Fatshark, the studio behind the famous cooperative first-person smasher Vermintide, have announced that their next project is named Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Set against the dark and nihilistic backdrop of the Warhammer 40K universe, Dark Side acts as a spiritual successor to Vermintide, and will introduce many of its mechanics and gameplay principles. Here's all we know about The Oil Slick.
Darktide setting
Players will take on the roles of agents of the Imperial Guard, sent to the lower levels of Tertium in Hive City to investigate certain "troubles". If you're unfamiliar with 40K, Beehive Cities are huge superstructures housing millions, if not billions of people, divided into different floors based on their social status. The majority of a Beehive Town's population live in the lower levels, and the deeper you go, the more decrepit and hostile the environment becomes.
This would appear to be a Cult of Chaos known as the warning stir in the lower levels of that particular Hive Town, and players will be tasked with dealing with it, presumably with fire.
Darktide gameplay
The oil spill will follow many of Vermintide 2's cooperative play rhythms. Players will join teams of four and fight their way through hordes of enemies in challenging PvE scenarios. If the trailer is any indication, The Oil Slick seems to take note of 10 Chambers Collective's GTFO's approach to horror, which takes players away from the (mostly) open spaces and (mostly) sun-drenched landscapes of Vermintide 2, and in the claustrophobic darkness of the basement.
While Vermintide is almost exclusively about melee combat, The Oil Slick will balance between melee and shootout, though melee mechanics are still a major focus. Players can expect to get their hands on iconic 40K weapons such as chain swords, laser pistols, plasma pistols, and flamethrowers. Interestingly, the illustrations indicate that Ogryns could be a playable class in The Oil Slick, and being able to play as a 10-foot-tall brute would be a major change for Vermintide players.
The warning appears to be a cult of Nurgle, and while there is no shortage of horrific mutagenic diseases in 40K's grim future, a Nurgle connection is said to be tied to The Oil Slick with thematic Vermintide. Either way, players will face hordes of infected zombies and bigger miniboss-type enemies. Enemies using ranged weapons are also a possibility.
Darktide version details
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has a release window slated for 2021, with no date at this time. Fatshark said there will be “testing opportunities” down the line, so impatient players should keep their eyes peeled for beta entries.
We don't yet know The Oil Slick will be available on other platforms besides PC and Xbox, but it seems like a good bet that it will eventually land on the PlayStation 5, as Vermintide 2 is available on the current generation of the console.
