If you were to ask a Warhammer 40,000 fan if they wanted a retro-style DOOM-inspired shooter in which they slipped into space marine and ripped heretics and demons to pieces, the answer would probably be a resounding yes.
Look no further because here we have Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, a whole letter of love and nostalgia for these darn far-future shooting titles. Since its announcement, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun has been a coveted game for fans of the board game universe, even if video games weren’t their area of interest. On the other hand, it has also created great expectations for the shooter, both among fans of gritty sci-fi and regular players of the genre.
With such good premises on paper, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun faces the simple but potentially difficult task of living up to the hype. Thankfully, Boltgun delivers on its promises in many ways.
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From the moment you click begin And when you start a new campaign, you know you’re in for a real Warhammer 40,000 experience. You will be given a short but useful story about why you need to go to the planet below your ship and search for an enemy of the Empire. It’s not a story so dense that the uninitiated can’t pull in, but there are nods here and there to let longtime fans know that Aurochs Digital has done its homework. Narratively, the story is straightforward as we follow a cult of chaos worshipers who have invaded a planet and need to be exterminated. There are a few twists and turns that keep you hooked, and there’s a nice pixelated scene at the end of each chapter that gives you another glimpse into the story, but otherwise the main purpose of the plot is to give you a reason to jump right into the fight .
Destroying enemies with the Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun, mowing them down with the trusty chainsword, or turning them into nothing more than a red mist with a frag grenade are incredibly satisfying acts. The combat is every bit as bloody, ferocious, and entertaining as one would expect from the boltgun trailers. As you wander the red cliffs of the planet’s surface or through the narrow corridors of Imperial facilities, you’ll encounter plenty of human and demonic foes who need a bullet between their eyes. Most explode like crushed grapes when you fire your bolt pistol, making you feel like you embody the Space Marines’ walking tanks, but despite all of these weak enemies, you’ll also find plenty of stronger enemies scattered throughout.
Boltgun combat gives you the best of both worlds as you can sometimes indulge your power fantasies and leave the pixelated remains of countless minions on the ground. Other times, you’re cowering behind a wall because a larger demon has drained you of life with a single attack. The game is by no means a walk in the park, and at various points I kept dying to stronger enemies that I didn’t want to find around the corner. It would have been nice to see a bit more variety in some of these demonic enemies, but even if you think you’ve seen it all, the game throws enemies at you in different combinations, requiring you to fight in a way that you know. t before. .
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Sure, shooting and killing enemies is fun, but another thing that’s incredibly satisfying about Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is the in-game mobility. You can sprint and jump incredible distances, adding an extra speed to combat as you can move from cover to cover or simply dodge projectiles coming your way to leap over larger enemies before crushing the peasants below. There are some moments in the larger levels where it’s easy to get lost, but overall I have to take my hat off to Aurochs Digital for Boltgun’s level design, especially with the open spaces that allow you to really appreciate his approach to the game Game to plan fight, almost like a Hotline Miami from the first person perspective.
The art direction and visual effects of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun are packed with nostalgic pixels one would expect from a shooter. From the enemies, to the environment, to the two hands that belong to your character and that you constantly see in front of you, the graphics are also very detailed. Also, what shouldn’t go unnoticed about Boltgun is the sound design, which is one of the main reasons combat is so satisfying. Each weapon (yes, you have way more than a regular bolt machine gun) sounds exactly how you want it, from the thundering heavy bolter to the singing laser of the Volkite Caliver. Even your Space Marine’s footsteps add significantly to the overall immersion. I wish the same could be said of the game’s soundtrack, which works well as a backdrop to the destruction and death you cause, but isn’t as memorable as it could have been. At least in my experience there is no smashing song that sends you into a shooting frenzy.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a game that leaves scars. One moment you’ll feel like the most evil creature in the galaxy, and the next you’ll be reminded that the universe is a scary and deadly place. In the rapid succession of shots, you can have hours of fun destroying cultists and demons in the name of the Emperor. I’m not sure how well this experience will resonate with non-Warhammer fans, but if you have any idea what a Space Marine is, or want to recapture the nostalgia of those early ’90s shooters, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is up definitely worth a chance.
