We’re in a bit of a Warhammer 40k renaissance in gaming right now with the sequel to Space Marine on the horizon, Darktide (despite its issues) releasing last year, Necromunda the year before that and now we have Warhammer’s first proper entry in the boomer shooter genre with Warhammer 40k: Boltgun.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Developer: Auroch Digital
Price: $21.99
Platform: PC / PS / Xbox
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
Set a few years after the events of W40k: Space Marine, W40k: Boltgun has you returning to the forge world Graia as fellow ultramine, Malum Caedo. You’re then sent by the Inquisition to go investigate the source of heretical behavior that caused a warp rift to open up on the planet. It’s a lot more plot than I honestly expected from a boomer shooter, but it works and really gets you in the mood to mow down some chaos scum. The game itself looks absolutely stunning, as the quintessential aesthetic of the Warhammer 40k universe is brought into this gorgeous pixel style but with some modern flourishes. All of the sprites look fantastic, more so when they explode in clouds of gore, and some levels in particular feature these non-Euclidean effects that really help sell that you’re in a chaos infested world.
If you’ve played one boomer shooter you’ve played them all, and unfortunately W40k: Boltgun plays things pretty disappointingly safe in the genre. That’s not to say it doesn’t play well, it absolutely is a blast to unload your bolter into chaos goons and watch the viscera spray everywhere. It’s just that with how oversaturated the genre has gotten in recent years, Boltgun isn’t doing anything to stand out from the crowd besides relying heavily on its IP.
As a big fan of both Warhammer and boomer shooters, it’s just a bit disappointing running through the game and not really feeling like I’m getting a particularly unique experience; it just feels like every other passable entry in an already quickly bloating genre.
The game features every weapon you’d likely hope to see from a Warhammer 40k shooter, from your mainstays like the bolter or plasma gun to things like the vengeance launcher and they all feel great to abuse demons with. Something particularly impressive about W40k: Boltgun is how well Auroch Digital managed to capture the feeling of being a space marine. Your character feels nimble, but also hefty enough that he pushes anything unfortunate enough to get in his way, kind of like a prime Shaq. Jumping from high points causes your marine to absolutely crush anyone below him, and a dedicated charge button lets you push your way out of a group, killing anyone who’s weak enough.
The Final Word
While there’s some mindless fun to be had here for Warhammer enthusiasts, Warhammer 40k: Boltgun is a perfectly passable entry in the genre that maybe relies a bit too much on its IP than trying to do something new.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average
