Box Art for Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command
Squad Command, also called Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command, is a strategy game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, released on November 16, 2007, for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.
The game was developed by RedLynx and published by THQ. The game features three Space Marine Chapters pitted against three Traitor Legions of Chaos (two and two for the Nintendo DS) battling it out on the planet of Rhur III.
The game features units from the tabletop wargame such as Dreadnoughts,Defilers, Land Raiders, Whirlwinds, Scouts, Terminators and more.
Single Player Mode[]
The single-player campaign follows the Imperium's Ultramarines Space Marine forces over the course of 15 cinematically-linked missions as they fend off an incursion by the Word Bearers Traitor Legion on the planet of Rhur III.
There are 15 different missions in the game, many of which have different objectives including:
- Eliminating all hostiles
- Killing a specific unit or group of units
- Destroying an object or a group of objects
- Defending an object, such as a vehicle
- Reaching a certain area on the map
- Surviving for a set amount of turns
Multiplayer[]
The multi-player function can support up to nine players on local wireless connection or globally via Wi-Fi.
The mode has nine different maps and players choose between three Space Marine Chapters (Ultramarines, Imperial Fists and the Salamanders) or three Chaos Space Marine Legions (Word Bearers, Warriors of Mayhem and the Black Legion) to side with and battle against.
Squad command on the Nintendo DS also allows for a limited (1 vs. 1) DS download play option, featuring 4 different Space Marine Chapters to choose from.
Gameplay Features[]
Squad Command uses a unique turn-based gameplay system to mimic the play of the tabletop wargame.
It features fully destructible 3D environments and over 20 weapons to utilize, such as the bolter and powerfist [scroll down for a full list]. According to THQ, Squad Command will fully make use of the two platforms portable functionality.
Squad Command uses Hit Points (HP) and Action Points (AP). Hit Points are used to calculate damage to a unit, when a unit's HP hits zero they are removed from the battle as a casualty. Action Points represent the time a unit has to act in a round, and are expended when the unit moves or fires a weapon. Movement uses up varying amounts of AP depending on the distance moved (up to all a unit's AP, if so desired) whereas weapons have a minimum amount allowable.
The player can simulate taking time to aim a shot to increase accuracy, by increasing the amount of AP used whilst firing. This is depicted by a band of fluctuating color, which tightens and darkens as more AP are spent, until a shot is virtually guaranteed to hit. Terrain is destructible as well, allowing for sufficiently powerful weapons to destroy an object and simultaneously damage enemies taking cover behind it.
If a unit ends its turn with enough AP to fire their weapon, they enter "Overwatch" mode during the enemy's turn. In Overwatch any enemy unit that enters the Overwatch unit's line-of-sight is fired upon. Some heavy weapons (such as Sniper Rifles or Plasma Guns) lower the amount of AP a unit may use in a turn, to simulate the added time taken and complexity of their use.
Units from the tabletop game are featured in the game, including:
- Imperium: Scout Marines, Space Marines, Terminators, Grey Knights Terminators, Predator Destructors, Land Speeders, Dreadnoughts, Land Raiders and Whirlwinds
- Chaos: Chaos Cultist, Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Terminator, Obliterators, Bloodletters of Khorne (referred to as "Summoned Bloodletters" in the game), Chaos Predator Destructors, Chaos Dreadnought, Chaos Land Raiders and Defilers
Weapons available to infantry units include:
- Bolter, Cultist Rifle, Combat Shotgun, Heavy Bolter, Sniper Rifle, Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun, Chainsword, Lascannon, Power Fist, Storm Bolter, Heavy Flamer, Assault Cannon, Psycannon and the Incinerator
Weapons available to vehicles include:
- Autocannon, Heavy Bolter, Lascannon, Heavy Flamer, Assault Cannon, Dreadnought Power Fist, Twin-linked Lascannon, Twin-linked Heavy Bolter, Missile Launcher and Whirlwind Missile Launcher
Sources[]
- White Dwarf (UK) 335
- Squad Command official website
- Squad Command at THQ
- Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command (Nintendo DS Version)
- Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command Game Manual (Nintendo DS Version)
- Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command (PSP version)