The Eisenhorn Video Game was TRASH | Eisenhorn: Xenos Review

Xenos is the first book in the Eisenhorn trilogy - often recommended as the best intro for Warhammer 40k lore.
Eisenhorn Xenos, however is a terrible ios game from 2016. And some of you should probably play it?
@ me with 40,000 pictures of space marines: / willsysrefdoc
Support the channel for cool perks, including video previews: / williamsrd

[@WilliamSRD]

Recommend me your most hated Warhammer Fantasy and 40k games!

[@coaiemandushman1079]

DoW 3 :c

[@WilliamSRD]

@@coaiemandushman1079 hell yes!

[@MrQwertysystem]

@@coaiemandushman1079 That's not really fair though... If you look at it separately from DoW 1 and 2 then it's a perfectly okay lite-RTS. The only reason why it's considered to be so bad is because it's compared to the previous games which were amazing and obviously compared to them it's a disaster, but it's definitely not even close to being the worst Warhammer game out there.

[@coaiemandushman1079]

@@MrQwertysystem It's part of the DoW series, so it didn't even meet the 'it's an average game' expectations. It's like Halo having a realistic simulator FPS game while the rest are arcade-y. DoW3 is the worst because it could've been the best, it's the difference between the expectation and reality which makes it so.

[@coaiemandushman1079]

@@MrQwertysystem I see no problem with my reasoning, you see none with yours, let's agree to disagree.

[@nagashtheundyingking4404]

hold up a small indie team managed to get MARK STRONG. Captain Titus himself to play in a phone game? thats kinda insane.

[@WilliamSRD]

Completely! It's really the crowning achievement of the game!

[@culturia3555]

Maybe the guy´s a franchise fan?

[@nagashtheundyingking4404]

@@culturia3555 maybe never know these days honestly after all mr superman is the poster boy for GW at this point.

[@LiterallyAWesternHognose]

You mean Henry Cavil?

[@enderfire3379]

​​​@@WilliamSRDTHEY GOT MARK STRONG IN A NOBILE GAME?! He did not return as titus in space marine 2 because "he was not affordable" and yet they got him in a fucking mobile game with a much smaller budge

[@vahlok1426]

Sounds to me like Eisenhorn would fit in as a game like L.A. Noire, which focused less on outright action and more on traveling and investigation. The more I think about that concept, the more I want it.

[@WilliamSRD]

The biggest crime of this game was that it wasted the incredible premise!

[@vahlok1426]

@@WilliamSRD Yeah, it really did. I feel like both the devs and the platform choice (seriously, a mobile game?) hampered what could have been amazing.

[@StephenHarperRaptagon]

I find games that tried to make something beyond their abilities absolutely fascinating. I hope those who worked on it do well and learned from it

[@WilliamSRD]

Agreed! It was more of a leadership problem than anything, so I hopefully all the talent got plenty of opportunities after.

[@NonApplicable1983]

I'm nitpicking, but Eisenhorn doesn't actually have a bolt pistol at the start of the story. He uses an autopistol at the very beginning, then a shotgun and I think also a laspistol, before a space marine gives him an artificer bolt pistol as a gift.

[@WilliamSRD]

In the book, correct, in the game you can change whenever you'd like

[@NonApplicable1983]

@@WilliamSRD I do like collecting a bunch of guns in my action games. I really wish the team had been given a bigger budget.

[@quint3ssent1a]

🤓

[@noanswer1864]

Even after he gets the bolt pistol, he doesn't always use it, it's just his favorite. Personally, I'd have had it chained to my wrist Angr- I mean, Black Templars style and never, ever, ever be without it. If it can be carried into the warp, it can be taken to the toilet. If it can be carried in a saltwater environment, it can be taken to the shower. That gun would never, ever, ever, have left my side. Dick move on keeping the sword though, cool as it was.

[@NonApplicable1983]

@@noanswer1864 I fully expected Ravenor to be able to return it to the Carthae, but no, Eisenhorn just kept it all the way to the end. Maybe it'll show up in Bequin? I haven't read those yet.

[@carlosignacio6735]

2:35 this shot made me realize that Warhammer 40k could be a great horror videogame. Imagine NOT being a space marine, but a civilian or a low ranking guardsman and you are on board of a ship and suddenly the gellar fields stopped working

[@IAmCaligvla]

Yeah that's called Dead Space, idea already taken I'm afraid.

[@Lakefront_Khan]

@@IAmCaligvla Have you read anything on how demons work in 40k?

[@prcervi]

@@IAmCaligvla dead space botched it in the sequels, and the 40k abominations are pretty fucking cool to see still

[@gratuitouslurking8610]

Not even that, rules-accurate Space Hulk like some of the earlier games can get spinctre tightening too. In the hulk, not even terminator armor can save you.

[@StarshadowMelody]

And even AS a space marine, there's Space Hulk. Which I learned of from a video on this same channel, so.

[@greggreg2027]

5 years later, and still no Eisenhorn TV series.

[@dootmarine1140]

Please do continue this series of "trash 40k games". There's such a massive pile to dig through, I don't think I could ever get enough. Most of them had so much potential, like this one and ended up flying too close to the sun

[@colinscutt5104]

As a HUGE 40K fan I completely agree. Every new trailer and rumour we all get mega super hyped for the next attempt to "faithfully render Your beloved IP and follow the lore as much as possible" Only to later discover GamesWorkshop have given another licence to a bunch of fools who either know nothing of the lore or totally ignore it and the fanbase

[@mildlyderanged]

If he thinks Eisonhorn is bad, wait till he plays Fire Warrior

[@NonApplicable1983]

Imagine an Eisenhorn game with Life Is Strange gameplay and maybe a simple combat system used sparsely. I think it would work.

[@WilliamSRD]

Totally! I think it would be the perfect Eisenhorn adaption if they didn't have a huge budget

[@lasskinn474]

the 90s bladerunner adventure game. with randomizer for who are the cultists.

[@dagonofthedepths]

Oh Eisenhorn isn't the worst game. Dawn of War 3 isn't the worst game. Fire Warrior isn't the worst game (honestly none of these are even in the top 5 for me and that makes me sad). You want the most horrible, most disgusting, most fetid piece of warp trash? Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance. I hope that's the worst. If it's not the Warp is a dark realm indeed

[@WilliamSRD]

I would like to thank you for the misery you have just directed to me

[@lasskinn474]

"Featuring a unique new gameplay style based around morale and defensive positions" reality: plants vs zombies just with not as much thought put into it

[@frankieh]

Ok, finding out that Mark Strong was willing to do some shit-hole mobile game but Focus and Saber Interactive couldn't pony up the cash for him to be in Space Marine 2 is some shit.

[@dnaseb9214]

I like it. Playing it rn The devs removed the game because their licence expired in 2019. So they werent allowed to seel it anymore.

[@AedanTheGrey]

Ugh, license bullshit

[@Khilkhameth]

I watched a longplay video of this game, and it's worth it essentially to get a Mark Strong narrated audiobook.

[@WilliamSRD]

That's actually a decent way to look at it!

[@RocRolDis]

How does it compare to Toby Longworth's reading?

[@Khilkhameth]

@@RocRolDis Well, the downside is all the other characters' voices... But the monologues are good!

[@jninx]

Sounds like a Mark Strong Audiobook series of Eisenhorn would have been the winning formula

[@joearnold6881]

⁠@@jninx except the actual audiobooks have some of the best narration of anybaudiobooks, ever. Mark Strong doesnt sound miles away from the real narrator when he voices eisenhorn, actually

[@Elyseon]

Constructed entirely out of razor blades? Super edgy? Sounds like 40K all right.

[@Masonicon]

My beef with this game: I can't continue the game in the section where we fight carnodon, not only it starts without anything Eisenhorn needed to fight carnodon from last checkpoint

[@corsaircarl9582]

I'd rather have a Ciaphas Cain game that plays sort of like a point-and-click game since he wasn't so...combat-heavy (Though he could hold his own)

[@mildlyderanged]

10:34 is that a woman screaming "oh my god oh my god", in the 40k verse, in front of an Inquisitor? Thats the best way i can think of to get a close appointment with Mr. Bolt Pistol.

[@onsholo]

This was such a let down of a game, but at least it introduced me to the book series.

[@douglas9521]

You've pretty much nailed my thoughts on this game. I didn't know any of the inside details that you knew. But it's just a bad game that somehow feels 40k, so I'm torn. I watched someone doing a playthrough on KZbin and watched until the end so it certainly has that going for it. Dan Abnetts first books were excellent but lately I can barely even bring myself to try. I rage quit traitor general😂😂. Eyclones voice acting in this game gave me a nervous twitch in I'm a goddamn jock myself😂😂

[@WilliamSRD]

Thank you! But in regards to inside details, I don't really have any, I'm just sort of following the brush strokes of the devs in this case as well as chasing the credits back! 😄 And I've actually not read Abnett's recent stuff, so I can't necessarily weigh in. Either way, Xenos was incredible!

[@douglas9521]

@@WilliamSRD the eisenhorn trilogy was very good(with a meh conclusion) So I agree with you there. He is a good writer, he just has bad power creep in my irrelevant opinion. I found out he writes super hero comics which explained a lot of my problems with him😂😂. Thanks for the great videos on 40k, they're entertaining and informative. Keep it up 😊

[@bavettesAstartes]

Fire Warrior comes to mind....

[@WilliamSRD]

Oh no, I was hoping people would forget that one

[@lunax56]

@@WilliamSRD Never forgive. Never forget.

[@quint3ssent1a]

FW is hilarious. The fact that you can pick up corrupted chaos bolter and shoot it like it's no big deal cemented the protag of FW as the manliest Chad in the race of blue space pussies.

[@jimm7346]

Damn, the algorithm usually fails me, great vid, you got a sub from me brojulio. Bout to check your other content, keep it up man! Great stuff!

[@puxtbuck6731]

Loved this book series. I’ve been reading some AoS books recently and really wanna see some games from it!

[@WilliamSRD]

You're in luck! I actually have an AoS video coming out this weekend!

[@puxtbuck6731]

@@WilliamSRD based off your pinned comment I may be thoroughly disappointed by the game. I can’t wait!

[@phm6834]

Gone from Steam - and all resellers dont have keys left... always sad to see (potential) customers punished for not pirating stuff.

[@malosua9790]

I was wondering what happened to this game. I owned it on my iPad a long time ago & actually quite enjoyed it. I was surprised & confused to see it wasn't there anymore when I tried to replay it

[@roland8494]

Hi, I really want to buy this game but can't find it anywhere for PC. It is no longer on Humble. Any ideas?

[@DaniVegaz]

How did you skip their pronunciation of Cherubael… “Cherrybell!”

[@WilliamSRD]

I was SO close to including a section about all the botched pronunciation - there were so many examples

[@NonApplicable1983]

I have ADHD and autism and I listened to the Eisenhorn and Ravenor books through a text-to-speech app.

[@oz_jones]

As the Emperor intented

[@joearnold6881]

You know they are in audiobook form? And have a truly S-tier narration? And you can find them free online easily enough if money is tight?

[@DiAL033]

As a german I still think Eisenhorn is the most porn name imaginable. ;D

[@meanmanturbo]

The Shadow of the Horned Rat and Dark Omen Warhammer Fantasy games are by no means bad, they are just so brutaly unforgiving and dependent on rng. You WILL learn the true meaning of Pyrrhic Victory. Beacuse it is entierly possible to beat a map with losses you can't replace and screw you over permanently.

[@0350145]

Micky D. Lol I love that Irish lad.

[@Argonisgema]

Is that tv show still being made?

[@84jesterx]

It's been awhile since I read the trilogy, but I don't remember Gregor mowing down numerous Tempestsus Scions. Also, something tells me that whoever the developers were back then played Witcher 1&2 and went "THAT!" Yet didn't bother to understand nor really want to attempt what made those two games special. Yeah, too ambitious for their own good indeed. If anything else, Eisenhorn needs to be adapted as either movies or a TV show instead. It needs to be treated as James Bond, but 40k. Like how if Gaunt's Ghosts were to be adapted, it's Band of Brothers, but 40k.

[@foggygolem]

3:01 Yes, do the thing. There are...Many, contenders for the title.

[@DeepakSingh-tu4hh]

How did you played without control signs

[@oz_jones]

Popped into my feed, subscribed to keep the Heretics away

[@WilliamSRD]

The algorithm protects

[@sangweeni304]

it has a great story, like sometimes i like to just have a live youtube video of it playing in the background

[@skavossis5377]

I always like a peak behind the creator curtain. I got this video in the recommended tab because I watch Micky D and Kevduit, don't know any of the others tho.

[@alexwatts1064]

You know, after listening to the audiobooks, I thought the narrator from those books, Toby Longworth, should be the one and only VA for any Eisenhorn adaptations. This video has definitely changed my mind on that subject.

[@hansyolo8277]

10:19 wait until you play Space Marine

[@Sammo212]

which is insanely frustrating because they got Mark fucking Strong to voice him.

[@joearnold6881]

The voice actor for wisenhorn sounds kinda like the narrator from the audiobooks when he voices eisenhorn. That’s pretty cool. Too bad it isn’t worth playing otherwise

[@DeadManSinging1]

Mark Strong must be a 40k fan. This is like the third 40k thing hes been in

[@Bluke420]

For a phone game it doesn't look bad. Imagine if this game was on console and made a little bit more like Batman Arkam games it probably would be pretty awesome.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

I subscribed because of your monologue at the end after watching several videos of yours.

[@diegobunuel2746]

just found this channel, and I am shocked it isn't larger. High quality content with good voice. Engaging stuff, on a fun topic. Keep up the good work P.S. I thought it was funny you said it would be a hard read with ADHD, and its probably just cuz its my special interest or something, but 40k books actually keep me more engaged than most books. Something about that dense and detailed style (and I already know a lot about the lore) makes for great reading.

[@prcervi]

adhd reaction varies, my brain does a coin toss of if the past 3 wordy paragraphs are about to be fully understood or turned into white noise it picks white noise a lot

[@bloodrunsclear]

Fat Shark needs to make a definitive Eisenhorn game, and keep Mark Strong!

[@HansAlRachid]

Quick, sad update - Eisenhorn is apparently no longer available on the Humble store either.

[@eyedam]

Yeah... On CD key shops this costs like 300 euros now...

[@SycoraxSnow]

Excite to read the book series and ran to humble before the video finished xD great video and exploration

[@Scarygomez]

WH worst game could be difficult. There's hundreds of really bad ones !! 😋 I'd say Dawn of War 3 but that’s only because 1&2 were awesome and 3 was really disappointing and made me cry! Try Warhammer Arcane magic, that’s really rubbish !

[@WilliamSRD]

I'll add 'em to the list, thanks for the recommendation!

[@jimm7346]

Dawn of War 3 isn't really a bad *game* per se, its core gameplay is super fun and the graphics can look great at times; instead DoW3 is a bad game because the publisher & devs basically dropped all support from the game the day before it released, dooming it to be dead on arrival...

[@leadingauctions8440]

This guy does excellent videos. Good quality video and his narration is smooth.

[@TheFhink]

Is it just me or does Eisenhorn look like Rhys Darby? love these videos!

[@julianwarren7770]

Eisenhorn SHOULD be easy to get his look right, they’ve made models of both his young form and older form!

[@Valkbg]

Didnt even know there was an Eisenhorn game.

[@MeldrickCz]

Nevertheless it is cool premise that of Hubris. Something akin to seasonal tomb world.

[@Mister_Clean]

I really dig the city vistas and the setting. The architecture and atmosphere really nails the 40k aesthetic.

[@CT_Phipps]

A character who looks identical to Jason Isaacs is voiced by Mark Strong.

[@gospelarchain4504]

I actually really like this game lol. Also played it at max settings on a pc that's only like 2 years old so I don't know what your problems were my game actually ran really well. I had a few crashes late game but reloaded and got around them. I'm not saying it's an amazing game or anything but I definently think it's fun. The fact that it was a phone game needs to be taken into account and when you do it actually is a pretty good game. I enjoyed my entire time playing it. That being said I am a huge fan of 40k and Eisenhorn especially. On top of that I'm a very VERY avid gamer. Like...sometimes buying a game a week avid gamer lol. I've played farrrrrr worse games like by comparison to alot of games I've played this game Is amazing XD. It's also pretty far from the worst 40k game XD. I respect your opinions and I see why alot of people would share them. But I do say when you said it wasn't fun I disagreed very heavily. I played through in a single sitting and will definently play again. Probably will play it a few times and I can't say that for alot of games lol

[@gospelarchain4504]

Now I will also say. Eisenhorn deserves a far better game. It could make an amazing series and with input (story) from Abnett they could make games set between books with stories we haven't heard yet also. I hope eventually we will get another attempt at a game. But I am glad we have this for now and really wish it would be relisted to steam.

[@Skrimpish]

Most perturbatory

[@TheNoidBag]

This nightmare of a game is one of the worst playing, worst feeling, most jank, absurdly breaking, highest-video-file-size-encoding games I've ever had the displeasure to spend eight straight hours playing over the course of an entire New Years eve stream. God, was it terrible. The animations, the voice acting, everything from the ground up is just so bad. I don't regret playing it at all, but fuck me if playing it for EIGHT STRAIGHT HOURS LIVE wasn't perhaps the dumbest choice I could've made. Still, I got some genuinely amazingly bad glitches such as a character de-spawning from the world mid conversation only for a ten minute cutscene to continue in lieu of him with Eisenhorn talking to empty air, and all of this after the NPC originally just never even spawned and I had to replay an entire gameplay segment to get him back. I actually managed to get this game to run at proper resolution, and reasonable frame rate somehow but the antialiasing and the filmgrain as well as other overlayed effects absolutely exploded by recording file size to almost a bloody terabyte. I can't recommend this game to anyone but the most primo jank enjoyers. If you like them feeling bad and clunky and falling apart at the seams, this is for you.

[@WilliamSRD]

You played this in one go? Oh you poor thing

[@TensaZangetsu1200]

Good video glad the algorithm put it in my recommended.

[@WilliamSRD]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jameswood5832]

I really liked the Eisenhorn books and I keep hoping someone makes a good RPG based on it.

[@jjpemfr8882]

Other problem about this game is the fact It was intended to be played on mobile too so almost everything is the same on all versions even the bugs and glitches

[@greghannibal]

Damn, I read Xenos just recently and now I want to play this!

[@yukitakaoni007]

Eisenhorn look handsome, both in-game and in lore. Which make me feel encouraged to play the game even if the gameplay is mediocre at best.

[@diamondhamster4320]

Rocksteady of Batman fame could have made a proper detective W40K Eisenhorn game. So sad that they did not.

If u a 40k fan, sure, the game is not really good, but for nonFans it’s ok. The Graphic are, for Mobile, actually really good. Especially u see it on an iPadScreen. And as u say, the envoirement is great. Battle is…not good, movement was laggy…but I had really fun with. MordheimSkirmish ect, that’s really bad 40k MobileGames.

[@colinscutt5104]

Lol Interesting summary , before that i was considering playing the game having read the entire Eisenhorn series several times

[@DarthLego46]

It’s actually kind of a shame that it seems the team disbanded and delisted their work; this seems like a diamond in the rough developer that could have done much better with another try.

[@KS-PNW]

Allegedly Henry Cavill is playing Eisenhorn

[@MoonMoverGaming]

Hrrm. Based on this review, I think I may read this book and never think about this game again.

[@jeremybolton6419]

Is it more hated than Blood Bowl??

[@gummybread]

that steam review though "Im a massive fan, thumbs up, it runs great" *product refunded* *.6 hours on record*

[@samuelrodriguez9801]

Personally I think the best starting place for 40k is the Ciaphas Cain series.

[@dimitrissavvidis9487]

on max the game is beautiful especially the parts where he slowly walks and monologues

[@LordTheCyril]

You are getting a merciful sub.

[@mikew735]

I am, I will sub to see all the bad 40k games. I never knew this existed and am very glad to have seen it, like you said in the vid, why was this made on a mobile platform it could have been an excellent average pc warhammer game.

[@BottomBunkArt]

Things in this clearly influenced Warframe and some of the stuff on Deimos

[@culturia3555]

Isn´t this the kind of game that could be modded into something good?

[@DIEGhostfish]

"Oh my god" wait a minute that's not how you refer to the Emperor! HEEERRREEEESSSSEEEEEEYYYYYYY

[@tomalexander4327]

More evidence that GW will license their IP to anyone with a suitcase full of cash and a laptop.

[@whiteassassin13]

I have adhd, but i also listen to the books so yaaa... you can have adhd and still "read" the book hell I tell everyone here who hasn't needs to reed or listen nowwww

[@louissteyn6871]

I think dawn of war 2 had THE best sounding bolters as far as videogames are concerned

[@Bluke420]

That would be awesome if you started playing bad Warhammer games too. You got my vote!

[@mementomori771]

God i hope that tv adaptation is good

[@ValentineGrimCC]

I guess you can say that Mark Strong left a strong mark on this game... (I'll show myself the exit)

[@pedromoura1446]

i love how there's a world that can be spelled "dumbass" XD

[@brettpevats3537]

I’m about a minute in. It sounds like an incredible story

[@internet_introvert]

Now play Fire Warrior

[@SheolAbaddonus666]

Eisenhorn is not a space marine so IDGAF.

[@EmeraldLavigne]

This game isn't bad; it's just profoundly disappointing.

[@Jamespwickstromw]

its good if you dont like to read and want to know the story and you get nice visuals but the corny voice acting kind of ruins it.

[@cb2291]

The story was great tho

[@zogmorp]

you're critique of the game doesn't really justify calling it TRASH. It sounds like you described a well intentioned game where the dev team simply bit off more than they could chew, but still has some very good things about it. Calling it TRASH says there's nothing good about it.

[@jimm7346]

Meh, i disagree with you completely. Trash--er, sorry--TRASH can have redeeming qualities and still be a piece of garbage, it's just not complete TRASH. Things can achieve being different levels of TRASH

[@colinscutt5104]

AHHHH ios say no more

[@lilolaus]

Subbing for more

[@mikedawson7695]

Cool but nobody cares how it runs when recording. Rattle off gpu,cpu, ram maybe and say how it runs for humans,not youtubers

[@irikmon]

Warhammer games. Hell yeah 👍👍 anything else, d&d, fps,old consoles and Dead franchise. Hell no. The moment 40k ends. All out