Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Critic Reviews

While lacking the polish and production value that saw the genre float into the mainstream this year, Rogue Trader is a refreshing CRPG experience that values everything that makes games like these so special. It's impossibly expansive, full of rich characters and stories, complex without being overencumbered, and so much more that doesn't fit into a snappy conclusion. Owlcat has really gone out of its way to bring the Warhammer 40K universe to life here, and in doing so, it's created one of the most memorable RPGs of the decade.

Despite a relatively large number of bugs and occasional outdated visuals, Rogue Trader remains a fantastic and massive RPG that is a clear must-play for all fans of the 41st millennium. It shouldn't be missed by enthusiasts of grim narratives and intricate turn-based combat either. Rogue Trader is filled with epic moments, decisions that shape the fate of entire star systems, and brutal rawness that makes delving into the world of Warhammer and the God-Emperor worthwhile.

The bugs get worse as the game goes on with frequent crashes and other problems spiking up in the third act and beyond. These are the same kind of issues that Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous had at launch, and fortunately in both cases the games subsequently became more stable and polished with future updates. So you may want to wait a little while before picking up Rogue Trader. However, even with the bugs, Rogue Trader is an excellent CRPG set in one of my favourite sci-fi settings, and I would be remiss not to give it a glowing recommendation.

As a reviewer, I cannot handwave this experience away even if Owlcat Games is a studio well-known for their strong post-launch support, yet rating the game on what I’ve actually played through would also be unfair to its final build. This is why this review comes out unscored with an update to follow once I had enough time and a chance to test some of the pricklier parts of the game that were problematic in the early version to compare the performance. Once done, this section will be dedicated the overall technical state of the game and the final thoughts.

Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader is another good RPG made by Owlcat Games, which captures the spirit of the original game.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader not only promises, but delivers the very thing it was designed to be – a meaty, authentic Warhammer 40k game that feels right at home in its RPG trappings.

Despite any flaws, in whatever gameplay area they might be found, Rogue Trader was undoubtedly created by people with passion and knowledge of the setting and lore, who sought to create an excellent Warhammer RPG and, for the most part, they succeeded.

Few fictional universes are as dense and impenetrable as that of Warhammer 40k. Owlcat Games (previously known for Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous have managed to create a gripping story of the darkness that lurks in man, accentuated by stellar writing and a combat system that masterfully increases in depth as the game goes on. Despite some bugs and technical issues, this easily counts among the very best delves into the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader treats the Games Workshop board game license with respect, granting the opportunity of fully immersing into a universe that fully meets the expectations of franchise’s fans. Owlcat Games has crafted a role-playing video game that guarantees a fair amount of freedom of choice with concrete consequences both in the development of the plot and in the balance of power within the Koronus Expanse. It's a shame for the technical state it is in, otherwise we’d have a masterpiece in our hands.

Rogue Trader is a late highlight for those looking for challenging combat and an exciting, if text-heavy, story.

Rogue Trader delivers everything you'd expect from an RPG set in the vast Warhammer 40,000 universe. A dark atmosphere, numerous cruel choices, excellent companions, exploration of the galaxy and its dangers, good tactical combat and even some rather successful space battles. Realization is also quite good for a game of this genre, but it's far from mainstream, with a lot of text to read on the one hand and daunting character progression on the other. Our biggest regret is that, like many other games, Rogue Trader will probably come out full of bugs that will take a while to resolve.

With the great amount of love for the setting that was poured into the game evident from every line of dialogue and every little detail, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is one of the best games based on the universe created by Games Workshop, and a solid tactical turn-based role-playing game that can provide hundreds of hours of fun. However, while the lack of innovation isn't a major setback thanks to its high-quality campaign, the presence of bugs and frustrating mechanics prevents it from being a must-have for all RPG enthusiasts, limiting its appeal beyond Warhammer 40,000 and Owlcat Games fans.

This is the Warhammer 40,000 experience that I’ve wanted from a video game for two decades. A game that gleefully wallows in the medieval futurism of its setting. A game that isn’t about winning wars on the battlefield, but focuses on all of the grim-dark insanity that goes on behind it all.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an excellent adaptation of the Warhammer universe into a genre that some may expect not to work. A compelling RPG with a strong understanding of its original property, it’s a great example of the classic C-RPGs of the 1990s and early 2000s. Although it perhaps does nothing revolutionary, it provides an intriguing and exciting adventure, especially for fans of the tabletop game.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader nails the gory battles and gloomy atmosphere of its source material, but sometimes feels too big for its own good. Not everyone will enjoy Rogue Trader’s meticulous depth, but those who have the patience to trawl through bugs and over-complicated menus will be rewarded with an intergalactic epic.

If you’re a 40K fan or just looking for a combat-heavy RPG outside of the normal fantasy fare, Rogue Trader will make a welcome addition to your library. It dives deeper into the setting and lore than any other video game to date, showing that it’s clearly a game by fans, for fans. Owlcat gave us multiple Pathfinder RPGs - hopefully, we’ll see more adventures in the Koronus Expanse in the future as well.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a surprisingly solid title that manages to stand out from the crowd during a year that’s been jam-packed with incredible games.

One of the best video games ever created about the Games Workshop universe.

The massive isometric RPG from the popular universe is primarily very controversial. It offers rich content, but some elements in the game are impractical and unnecessarily complicated. Even so, Rogue Trader deserves the attention of fans of the genre.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat, but unfortunately, also a lot of bugs.