Lead designer Dan Kading says that in Retribution, you'll get to customise your Swarmlord almost as you would a humanoid hero. StarCraft's Zerg owe a significant debt to them, but they have a bony, nasty elegance that squelchier alien races often lack. For anyone wondering why Tyranids are such a fan favourite, I'll put it this way: they have guns that fire beetles that eat through flesh.