When it comes to Warhammer 40 000 video games, one series stands head and shoulders above all the others, and that is the Dawn of War series. The first Dawn of War was a brilliant RTS that won fans over, while the second moved away from base building and was almost a CRPG/RTS hybrid. Then there was the third game that the less said about, the better.
Fans have been wanting a return of the series for a long time and Relic Entertainment has answered those calls with Dawn of War – Definitive Edition. This is a remaster of the original game with some quality of life changes that comes with all of the original content. This means all of the expansions and add-ons are included, but there is more to it than that.
The visuals have received some nice overhauls without overwhelming the original game, and there have been some adjustments in the gameplay, but before we go into detail about that, we should go over what the game is about. Dawn of War is, as mentioned, an RTS game that sees you take control of one of the playable factions, including the Blood Ravens space marine chapter. Things will be familiar to those who enjoy base building mechanics in games, as you must build a Stronghold, then a Barracks in order to deploy different types of Infantry, while you will need things like an Armory for Technologies such as Bionics for more health, but there are also several Strategic Points that will appear on the map that you will need to capture to generate Requisition Points.
Things feel a bit streamlined compared to other classic RTS games, but never in a way that makes the overall experience feel dumbed down. Once you get the hang of how things work and how to deploy your forces like Space Marine squads, you quickly realize how much room for innovation and customization there is. You can build a squad for any type of enemy and find the right equipment to take them down the way you want to.
There are a wide variety of weapons and unit types to choose from, as well as vehicles to use, while you can increase the amount of heavy weapons your squads use, when a Dreadnought is used, or choose to give Marines power swords and let them go all out in melee. However, you also need to maintain and upgrade strongholds for other changes such as getting more unite and commander options.Handle it right, and you will have a blast going after the enemies, but mess up and you will make things harder than they need to be, unless of course you want a self imposed challenge that is.
This is not even getting into the Morale system which affects both your units and the enemy unit, and must be properly managed to ensure your forces do not run when depleted, while the enemy does. This sounds simple enough, but the game will provide more challenging conflicts and throw more options your way that you will need to manage. Sometimes you will need to focus on using regular Space Marines to draw fire while using Missile Launchers to destroy buildings. You will also need to focus on constructing defenses for chokepoints, and using Scouts for stealth purposes. Not to mention the fact that the enemy will try and take back the Strategic Points and will throw distractions your way to keep you focused elsewhere.
So what does the Definitive Edition change? Well, as mentioned there are a number of visual changes that , while not massive, are a welcome improvement. This includes units, environments and vehicles having far more detail, better lighting and textures while maintaining the same art direction. But visuals are just one part of the package.
You have a lot more control over things in the Definitive Edition, with the camera being particularly improved, with better controls and increased zoom distance to give you a better view of the field. Pathfinding has also been reworked, which removes a lot of the frustration that tends to come with this type of game. In addition, the user interface has been improved and rescaled to make things more clear and easier to use.
By far the biggest addition to Dawn of War – Definitive Edition is the change to a 64-bit engine and the addition of an integrated mod manager. Dawn of War is known for its many beloved mods, but many struggled to work on the original game, while the move to a 64-bit engine ensures a new future for modding. The integrated mod manager also shows that Relic is serious about not only supporting long term modding for the game, but also ensuring that it becomes as easy as possible for every player to try out these mods.
Otherwise, Dawn of War – Definitive Edition feels like the best version of this classic game. The multiplayer is still here and works as great as ever, and the inclusion of every expansion and add-on is excellent. Even with the occasional FX bug popping up here and there while playing and occasional hiccups with pathfinding that will hopefully be ironed out, this just feels like a treat for fans of the games.
While Dawn of War – Definitive Edition could do with some more optimization here and there and other quality-of-life additions, like text size in some sections, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition is the best way to play the game. It brings the classic into the current generation, while keeping everything that fans loved about the games, and showed that Relic was listening to fan feedback when making this game. This is a remaster done right, and now all that is needed is for Dawn of War II to get the same treatment.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
