Warhammer 40K: Boltgun is an absolute blast of a boomer shooter

In the grim darkness of the distant future, there is only war. The Emperor’s finest, the transhuman Space Marines, are the bulwark protecting humanity from the malevolent forces of Chaos. Sometimes, the setting of warhammer 40,000 Deadly serious. But it’s also a very silly galaxy, and Warhammer 40K: Boltgun For a big impact, join the lighter side of things.

boltgunA boomer shooter created by Auroch Digital, draws heavy inspiration from Apocalypse, wolfenstein, Duke Nukem, and other old-school FPS games. I play an Ultramarine, one of the Emperors of Mankind’s Angels, who is sent to the world of Graia to clean up after the events of the 2011 action game. space Marine, I play as Malum Kaido, a Sternguard Veteran, and I’m the sole survivor of my squad.

everything has gone straight to hell after the events of space Marine ended and former Ultramarine hero Captain Titus killed boatloads of Orcs and Chaos Space Marines. The planet is again infested with Farmer, Chaos Space Marines and Daemons. Luckily, I have a Chainsword, Titanic Boltgun, and a dedicated button to praise the Emperor. My course of action is clear: rip and tear.

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Image: Auroch Digital/Focus Entertainment

at first sight, boltgun Elaborate joke. If you’re familiar with the 40K setting, it’s a delightful joke that turns familiar tropes on their head. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s just an over-the-top, gory romp – a Duke Nukem game in which, instead of playing a red-blooded American who likes beer and tits, the protagonist is an 8-foot-tall tank. The power armor that turns demons into red mist and praises its emperor.

However, the thing about most jokes is that they eventually wear thin. If boltgun Was just a silly goof, it would get stale after the first few levels. Happily, there’s more meat on this particular bone, as the gameplay is actually quite good. It wasn’t long before I fell into a frenzy of killing heretics.

The Chainsword lets me charge forward and close the gap, and it can take down even the most powerful enemies. But it also locks me into a static animation, which leaves me open to enemy fire. I can mow through daemons at a distance with my boltgun, which is less reliable, but gives me plenty of room to dodge shots and lay down.

Combat is punctuated by exploration. I’ll occasionally need to hunt for a key or knock down a secret wall. The more I explore, the more I am rewarded. I imagine new weapons stick around the levels, like the Meltgun or the Vengeance Launcher. There are also secret upgrades tucked away that spew cones of fire, or the ability to explode grenades into black holes. These powerful tools are fun to deploy and ridiculously overpowering, and I often found myself wiping out an entire room of bad guys in spectacular fashion.

Image: Auroch Digital/Focus Entertainment

whether for boltgun Whether a challenge or not – it’s really up to you. There are leveled difficulty options ranging from low level to exterminators. If you just want to explore environments and explore the story, there’s an Accessibility setting in the Accessibility menu. On Normal difficulty, even the lowly Plague Toads and Cultivators pack a punch. I’ll have to pay attention to my position and choose my equipment carefully, as my enemies have an equally versatile arsenal at their disposal.

The more I move through Graia, the more I appreciate its atmosphere boltgun, I started at Snowy Peaks, with Metal Imperium infrastructure built into the mountains, before fighting my way through housing blocks and factories with giant Titan mechas in the background. The stark surfaces of Graia are interrupted by colourful, flaming spheres of chaos, filled with winged Tzentek daemons and malevolent little nerglings.

Auroch Digital has done a great job of deploying the retro visuals and trappings of old shooters alongside modern sensibilities to bring the game to life. The Abyss of Chaos looks downright disturbing, even captured through an old-school lens. These combine with visceral and satisfying combat to create a sadistic atmosphere and crude demon design. boltgun A blast, and it’s nice to explore the world of Warhammer through such a ridiculous, blood-stained filter.

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun was released on May 23 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC using a pre-release download code provided by Focus Entertainment. Vox Media is an affiliated partnership. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find Additional information about Play Gamez’s ethics policy here,