Space Hulk Walkthrough

Game Introduction – Space Hulk

Space Hulk is a turn-based strategy game created by Full Control. Players take control of a space marine terminator squad aboard the titular “space hulk” to fend off hordes of alien infiltrators called genestealers. Gamezebo’s quick start strategy guide will provide you with detailed images, tips, information, and hints on how to play your best game.

Quick Start Guide

Getting Started

• Download Space Hulk by using the “Available On” link at the top of this page.
• When you start up Space Hulk, you can immediately choose between two campaigns: “Boarding Sin of Damnation” and “Sin of Damnation.”
• “Boarding Sin of Damnation” is a series of tutorial missions. Complete these to get a feel for the game.
• Once you complete the tutorial, select “Sin of Damnation,” and then “Suicide Mission” to start the first stage. Congratulations, after a short briefing you’re now playing the game.

How to Play

• Your Mission – The objectives within Space Hulk vary from stage to stage. These are always outlined at the start of each mission. If you forget, however, the top-left corner of the screen always displays your current goal. Remember, you’re playing as a space marine terminator squad; odds are good that you’re supposed to terminate something.
• Placement – Space Hulk is a game of command and tactics. Your first command at the beginning of every level is your unit placement. To do this, tap the desired unit’s icon on the middle of the screen, and then tap one of the green squares one the map. After you’ve placed every unit, just hit “deploy” and you’re ready to slaughter some xenos.
• Movement – Movement in Space Hulk is slightly more complicated than the average strategy game. Every action you take costs Action Points (which are specific to a unit) or Command Points (which are shared by the whole squad). Walking forward costs one point, but so does turning left or right and opening doors. You can also walk backwards by tapping exactly one space behind a unit, though this will cost two points.

• Fire! – Once you’re mobile, it’s time to fight. This is probably the easiest part of Space Hulk to learn, and the hardest to master. Simply select a unit you want to fire with, and then click on any enemy in front of them. Firing costs one Action or Command Point, but luckily your terminators are experienced warriors, trained in the art of walking and shooting at the same time. If a unit has the “attack and move” command, then simply walking that unit forward while an enemy is in range will cause him to fire as he walks.
• Special Commands – Some units have special abilities that set them apart from the rest of the squad. You’ll probably have to play around with these a bit to figure out which works best for you, but here are the basics. The icon shaped like a fist will initiate a melee attack against any unit one space ahead of the terminator. The shield icon will put your unit in a defensive stance, which will increase his odds of surviving a direct attack. The “eye” icon is overwatch. It costs two Action Points and will cause a terminator to fire on enemies within range for free, but only when they move. Finally, the Libararian special unit has a plethora of special commands which can be studied in the game’s manual.

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t be afraid to let a man die. Space Hulk is a difficult game, and difficult games demand sacrifice. Sometimes it’s better to lose a man than a whole squad. They knew what they were getting into.
• The genestealers have much greater mobility than your terminators. That’s just a fact. They also have more points of ingress to beset your brave little toasters. If you find yourself surrounded, burn a few command points and put a pair of units back-to-back. Because overwatch is more effective with more range, putting your units in formation like this maximizes the distance between them and the enemy, and minimizes room for baddies to sneak up on you.
• One of the best strategies for Space Hulk is also one of the oldest in video games – run backwards (or shuffle, in this case) and shoot. Your instincts will tell you not to do this, because it costs twice as many Action Points as walking forward. However, you can’t shoot what you can’t see, and if a genestealer gets behind one of your units you can kiss him goodbye. Keep those guns pointed at the enemy, marine!

• Librarians and sergeants aren’t just powerful units in their own right; they bolster the other members of your squad with free shots and extra command points. Keeping them alive will help keep everyone else alive long after they should have died.
• Always. Keep. Your. Distance. The average terminator is worthless against a genestealer at close range (though there are some exceptions). At long-range, however, they have a distinct advantage – assuming your gun doesn’t jam.
• Always use your overwatch command. It will slow your progress through the Sin of Damnation’s corridors considerably, but this isn’t a race. When an enemy is within an overwatched unit’s field of view, they suffer one shot for every space they move. That makes it nearly impossible for them to get up close, assuming you followed the previous piece of advice.

• Over time, Space Hulk can get pretty unforgiving. Every turn is a chance for more enemies to spawn, more guns to jam, and more ground to be lost. When the chips are down and you’ve got nowhere else to turn, just make a mad dash for the objective and hope for the best. Remember, not every mission is about killing monsters.

You have completed Gamezebo’s quick start guide for Space Hulk. Be sure to check back often for game updates, staff and user reviews, user tips, forums comments and much more here at Gamezebo!

Steven Strom

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Steven "The Future of Games Journalism" Strom plays entirely too much Dota 2. He sometimes plays games when he's not too busy writing about them and their place in our culture, and thinks maybe they're not just a fad after all.