It’s often tough to build on a formula that largely works as-is, but a short hands-off preview of Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II last week showed us that even small tweaks can feel monumental. Mechanicus II looks like an upgrade to its turned-based predecessor in all of the right ways, with some smart new additions that make its combat loop feel far more approachable to all kinds of players.

The game revolves around a single planetary conflict, a war between the Adeptus Mechanicus, a machine-worshipping cult, and the Necrons, a race of robotic skeletons that essentially woke up after millions of years and chose violence. Unlike the first Mechanicus, players can choose which faction they want to control and can switch at will between the two campaigns. The campaigns have the same core story arc, but the developer tells me there’ll be gameplay and narrative differences for each faction.

The sequel builds on Mechanicus, a meaty turn-based tactical affair where you play solely as the titular Adeptus Mechanicus faction. Here, you can take control of numerous factions, customize and upgrade their abilities, and make unique decisions that impact the outcome of the story. In Mechanicus II, the story’s conclusion also depends on player choice – the team is keeping the narrative under wraps, but does confirm that there is a canonical ending to the first game, which is the Videx ending, for those who’ve seen it.

The demo showcased a critical narrative siege seen from the perspective of both the Necrons and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Each faction has a roster of leaders, with the Mechanicus returning from the first game – but, this time around, they are all playable characters with their own unique skillsets. Their abilities can be tweaked to suit a particular playstyle – you can spec them out to deal massive damage on their own, or home in on more support-based actions that can buff your team as a whole, which looks great for supporting different approaches you may want to take.

There’s a faction spoiler coming up, so if want to go into Mechanicus II with as little information as possible, look away now!

Mechanicus II will also see other factions make an appearance in battle for the first time; our demo shows off some fiendishly powerful Space Marine allies, and we found out earlier this year that a relatively new Warhammer 40,000 faction – The Leagues of Votann – will also appear during the campaigns at some point. These groups are not playable, but they will perform smart, automatic actions in combat, either alongside you or against you.

One major change that Mechanicus II makes is within its Cognition system. Cognition points (or Dominion points, if you’re playing on the Necron side), are essentially a currency collected by your chosen faction that can be used to upgrade or unlock weapon actions or skills fire one-off attacks, or perform other useful actions in battle. Mechanicus II appears to offer much more flexibility in how you collect Cognition points – every individual unit can collect them by completing smaller objectives or taking certain actions. This change is small, but it allows for much less rigidity in how you approach a skirmish, and the units you use.

Everything looks so much nicer, too – unit models and their environments are crisp and vibrant, the maps are dynamic and can change throughout the course of the battle. There’s also a new cover system, which allows the Mechanicus units to protect themselves from oncoming fire, but these elements are destructible, which means their use is limited. It’s a nice touch that makes you consider your positioning differently to gain an edge, but it won’t last forever.

Mechanicus II looks like a promising iteration on the first title – bringing back its signature complex strategy gameplay, with thoughtful changes and additions that truly feel like the series is evolving with player choice at the forefront of its design. For new players, there’s a much more reasonable barrier to entry, and far more flexibility in how you choose to do battle. It’s an impressive direction, and one that Mechanicus fans – and Warhammer 40k enthusiasts in general – can look forward to.