One thing that the co-op heresy cleanup sim "Warhammer 40,000: Darktide" definitely does well is capture the 40K setting well. It looks and sounds great, thanks to a great soundtrack by Jesper Kyd (opens in a new tab) and visuals that are faithful to the original, even the digitized cargo containers that can be purchased as tabletop wargame terrain, as described in the list of Easter eggs for "Darktide". Everything is reproduced to perfection. One thing you won't experience in "Darktide" as a video game is the smell of the setting. Until now.

Thanks to the official Darktide Official Scented Candle (opens in new tab), an official merchandise item that really exists, we can get an idea of what Tertium Hive, a plague-ridden city in the harsh darkness of the far future, smells like. The candle is called purely "The Smell of Tertium" and burns for "about 22 hours," allowing its scent to take hold in any room it is placed in.

This is actually not the first time Warhammer 40,000 scented candles have been used. Last year, Merchoid launched 40K candles with scents like Astra Militarum Catachan Potpourri: The Scent of the Dead World and Slaanesh Soporific Musk: The Scent of Delusion. Perhaps they sold well enough to tie in with this Dark Tide release.

This is not the only Dark Tide merchandise to be sold in conjunction with the video game release. Todd McFarlane action figures of the gas-masked veteran (opens in new tab) and traitor guard (opens in new tab) from the trailer, as well as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs for those who want to etch the words "REJECTS WILL RISE" on their belongings and bodies ( Open in new tab) lineup, and other typical ways to express your geek love for cleansing and purging.

Darktide has just finished its preorder beta, and you can read Sean Martin's impressions so far while waiting for our final review. The core is certainly there in terms of chaotic combat and feel-good weapons. Wielding a chainsword and slicing through enemy champions is exactly the 40K experience I craved. The ranged weapons are also great. Slamming a laser bolt into a sniper's head is extremely satisfying with a crunching sound. With more variations on ranged threats, special enemies, and tools to deal with them, "Darktide" is the most comprehensive iteration of the Fatshark formula.