We’re seeing a lot more pirates in video games recently, from Sea of Thieves to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag and the regrettably delayed, but still promising-looking Skull & Bones. However, we don’t often associate the words “tactics” and “stealth” with pirates. Shadow Gambit The Cursed Crew, a strategy game that will debut on Steam and the Epic Games Store in 2023, aims to change that by fusing the swashbuckling aesthetic of our favourite pirate movies with the deliberate planning of XCOM and the quick execution of the Hitman trilogy.
First up are the Helbrutes, psychotic Chaos warriors that are described as “twisted mockeries of the Space Marine Dreadnoughts.” They house a broken creature within a blood red metallic shell that’s been driven mad by constant warfare. Deemed a cruel punishment by the Dark Gods, most Chaos Space Marines would rather die than be trapped within the confines of their walker (aka sarcophagus), but given they’re forced into this tortured existence, they content themselves by tearing their enemies asunder.
When players encounter them in the story, you’ll have to gear up to take some heavy hits from these hulking maniacal behemoths, as they won’t stop hacking and slashing until either they are dead, or you are. Owlcat describes them as “one of the most formidable foes the Rogue Trader is going to face,” and confirms that the Helbrutes have been included in the game “from the very first drafts” – so I expect that they’re going to be pretty damn powerful.
Additionally, towards the end of the diary we also catch a sneak peek at a Necron Skorpekh Lord. These nasty-looking creatures gave themselves over to the Destroyer Cult long ago, and are ruthless in their bloody attempts to cleanse the universe. Their purpose in Rogue Trader remains unknown, but they look far more mobile than the Helbrute, so keep your eyes on the shadows – they’ll no doubt be lurking there.
If you’re all-in on Rogue Trader, you’ll be able to pick up the Collector’s Edition. This bundle of grimdark goodies features a statue of Cassia, the game’s Navigator, a hardcover art book, stickers, a Rogue Trader’s banner, and a replica ‘warrant of trade’.
While the release date remains a mystery, there’s a lot to get excited about, so we’d recommend trying out some of the best Warhammer 40k games to get yourself in the mood. We also have a general rundown of all the best Warhammer games – there’s a lot to choose from, so you won’t be bored anytime soon.