Space Marine: Master Crafted Edition has been stirring up mixed feelings among fans since its recent launch. While the core stompy action still holds some charm, the remaster’s price and technical hiccups have left many players frustrated, prompting the developers to respond with an extended refund period and discounts for previous owners.
The biggest gripe? The price tag. At $80, this feels steep for what’s essentially a light-touch remaster, mainly since the multiplayer scene is nearly deserted. Owners of the 2021 Anniversary Edition, which bundled all DLC, an artbook, a strategy guide, and a soundtrack, felt shortchanged. No surprise, then, that the Steam user reviews are currently 71% negative.
In response, the devs posted an apology on Steam, announcing a whole refund window extended until July 10, 2025, regardless of how long you’ve played. That’s a generous move, considering Steam’s usual refund limits. Plus, if you already own the Anniversary Edition, there’s a 50% discount on the remaster until the same July 10 deadline. Although if you’ve bought the Master Crafted Edition already, you’ll have to refund and repurchase to benefit.
On the technical side, a series of patches will be released over the coming weeks to address issues such as soft locks, graphical glitches, input problems, and the pesky black screen bug. Some promised improvements include enhanced chat input, a revised scoreboard layout, and HUD adjustment, while also including:
- Updated Dutch, Polish, and Italian translations.
- Improved localisation for game modes, controller options, and key terms (e.g. Skar Boyz).
- Major improvements to chat input, scoreboard layout, and HUD elements.
- Added glow effects, spacing fixes, and better alignment across menus.
- Improved mission selection, unlock notifications, and subtitle persistence.
- Added new button prompts, SFX, and controller glyphs (including Steam Deck and Switch Pro).
- Fixed softlocks, graphical glitches, and input issues in various screens.
- Fixed softlock in Exterminatus wave 5.
- Restored coop live tokens and fixed weapon wheel ammo display.
- Improved challenge decorators and shield visualisers.
- Fixed campaign info and map loading inconsistencies.
- Legacy black screen issue fixed.
- Steam Deck now launches correctly.
- Improved controller disconnect handling on PC.
- Fixed session code visibility in streamer mode.
- Improved EOS invite handling and native session stability.
- Disabled team auto-balancing during gameplay.
- Enhanced P2P connection handling to prevent lobby splits.
- Moved local user profile data to AppData to prevent config crashes.
- Added memory safety for loadouts and improved fade animations.
- Fixed missing or duplicate SFX events.
- Updated button textures and fixed VFX issues.
Yikes, that’s quite a list. It appears that the developers are trying to address the issues proactively, but whether this will satisfy the community remains to be seen. I have to wonder, was the $80 price tag just too optimistic for what’s essentially a touch-up? And how many players will come back once these fixes land?
