Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader will captivate two types of players in particular. The first group includes fans of turn-based, tactical CRPGs, especially those with a strong focus on combat. The second group consists of Warhammer 40K fans who love the game universe and its lore. If you find yourself somewhere in this target audience, Rogue Trader could be your new obsession. Players who were converted to CRPGs by Baldur's Gate 3 will find a similar but more challenging experience in Rogue Trader.
Rogue Trader's prologue tutorial teaches the basics of movement and combat and sets the tone of the narrative. However, it doesn't necessarily gently introduce you to Warhammer's deep lore. Essentially, you are an outsider in the system with a strong desire to make a profit. The Imperium of Man gives you a massive ship and its blessing. Your tasks include exploring the boundaries of the empire, discovering new planets, building trade and alliances, and defeating resistance groups.
The Gameplay of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
Decisions and Management
In Rogue Trader, almost every action or story decision has consequences. The crew is massive, and you control a ship with hundreds of citizens. Decisions matter. After all, your mini-empire includes a range of planets to manage.
Tactical Combat
Managing the economy of ships and planets is only one-third of the challenge in Rogue Trader. The other two are small, turn-based battles and ship-to-ship combat.
Smaller encounters in Rogue Trader follow familiar rules. You command a small group in tactical battles. Positioning and cover mechanics play a crucial role. Each character has a set of special abilities on cooldown timers, but they can only use one per round.
The ship-to-ship space battles feel like an interesting element that doesn't quite fit. The naval battles really drag on and slow down the pace of an otherwise exciting game.
The Warhammer 40K Flair
Warhammer 40,000 is more focused on political and institutional rivalries, competing religions, and economic warfare. This is expressed in Rogue Trader's excellent writing style and the visual design of the ship and other environments.
Voice Acting and Storytelling
Although Rogue Trader's voice acting may not quite match that of Baldur's Gate 3, it is generally good, and there is a lot of it. CRPG fans heavily invested in Warhammer 40K will thoroughly enjoy Rogue Trader, but there is enough background story and written lore to bring newcomers up to speed and introduce them to the community.
Overall Assessment of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
- The Good:
- Great Warhammer 40K atmosphere and setting
- Engaging characters and story
- Tactical combat is excellent
- The Bad:
- Slow naval battles
- Very text-heavy and complex
- Some minor bugs
Overall Rating: 80/100
If you're now eager to conquer the universe as a Rogue Trader, take a look at our Steam Key page. There you will not only find the key for Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, but also many other exciting games.
