For the emperor

I recently bought a bunch of modern Warhammer 40K games because I really enjoy the universe and I thought that there must be a really fun game in there. And there probably is (holding out hope for Rogue Trader), but this is not it. I played XCOM and XCOM 2 and similar games, so I am both used to and enjoying tactical combat games with levels and slight RPG elements. Chaos Gate is very similar and really nails the 40K atmosphere, but it fails in the most important department: it simply is not very fun to play.

I tried for four hours on normal difficulty, so I really haven't seen much of the game at all. However, I am deep enough into the game to recognize the core gameplay loop, which borrows from the worst elements of XCOM 2: mission timers. As a player, you are actively discouraged and punished for taking a careful approach, so you must rush your squad at all times whenever you are not in a fight. Then, when you find an enemy, you better reload the last turn and position your squad just right so that you can finish that fight quickly, otherwise at least one of your squad members will be out of position (due to rushing) and caught with their pants down. I hate this mechanic.

As for the levelling, even very early on the upgrades feel very lackluster. Per character archetype there is maybe one or two clear paths of upgrades, the rest is just "+X to ability". I feel most of the upgrades were put in to fill the space in the UI design for upgrades, instead of the other way around.

It's a bit of a shame. I have read the positive reviews and some of the guides and I *understand* why many people like the game. However, their motivation comes often from min-maxing levels and squad combinations, save-scumming (not that I am averse to that, ask my JA2 save file) and excessive optimization of their playstyle. None of that appeals to me. If it does to you, give it a try, though, don't let my negative impression after 4 hours hinder your enjoyment.

they added the dlc that makes the game harder and unplayable withought you buying it. This is Scam in the open!