Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Review – Melt and Burn, Until It Is Done

Very few collaborations in gaming could theoretically work as well together as Warhammer 40,000 and the boomer shooter genre. Auroch Digital would finally satisfy that long-dormant craving with Boltgun, a retro shooter with a sharp pixel style, visceral action and the grimdark art direction that defines 40K. It was everything fans could have wanted…at least, initially.

As you delved deeper, the many problems became more apparent. Level design became repetitive, as did enemy variety, and even as the gameplay loop revolved around slaying out as quickly and brutally as possible, Boltgun went about that in some pretty unextraordinary ways.

Cue Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, which aims to address almost every single shortcoming from the original, particularly the level design. Almost like the team had something to prove and set out to implement almost every non-stealth first-person trope it could, to fantastic results. Even if it falls prey to some of its predecessor’s issues, the result is a boomer shooter worth more than the initial playthrough.

"Just when I thought Boltgun 2 didn’t have any other tricks up its sleeve, it surprised me with some platforming sections and environmental hazards."

Story-wise, you’ll be shocked to learn that xenos need purging. While the Imperial fleet orbits Akrimonus Prime, the planet is suddenly corrupted, causing massive damage. With enemy forces roaming unchecked, it’s all you can do to suit up as Malum Caedo or newcomer Nyra Veyrath to purge them and escape.

Overall, it’s a simple yet compelling set-up, and navigating through the broken corridors of the ship, obtaining your arsenal and learning all the mechanics is handled well enough. Of course, from there, the mission structure follows a generic “purge corruption” narrative.

But the good news is that it facilitates mission chains and side operations that can tell their own intriguing stories. “There is Only War,” for example, places you on the front line en route to a munitions facility that soldiers are protecting, fighting alongside Krieg Death Korps. It’s the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with Boltgun 2’s more open environments. And these aren’t just open killing fields either. Enemies are set up in destroyed buildings and various pillboxes, using every ounce of advantage they can get. From there, you’ll transition into actual trench warfare, presenting excellent opportunities to charge through and turn enemies into a fine crimson paste – all of this and more before you even reach the munitions facility or the capital.

Boltgun 2 mostly picks up from there, as you venture into a dilapidated prison with claustrophobic corridors and enemies hiding between every sealed cell; navigate blood fortress, sweeping through one moment and gradually discovering a massive threat that awaits below; and perhaps my favorite, venturing into the core of a corrupt moon, navigating a cargo train (and fighting off enemies running parallel to it), and using minecarts to descend further in, splattering any unwilling enemies in the way.

And even if I occasionally had to be reminded where to go, courtesy of the nifty navigation feature, the level design flowed naturally, right down to the Purge sections. Just when I thought Boltgun 2 didn’t have any other tricks up its sleeve, it surprised me with some platforming sections and environmental hazards.

"I’m a bit disappointed that Malum gets one new armament – the Frag Cannon – while the Vengeance Launcher is gone…I’m also not a big fan of how the Heavy Bolter feels when readying it compared to the original."

Yes, much of the progression revolves around the same key-finding gameplay loop that’s defined boomer shooters for decades. However, it rarely feels canned or reduces the action to simply wandering around, trying to find what you need to progress. That said, there are some levels I wasn’t the biggest fan of, namely the first mission of Welcome to the Wilds and the second mission of Breaking the Ice, both featured in the demo conveniently enough. I wouldn’t categorize them as outright bad, but in the grand scheme of purging, there are other levels which feel far beyond them in terms of overarching quality and mechanics.

Did I mention the enemy variety? Because beyond simple grenadiers and foot soldiers, you’ll contend with Daemons, some perfect for cutting down to size with melee strikes and shotgun blasts, and others that require more backing away and kiting to avoid the majority of their damage. Between the Bloodletters, who you’ll be tempted to gun down mid-jumping slash to the Berserkers that you should execute ASAP, lest they become frenzied and much stronger near-death; or the marines whose war projectiles will disorient as phase-shifting Scarab Occult Terminators attempt to gun you down, there are a lot of different threats that mix up the gameplay in compelling ways.

None of this would matter if Boltgun 2 felt horrible to play, but that’s thankfully not the case…for the most part. Both Malum and Nyra feel fantastic to control. The former embodies the weightiness of an Ultramarine and has higher base health (even more than in the demo), while the latter is quicker, has higher base armor (which is still odd) and can slow down time when jumping mid-slide. They leverage the basic premise of forward momentum – where slain enemies will drop bits of health and armor, so the key to survival is slaying out even harder – and feel fun in their own right.

Then there are the weapons. I’m a bit disappointed that Malum gets one new armament – the Frag Cannon – while the Vengeance Launcher is gone. The Meltagun is also different, feeling more like a mid-range beam than the thermal shockwave seen in its predecessor or even Boltgun 1. I’m also not a big fan of how the Heavy Bolter feels when readying it compared to the original. And while many of the new weapons, including the Heavy Flamer and the Stake-Thrower, lay with Nyra, the latter is a bit awkward to use at times. At least the Melta Bomb hits hard enough, though its deployment takes some getting used to.

"It may not rewrite the genre’s rulebook, but as a title that channels so much terrifyingly awesome stuff from its universe, there’s a lot to like and more than a few things that would make the players proud."

With enemy tankiness being a concern in Boltgun 1, the sequel feels better in places. Tearing through foot soldiers with a Boltgun, sometimes a single shot at a time and others requiring two, feels immensely satisfying. It also makes sense that your heaviest weapons were suited to the bigger foes whose lore-accurate power is no joke. Some foes felt like they required a few too many shots to kill, even on Medium difficulty (*cough*Tormentors*cough*), but it didn’t feel overtly egregious. I didn’t venture into the highest difficulty, Exterminatus, but Hard still felt like it adhered to that philosophy of forward momentum, even if tap strafing felt much more essential to survival.

Presentation-wise, and it should come as no surprise, the pixel art still looks phenomenal, and arguably even more so given the wider range of environments that you’ll traverse. Seeing Auroch Digital faithfully translate the Warhammer universe into this art style while keeping that same atmosphere and feel is great. If only the music could match up. No, not the final boss battle, composed by Mick Gordon and utterly fantastic, but the rest of the game, especially with how non-existent it can feel at times.

Despite its shortcomings, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a worthy follow-up and deserving of your time, whether you’re a fan of boomer shooters or 40K. It may not rewrite the genre’s rulebook, but as a title that channels so much terrifyingly awesome stuff from its universe, there’s a lot to like and more than a few things that would make the players proud.

This game was reviewed on PC.