Warhammer 40,000 Gladius Relics Of War is a classic 4X turn based strategy game with a predictably Warhammer twist. For the uninitiated, a 4X game is simply a turn based strategy game built on four “Xs” and in Gladius’ case, they are explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. To give a comparable game think of Sid Meyer’s Civilization but, with the difference being the only way to win is to completely exterminate all enemies via military force.
In Gladius, much like in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, diplomacy is simply not an option. It is because of this that the gameplay is entirely based around base building, researching new units and structures, expanding the economy and then expanding your military till you can overcome both the planet’s natural inhabitants and the other players/AI.
For my own personal tastes, this game is perfect as at least in my social circles whenever a game of Civilization is played, war is inevitable, so it seems only fitting to play a game which focuses entirely on the turn-based combat. To this end the game comes with four factions, Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Necrons and Orks, with five more factions and several unit expansions being available as paid DLC.
If you like turn based strategy this game well worth your time, all I can give is two bits of warning. This game has several balance issues which can result in certain matches having almost comically broken tactics used, that and the unit roster can feel rather limited at times without owning a few of the unit expansion packs. Fortunately, this game also has relatively decent mod ability and a plethora of community mods which can alter the game to one’s individual tastes.
For those who like strategy the game’s asking price of $40 dollars may be a bit high when combined with DLC, so my recommendation is to wait for a sale and get it all when discounted. Otherwise, the game is great fun with friends and has offered me over 400 hours of replayability.