Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance Review

Despite the name and initial setting, there's not much here that Warhammer fans will warm to. Instead, Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance is a fairly typical lane defense game that owes a lot more to Plants vs Zombies than it does the beloved tabletop game.

It starts out fairly promisingly with players able to choose between controlling the Orks or the Dark Angels, each offering a different storyline, but it's hardly the most gripping of tales. An overly comprehensive tutorial doesn't help with a fairly slow start, interrupting things when they've hardly begun.

Essentially, Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance works like most lane defense games. Players place units on each lane with the aim being to capture places to the right. Five lanes exist with most levels completed by capturing three of those five. It's possible to place energy generating buildings as well as barrack style places, with the two combined allowing for the placement of more units. These units are produced as cards so they can be put aside for later use, assuming one has the requisite amount of energy to do so. Such cards can also be used up to go towards a different type of resource, which can then be put towards special attacks or superior units.

It's a simple and initially reasonably entertaining concept, but it has its issues. For one thing it gets fairly repetitive. At times, the game attempts to mix things up such as more strategic stages involving being given a set number of units to defeat the enemy. There are skill trees to delve into as well, although these are often a bit fiddly on the small screen of the iPhone. Most frustrating is the complete stupidity that troops demonstrate. It's possible for them to attack adjacent lanes but they still continue to march forward, often marching straight past their foes and often changing the course of battle for the worse. It damages the tactical nuances that the game is clearly trying to aim for.

There's plenty to do here with over 50 missions per factions, backed up by optional stages, so it's a shame that Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance turns quite repetitive and occasionally infuriating after a time. With the story failing to truly entice, it's mostly one for diehard fans.