Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor – Martyr Ultimate Edition review

I first reviewed Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor – Martyr on PS4 in 2018, and, while I found it to be a pretty fun time, I wasn’t blown away by it. Performance issues and repetition marred the experience, while at the time I found the progression and loot systems less than stellar. Now the Ultimate Edition has landed on new-gen consoles, packed with all the improvements, tweaks, and additional content introduced since launch. While there are still some issues, something must be working because I can’t tear myself away.

You play as an Inquisitor, the closest thing to a military cop in the distant, war-scarred future of Warhammer 40K. Your task begins with the investigation of the Martyr, an ancient monastery ship found floating in deep space. Gameplay is similar to a more gun-focused Diablo-alike, only with a rudimentary cover system and an exhaustive list of skills and abilities.

There are four classes (the original had three and a fifth has just been announced), which offer the usual choice of fast dps, ranged support, and heavy tank. Each class can use almost all available weapons, but thanks to their diverse skill sets, each feels very different to the others. The more tactics and strategies you employ, the more skill trees you open up, allowing for more diverse character development and varied builds.

Martyr’s core gameplay loop is superb, asking you to launch expeditionary missions alone or with others to derelict ships, alien worlds, abandoned space stations, and distant outposts. You’ll face a variety of enemies such as cultists, Chaos Space Marines, corrupted psykers, demons, and Tyranids. Loot falls thick and fast, and level progression is just quick enough to keep you playing.

It’s also a very rewarding game, showering you with gear, skills, perks, and loot boxes just for playing. The extra DLC adds a ton of content, too, including a transmog system, an expansive endgame and loads of extra missions. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr Ultimate Edition offers hours and hours of content, with a decent variety of challenges to hook you in.

Sadly, though, the PS5 version doesn’t do enough to fix the original’s performance problems. Load times are much better, but there’s still a fair bit of stuttering and some very distracting screen tear when the camera pans. It hasn’t been enough to put me off, but it’s a little disappointing. It does look better in terms of colour and detail, and the often-explosive environmental damage is incredibly satisfying and comparatively smooth.

That being said, the DualSense 5 elevates the action, pulsing into your hand with every rumble of gunfire. The adaptive triggers aren’t as prominent as they are in some shooters, but the haptic feedback is great for the immersion. A fantastic soundtrack adds yet more depth, and when it all clicks together the frantic violence is captivating. Enemies burst into showers of gore, or topple dramatically, blood-covered and writhing, proximity mines ping ominously, and your allies back at the hub speak through the DualSense speaker to add a touch of atmosphere.

Occasionally, the difficulty can wobble a little too much, though. Missions can spike in difficulty or offer no resistance at all, and their level relative to yours seems to make little difference. Again, it’s not a game-breaker, but it’s noticeable.

The real appeal of Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor – Martyr Ultimate Edition is the faithfulness to the universe and attention to detail. From character details to the settings, Neocore Games have poured so much love and effort into every facet of the game and it shows. An expansive, unique skill system, and a gear economy that not only makes perfect sense in context but also feels unique to this universe, combine to produce an addictive core loop that will keep ARPG fans enamoured for months.