Warhammer 40,000 is a universe that lends itself effortlessly to multiple different videogame genres, from CRPGs to arena racers, but one thing the IP is surprisingly short on is first person shooters. Sure Darktide is still doing numbers and Necromunda: Hired Gun was fun for five minutes, but the only game that really nails the 40K power fantasy is Space Marine 2. Well, enter Boltgun, 2023’s surprisingly awesome retro-styled boomer shooter that cast you as Malum Caedo, a stranded Ultramarine up to his neck in heretics in dire need of a good purging. In Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, Caedo is joined by Nyra Veyrath, a Sister of Battle with a serious nark on.
What follows the brief intro is a diverging campaign that throws out all sense of pretention and lets you go absolutely frigging ham on everything that moves. There are noticeable differences between the two characters, not only in speed versus survivability, but also in which special weapons they can wield and which brutal blasters fill out their respective arsenals.
Having a campaign that diverges at certain points and locks off the path not taken means there’s every reason to play as both characters and take different routes, adding to the replayability and longevity. Not that Boltgun 2 needs to be stretched out. Neither campaign path is overly long, but developer Auroch Digital has gone all out on packing the game with new enemies and mini-bosses.
Chaos legions like Deathguard and Emperor’s Children rub shoulders with cultists and demons galore as Caedo or Nyra blast their way through hordes of enemies. Blood and body parts fly everywhere, and there’s a noticeable squelch as viscera drips off ceilings and walls. Boltgun 2’s pixelated violence is as cathartic as ever, and the simple “coloured key” progression system cribs wholeheartedly from the genre giants that inspired it in a way that feels tributary rather than derivative.
From wide open arenas where demonettes of Slaanesh leap around so fast they’re hard to hit, to swamps infested with Nurgle pox-walkers, Boltgun 2’s environments perfectly invoke the over-the-top grandeur of the license. Soundbites are kept to a minimum, as is the story, which is really just an excuse to squib as many chaos marines, demons, and cultists as possible. At the same time, it makes me pine for a full on, id-developed modern take on the franchise.
But that’s a little unfair to what Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is. There’s nothing subtle about it, but tidbits of lore and hints that Auroch really know the universe abound, like the Krieg troopers who join you on several missions and blissfully go to bask in the Emperor’s light at every opportunity. Particularly when they stand in the way of Caedo landing from a jump point. Half a ton of armoured super soldier landing on a squishy mortal will make a mess on anyone’s rug.
Weapons like the Astartes Shotgun, Stormbolter and Stakethrower make an appearance, alongside plasma rifles, flames several other mainstays that I won’t spoil here. Each one feels satisfying and meaty as you take the enemy apart en masse. A simple guidance line should you need it leads you to your current objective, while secrets you find off the beaten path award you with powerful buffs that last for the whole stage and make exploration feel worth the time.
Like its predecessor, Boltgun 2 is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be and exactly who it caters to. There are times when the story feels like a afterthought and some of the repeated enemy lines get a little tiresome, but these are minor complaints in an otherwise superb old school blaster. For fans of classic FPS mechanics or 40K in general, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is an absolute blast.
