Fans of Warhammer 40,000 have put up with a lot over the years. The IP has been the basis for a great many mobile games, only some of which have been good. The newly announced Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade looks like it has some potential, just judging from the flashy gameplay trailer. Many questions remain unanswered, though.
In this game, you'll take control of an Imperial Knight—basically a giant mech with lots of guns and stabbing weapons. Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade will apparently be a third-person "tap-to-shoot" action game. It is not entirely clear to me what this means, but it sounds like the mech will stomp around the levels automatically, and you operate the various weapons and abilities with taps. That sounds less appealing than a regular shooter, but it might still be salvageable. The graphics look great for mobile too.
We don't have an exact release date (just this fall), and pricing is not clear. I'm fairly certain it will be a freemium title as that's how most Warhammer games are handled these days. We'll keep an eye out for more info.
PRESS RELEASE
Leamington Spa, UK – Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 video gaming universe will expand in explosive fashion later this year with the arrival ofWarhammer 40,000: Freeblade, a new tap-to-shoot action combat experience with explosive big-screen visuals for the franchise’s legions of fans, developer Pixel Toys announced today.
Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade will debut for mobile and tablet devices this autumn and serves up an exclusive in being the first Warhammer 40,000 game on any platform that enables gamers to take command of an Imperial Knight, a colossal armoured war mech, and let rip with an armoury of heavy weapons in the grim darkness of the far future. The first gameplay trailer showcasing Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade’s intricately detailed models in dramatic action is now showing at showing at www.freebladegame.com.
“Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade signals a real step-change for Pixel Toys,” said Andy Wafer, co-founder of Pixel Toys, “We started Pixel Toys three years ago with a passion to use our console background to create the most exciting, visually intensive, high impact action titles for touch screen devices. With Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade we aim to deliver the rich, detailed and authentic mobile game that Warhammer fans deserve.”
Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade’s visuals are dynamite as the huge Imperial Knight mech engages in dramatic, explosive heavy weapon combat with enemy forces, played out in authentic, recognisable environments from Warhammer 40,000.
“Warhammer fans have never seen 40k’s futuristic troops, creatures and vehicles of war in combat like this before on touch screen platforms,” continued Wafer.
“We’ve recreated the 40k universe in intricate detail, authentically modelling each individual component and bringing it to life on a grand scale – fighting in close-up combat, complete with dramatic environmental destruction. Freeblade’s blockbuster visuals are coupled with mobile-appropriate gameplay and a control system that delivers intuitive yet precise control of the Imperial Knight’s weapon systems.”
Promising exciting, instinctive and intense 3rd-person tap shooter combat action, players will take command of their own Imperial Knight through a 40+ mission campaign, complete with additional dynamically-created Patrol missions. Players customise and equip their Imperial Knight to create an unstoppable war mech, ready to blast through richly-detailed destructible environments and battle with deadly enemy forces from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Complete with a versatile loot and crafting system, players can forge, upgrade and customise their Imperial Knight as the campaign progresses.
“Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is a shooter with the emphasis on perfect timing, utilising the right weapon at the right moment and precision skill,” continued Wafer. “Players take control of their Imperial Knight’s weapon system as their mech tears through the environment. This is not another normal shooter; this is where Panzer Dragoon meets Walker in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.”
From a two-man standing start in September 2012, Pixel Toys has become a fully-formed studio and a real start-up success story for the Leamington Spa digital entertainment hub. Buoyed by the success of its original IP title, Gunfinger, which has seen over 2.5m installs and achieved No.1 chart placing in multiple territories, Pixel Toys has enjoyed year-on-year growth and continues to expand its development team.
Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is due to launch for mobile and tablet devices this autumn.