Space Marine Adventures: Tyranid Attack! review - "Simultaneously too easy and weirdly overcomplicated"

With Space Marine 2 fever still rippling out across the world, it's no surprise that Games Workshop want to have some budget-friendly products available to appeal to a new wave of fans. Tyranid Attack! is the third edition of the Space Marine Adventures series – a title that many in the UK will be unaware of, as it's primarily aimed at the US market and specifically branches of Barnes & Noble.

In the game, a diverse squad of Astartes make their way into a seemingly derelict Space Hulk, only to come face-to-face with hordes of Termagants, Genestealers, and Lictors. Can they make it out alive? The question, unfortunately, should be "will they want to?"

Features & design

• Five Space Marine models are included, the Tyranids are not
• A card is included for Titus – but no model
• Production values are really strong across the board

Space Marine Adventures launched with Labyrinth of the Necrons back in 2018 and was followed up by Rise of the Orks in 2020. I can't comment on the latter having never seen a copy in the flesh, but I do own the original Necron set and, in terms of format and gameplay, Tyranid Attack! is almost identical. This is basically a reskin. In other words, it feels like a cross between the much-missed Space Hulk with elements of Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress - Games Workshop's attempt at the kind of RPG dungeon-crawlers that fill lists of the best board games.

In the box you get five Marine miniatures, representing the Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Salamanders, and Iron Hands. None of these miniatures are new – they're actually repurposed from the Primaris Space Marine Heroes collectible range from a few years back, and are the exact same models that are included in the current Kill Team Starter Set, though here they're each moulded on different colour plastic – a nice touch that means you're not going to have to worry about painting these before playing. They fit together just fine, though for best results, you'll want to slightly trim the pegs and glue the parts.

Despite the five included characters, the game is designed for a maximum of four players, meaning that one of the squad will always sit the mission out. There's also an included card for Brother Titus of Space Marine fame – though the Titus miniature is, confusingly, not included here. For that, you'll need to pick up Space Marine: The Board Game.

The Tyranids, meanwhile, are represented by cardboard tokens. That may seem like a cheap shortcut, but it's honestly understandable given the game's status as a cheap entry point into the hobby. Put some actual plastic Termagants, Genestealers, and Lictors in the box and the RRP would massively shoot up. There's also nothing to stop you adding models from your own pre-existing Tyranid collection, if you have them.

Gameplay

• Space Marines explore an abandoned Hulk and fight Tyranids
• The 'nids don't move, or do much of anything
• There's three levels of play

Even aside from the previous Space Marine Adventures sets, Games Workshop has made quite a few titles like Tyranid Attack! by now, meaning that this feels pretty familiar from the off. The box has three "levels" of play, though the first is effectively a training mission designed to show you the ropes. Level two adds a little more variety, while level three is actually mildly challenging.

The Space Marines deploy through a single entry point, and the Tyranids are placed elsewhere around the board on specific entry points. The Activation deck is then shuffled and determines the order in which the Marines and monsters do their business. The Marine team will have a basic mission (activate a computer, or kill a leading Tyranid) to complete by moving and shooting, while the Tyranid actions are determined by Infestation Cards. Mostly these involve more Tyranid blips arriving on the board, though occasional mutations can make the enemy tougher to kill or reduce the number of actions each Marine can make per turn. Unlike in Space Hulk, a blip always represents a single creature (rather than a varying number) which removes quite a lot of the tension.

And that's... kind of it. The Marines trudge around the board shooting until they have achieved their goal and then they leave. The Tyranids, meanwhile, just sort of... sit there. No, honestly, they don't move at all. It's a far cry from the equally standalone but thoroughly excellent Combat Arena: Lair of the Beast.

That's my biggest problem with Space Marine Adventures: Tyranid Attack! in a nutshell – it never truly captures the feeling of being trapped in a confined space with hordes of Genestealers and other flesh-tearing gribblies. Tyranid blips spawn, but the only way they can harm a Marine is if he is positioned on top of a xenos entry point. (The rules never specify how they attack, but as they're coming up from the ground I'm going to take it as canon that they're biting the Marines on the bum.) Once you get to Level 3 then the Infestation Cards do have a decent variety of events (as does an included Advanced players deck), but otherwise it's all very slight, easy and, honestly, pretty dull.

It doesn't help that the Marines each have a special skill and access to a deck of 28 Special Cards that offer cool buffs, weapon, or tactics. These have the annoying effect of making the game simultaneously too easy and weirdly overcomplicated if you're a total newbie. It's an unnecessary level of additional detail that suggests a complexity to the game that just isn't there.

Should you buy Space Marine Adventures: Tyranid Attack?

I don't want to sound too harsh on Space Marine Adventures: Tyranid Attack! as it fulfils a very specific role in Games Workshop's ecosystem. This isn't a box for hardened or even casual gamers – it's a cheapie stocking filler designed to lure in brand new players and especially young kids into the hobby, and that's entirely fair enough.

It's also pretty good value, with excellent production; you get five great models (though, again, the choice to include a card but no model for Titus here is a weird missed opportunity), lovely thick play surfaces (the one included in the otherwise excellent recent Necromunda: Hive Secundus boxed game is put to shame by its quality), and durable cards – the accidental spillage of some noodles mid my second game looked like it was going to prove disastrous, but they wiped clean with no lasting damage. So, er, that's good. Noodle-proof!

As a game, though, Tyranid Attack! is unsatisfying. The Tyranids being largely static obstacles means that they never feel like a threat. The small size of the boards, meanwhile, makes everything feel cramped – and not in a cool, tense, claustrophobic way. Marines can walk past and shoot through each other so there's no good reason for tactical play in the way you deploy your troops. It's just a short, repetitive game that takes place in a small, uninteresting space.

Look, I appreciate that this is becoming a bit of a recurrent theme on this site, but Tyranid Attack! really does leave you wondering why Games Workshop don't just give us a new Space Hulk – or even just a reprint of the third edition from 2009. There's an obvious appetite for it both inside and outside the company, and as a title that was traditionally really successful at introducing new players to the incredible worlds of Warhammer 40,000, it's honestly baffling that they're keeping that in the wings and releasing weird, underwhelming sets like this.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Space Marine Adventures: Tyranid Attack!

After constructing the featured miniatures and poring over the rules, our reviewer played Space Marine Adventures: Tyranid Attack! multiple times to get a better sense of the game's mechanics. They also compared it to previous versions of the game, and modern competitors as a whole.

For further details on our process, check in with this guide on how we test board games, or the general 12DOVE reviews policy page.

Want more adventures? Don't miss these essential board games for adults. If you'd like to stick with the Warhammer World, though, then check out our thoughts on why Kill Team: Hivestorm might be the best starter set Warhammer has made.