Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun review – The 90s shooter your parents were warned about

The impact that Doom had on PC gaming as a whole is pretty significant, with many games in the decades after looking to recreate that same intense close-quarter shooter experience. This launch created its own genre that still sees some variations in gaming today, although many have evolved past their original look. That’s what makes games like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun so refreshing.

In an industry that seems just as obsessed as Hollywood with making computer visuals as realistic as possible, it’s nice to see something return to the basics using current tech. No one should expect anything less from the Warhammer brand, which has been releasing a series of exceptional games for the last few decades.

This is a mashup of the two, allowing players to explore ranging environments from the Warhammer universe while also getting to experience the fast-paced arena-like shooter. While it’s not the most exciting the genre has ever been, it’s a great nostalgia trip that feels like a natural evolution of the game genre that was born 30 years ago.

A refreshing reincarnation of classic arena shooters

If you were to ask me about the narrative in the 10+ hours I spent in this game, I could give you some vague mumblings about “heretics” and forbidden knowledge. That’s not important though, because the real attraction in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is the fast-paced combat and range of weapons that you can use to take out seemingly endless waves of monsters.

For someone who’s unfamiliar with the bestiary in Warhammer 40k, you have got to respect the monsters in this game. While you initially start out fighting standard mech suits and regular soldiers, they are quickly mixed in with a range of monsters. Each of these beasts is as cool as the last, with their designs being exceptionally intricate and fun to look at due to their pixel design.

Their attacks and patterns are pretty easy to understand, so you’ll know how to avoid shots when they’re coming in from all sides. That doesn’t mean you’ll be able to dodge them though, as the tight arena levels and overwhelming amount of monsters make for some tough fighting conditions. Even on Medium difficulty, I was having to try some levels from the checkpoint half a dozen times.

That doesn’t mean that it won’t be easier for fans of this genre, as players of the classic and new Doom series are sure to understand the strategy needed. For others, it’s not necessarily unapproachable, but you should be prepared to take your licks before you start to really understand how to defeat some of the larger groups of enemies. I found staying light on my feet and moving around the map a bunch helped.

One of the main accessibility options is to give your character invincibility, which changes to goal of the game completely. Whereas before activating that setting it was about surviving to the end, with invulnerability on it became about defeating all the enemies and getting through the intricate and hard-to-understand levels as fast as I could.

Get ready to get lost in a bad way

One of the more frustrating parts of this game, and what eventually led to me dropping it about halfway through is that I don’t understand where I’m supposed to go half the time. Visually, the game looks really great, and even better when you realize you can customize the retro colors and pixelation. However, the levels themselves are very busy in a way that I found so confusing.

All I could think about is that it was one of the problems this game inherited from the classic versions, uncertainty about where you’re supposed to go. Due to the repeated textures and levels that usually require you to backtrack multiple times, I often wandered aimlessly, begging for the exit to just appear in the place I had searched three times, only to realize I had to use a key I picked up 10 mins before.

This may be easier for players who are comfortable with this type of design, but it was pretty frustrating when each level just required the same thing. It feels like much of the game has extended its run time artificially by creating larger levels that require the player to find a key, then double back to find a second.

That’s not the only thing that feels padded, as the chapters feel bloated with the number of levels that you have to go through. It feels like maybe Auroch Digital had multiple maps they really liked, but couldn’t narrow them down so it included them all. The only real time I actually noticed something interesting and unique was portals, and even that proved just as frustrating.

This might not matter as much to players who appreciate the retro arcade feel, which this game is great at recreating. It’s sure to give plenty of players flashbacks to the early FPS titles that look pretty similar to Boltgun, without the polish and understanding of modern-day tech this game afforded. This seems to be a departure from the more recent Warhammer games, so it will be interesting to see players’ opinions.

Conclusion

Try Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website!