content on display is jaw-dropping. The Emperor has blessed Owlcat Games.
A long awaited Warhammer 40K CRPG executed superbly not only in terms of combat but also story, atmosphere, and character building.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the sort of game that the Warhammer 40K setting has long needed. A disgustingly massive, social calendar swallowing CRPG offering, Rogue Trader's numerous presentation issues aren't enough to distract from its galaxy-spanning odyssey into Games Workshop's most famous and beloved setting.
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader delivers a solid option for players who are looking to lose themselves in the darkness of the franchise’s universe.
Paying extensive homage to the source material while weaving a compelling tale of its own, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an involving experience with fun combat and memorable characters.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an excellent adaptation of the Warhammer universe into a genre that some may expect not to work. A compelling RPG with a strong understanding of its original property, it’s a great example of the classic C-RPGs of the 1990s and early 2000s. Although it perhaps does nothing revolutionary, it provides an intriguing and exciting adventure, especially for fans of the tabletop game.
If you’re a 40K fan or just looking for a combat-heavy RPG outside of the normal fantasy fare, Rogue Trader will make a welcome addition to your library. It dives deeper into the setting and lore than any other video game to date, showing that it’s clearly a game by fans, for fans. Owlcat gave us multiple Pathfinder RPGs - hopefully, we’ll see more adventures in the Koronus Expanse in the future as well.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a phenomenal roleplaying experience offering an immersive story and an impressive, highly-connected web of features and systems. The soundtrack, writing and voice over are all deliciously over the top, and gameplay provides a new step forward in a tactical cRPG genre, rewarding positioning, teamwork and attention to details. If you are new to the Warhammer franchise, the game can serve as a perfect stepping stone into the universe.
Rogue Trader is very much a release in the Owlcat Games mould, combining a great degree of customization with a solid story, meaningful choices, and interesting characters. While all that, combined with excellent use of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, comes perilously close to pushing Rogue Trader into the greatest realm of CRPGs, unfortunate balance issues, obtuse design elements, and myriad bugs prevent the title from achieving its full potential.
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is an astoundingly complex game that perfectly conveys the feeling of living in the 41st millennium. Its story is entrancing from the get-go, the characters are diverse and memorable and the gameplay will keep you hooked to your screen for hours on end. It's a must-play for diehard Warhammer fans and a great entry point for prospecting Warhammer fans. As far as Warhammer games are concerned, it's a definite 10, and a new benchmark for storytelling in the franchise.