Review: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Switch 2)

I’m new to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. My introduction should’ve happened at another place and time. Rogue Trader may very well be a good game, but it most definitely is not a good game on the Switch 2.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader begins with a brief introduction, a uniquely robust difficulty settings screen, and the typical character customization options you’d expect from a modern RPG. I played around with the latter for a bit, but ultimately decided to go with one of the default characters. Best to let Warhammer hold my hand at this point, right?

Once through this, the warning alarms started blaring. The Switch 2 stuttered through the establishing cinematic in a way I haven’t seen since…well, ever on this hardware. Should we get all of my issues out of the way now? I hate to frontload a review with the negatives, but my lasting impression is of very long load times and pauses for autosaves, both of which happen more frequently than I’d like.

General gameplay is further impacted by a user interface that was definitely not meant for the Switch 2 in handheld mode. It’s perhaps unfair to criticize the portable functionality of a game that was clearly developed for a PC monitor, and the developers did at least make the dialogue text legible. Still, it’s worth mentioning that I was only able to play in handheld mode after familiarizing myself with the UI while docked. On the bright side, Rogue Trader supports Joy-Con mouse functionality. That makes the character optimization and inventory screens much easier to get through.

The visuals are also a letdown on the Switch 2. Characters are blurry and nondescript. The backgrounds have some cool lighting effects, but they’re otherwise dim and muddy during gameplay. It’s too bad, because I feel the Koronus Expanse is otherwise a wonderfully designed world that would be a joy to explore.

That’s evidenced by Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s wonderful writing and voice acting. Pushing through the game’s issues was mitigated by a story that had me recalling the best of the RPGs that consumed countless hours on my Mac back in the day. Creating and customizing my party, then leading them through their own quests and subplots, was quite rewarding.

There’s plenty of replayability in this regard, and you won’t be judged for checking the numerous game guides available as you make some big decisions. The narrative is dense, with plenty of gray-area choices to be made. It’s often quite some time before you learn the real ramifications of your decisions.

And hey, I’m an RPG fan of all types. T, S, C…I’ll take them all. Rogue Trader stakes its claim in the CRPG territory, but the turn-based combat should appeal to fans of all sub-genres. Party makeup is key, as you’ll want to be sure you’re equipping the right combos for the numerous battles you face. Overpowering one or two characters won’t help nearly as much as getting those characters to synergize. A couple of times, I had to completely shift what I thought was a good setup after watching their dominance quickly fade as I progressed. And because the Switch 2’s performance issues interfere with the combat, too, you’ll want your party to be as efficient as possible.

Ultimately, then, playing Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a consistent battle against the game itself—a battle you’ll be fighting throughout the game’s 100+ hours of content. I wanted to enjoy it, but it just wouldn’t let me. Warhammer fans who already have a deep attachment to the universe may be able to muscle through it on the Switch 2, but why bother when it’s available in better versions on other systems? I think a Warhammer reintroduction for myself may be in order, but rest assured that’ll happen on my iMac.