There’s quite a bit of map variety to be found, with the game taking us all around The Federation’s expansive presence. There are ruined cities, industrial zones, infested wastelands, and tropical islands, all of which you’re going to be protecting against the bugs in a gameplay loop that’s quite fast-paced and chaotic. We’ve been pretty impressed by our time with it, and it’s quite easy to recommend to you boomer shooter fans out there.

The trailer also gives you a glance into the Assassin bug’s gameplay, and it’s quite the power trip thanks to the bug’s ability to tear through The Federation’s rank and file with brutal ease. It’s bound to keep you entertained with all that its various modes bring to the table, aside from playing as Federation soldiers and taking on an onslaught of arachnids and other insects that are trying to swarm you, overwhelming you with superior numbers.

You’re far from helpless, though, as you strike at them from land and sky with a variety of cool weapons, all of which come to life in a refreshingly retro art style. It’s available for the PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S. Check out our review.

First and foremost, one of the most fun things about Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is its presentation. Even with its main menu, Auroch Digital has focused on recreating a fun interface where, rather than simply picking from a list of options for “New Game”, you get to click on various parts of your home base to access the appropriate sub menus. This is also where you get the first major twist of the game: there are separate modes for playing as humans and as the bugs. But we’ll get to that aspect later on.

"While ostensibly a boomer shooter, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! takes its game design cues from more recent releases."

As for the game itself, its story revolves around essentially being a work of interactive propaganda. Various cutscenes from throughout the game—fully acted out by real people—make no secret of Ultimate Bug War being an in-universe game that was released by the Federation to further boost enlistment efforts in the never-ending war against bugs. To achieve this, the main plot is structured around being like a loose parody of old-school action movies, complete with all the violence and melodrama that was endemic to the genre.

While ostensibly a boomer shooter, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! takes its game design cues from more recent releases. Its structure, while still level-based, revolves around throwing you into larger levels with a number of different objectives that you are then encouraged to tackle in just about any order you might want. All of these objectives tend to be part of a larger overarching plot about how the Federation is on the back foot thanks to the bugs being on the offensive, and culminate in a larger setpiece-styled objective that caps off the level.

The second-to-second gameplay is just about what you’d expect: fast-paced action that will keep you on your toes thanks to the tendency of the bugs to surround you from just about every direction. Since Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is a callback to an older style of shooter, there is also no regeneration for your health or shields. If you run low on either, you’ll either have to explore the map to find pickups, or call down some supplies. The combat never really gets boring thanks to enemy health being in a good spot between tanky and fragile. Most standard enemies, like warrior bugs, will go down in around 15 bullets from your full-auto gun. More specialized bugs, however, like tankers or archers, will take up more of your ammo.

Enemy variety is also decent, with the game constantly throwing a mix of warrior bugs and aphids to constantly chase you down for melee attacks, while archers will often take up vantage points at a distance to bombard you with projectiles. Every once in a while, you’ll also get to fight much more challenging enemies, like centurions or tankers, that will require more in the way of tactics. These fights can often become frantic enough to force you into using up your more powerful attacks, like an airstrike, or the last bit of ammo in your high-power sniper rifle.

"The second-to-second gameplay is just about what you’d expect: fast-paced action that will keep you on your toes thanks to the tendency of the bugs to surround you from just about every direction."

Speaking of which, there are plenty of weapons and toys to play with. Missions will throw you into a map with nothing more than a Morita Assault Rifle with an underslung shotgun for some extra support. Exploring the map, however, will often result in more choices, which can range from carbines to burst-fire rifles, sniper rifles, or my personal favorite, the shotgun. Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is one of those games where shotguns feel incredibly satisfying to use thanks to a mix of sound design, visual feedback, and the fact that they can take out most warrior bugs in a single shot. While you can only have two regular weapons equipped at any given time, you also get a third slot dedicated to special weapons. While also fun to use, the implementation of these special weapons is one of my major gripes with the gameplay.

Whenever you pick one up, you HAVE to use it. You can’t put it away for the time being and switch to your regular weapons to clear out hordes of standard enemies. Switching weapons will make you drop the special one, and while this would be fine in any other game, the sheer amount of chaos and bloodshed you experience in a typical encounter in Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! means that you’ll also ultimately misplace it. This means that either you have to spend precious time to find a good, memorable hiding place for your special weapons while hordes of warriors and aphids are at your heels, or you’ll simply have to use it up to deal with the current threat, rather than saving it for a tanker or something.

Movement is another area where Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! seems to have a mechanic in place just for the sake of being an annoyance to players. While running and jumping around as you would in a boomer shooter typically works fine, there’s also a sprint button that allows you to cover large distances more quickly. However, the sprint is tied to a stamina bar, which, when depleted, knocks you back into your regular running speed.

While far from a bad mechanic on its own, the annoying part is the fact that leaving the sprint key alone results in all of your stamina regenerating in a second or two. This means that, every ten seconds or so, you’ll simply have to stop sprinting for a quick moment before you can continue along your way. Again, this wouldn’t really be an issue in a game designed around more linear levels. However, the large, open maps of Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! means that your attempts to get to the next objective are slowed down just enough to be a minor annoyance that constantly claws at you.

"Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is one of those games where shotguns feel incredibly satisfying to use"

The bug missions, on the other hand, don’t really offer any real annoyances. However, the missions are incredibly short, often lasting for little more than ten minutes at a time, and seem to be designed around giving you a break from the more stress-inducing human missions. The bug missions put you in the role of a simulated “Assassin bug”, which can seemingly take down hordes of Federation soldiers without much effort. Missions are mostly unlocked every time you finish a few human ones, and will allow you to roam around in the same maps, albeit in an empowered form, complete with transformations that allow you to switch between Warrior, Hopper, and Tanker forms. The missions are largely just a drawn-out power fantasy, and even in terms of the story, the “Assassin bug” is hinted to be yet another form of Federation propaganda to inspire more players to enlist.

On the technical side of things, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is a well-made game, and considering its lo-fi visual style that melds 3D environments with 2D artwork depicting humans and bugs alike, I was able to maintain a solid frame rate of 144 FPS throughout my time with it. The game was tested on a PC running on an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU with 32 GB of DDR5-6000 RAM, and a Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU with 16 GB of VRAM.

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is an incredibly fun shooter that makes use of several mechanics that have been popularized by titles like Helldivers 2. The title offers a variety of difficulty options, which ensures that just about anyone can have fun with it, and the variety in missions, as well as the overall framing of the game’s story, made all the time I spent with it quite enjoyable. Even the campaign’s pacing is quite well done, breaking up the more intense human missions with power fantasy bug missions that allow you to essentially just go on a rampage through maps that you had to shoot and claw your way through.

This game was reviewed on PC.

John Rico returns in the trailer to tell you that to fight the bugs as effectively as you can, you need to understand how they operate. That’s going to be a fascinating study that starts with the Assassin bug, a deadly Arachnid that is as effective at range as it is in melee combat, and can cover large distances with its wings. You just need to master its three unique modes to sow chaos among any Troopers unfortunate enough to face you on the battlefield.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard of this one, it’s an inventive FPS title from Auroch Digital (known for Warhammer 40000: Boltgun) that we think you should watch out for when it releases on March 16th for PS5, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. If the thought of getting to play as the Arachnids hasn’t convinced you, the full trailer is below for you to check out.

The new campaign offers fresh locations, from a Hive City to the jungle, with the option for branching paths. Various factions will field new enemies, but you get new weapons to even the odds. Enemies become stronger as the campaign progresses, so you must keep your wits about you.

Also, unlike the first game, a Navigation Guide is now available from launch, making it easier to progress through levels and find the action. Unfortunately, it will be somewhat of a wait, as Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 launches in 2026 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Stay tuned for more details and updates.

In the meantime, check out Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition, launching on June 10th for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It’s a remaster of the first title with visual improvements and all previously released content.

As the DLC’s name would imply, Forges of Corruption will introduce a host of new Chaos-powered baddies to fight, including the Terminator unit. The DLC will also bring with it two new weapons—the Multi-Melta and the Missile Launcher.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a first-person shooter released back in May last year. The game puts players in the shoes of fearless Space Marine Malum Caedo, who is on a mission on the Forge World Graia. Players have to take on the forces of Chaos as they try and stop the world from being taken over by cultists, Chaos demons, and other heretics.

For more details on Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, check out our review, where we praised the game for its art design, gameplay, and tight controls.

It’s 2023. Enter Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – a purposefully pixelated Warhammer world where players can once again relive the glory days of the fast and frenetic FPS genre the ‘90s gave birth to. And while this game will easily fit right at home on the PC like the aforementioned inspirations of yesteryear, my particular experience is with the PS5 version of the game. You are the fabled Space Marine who lives and fights. From the start, your Space Marine is outfitted with a Chainsword. Holding your melee attack button slows time giving you a brief respite to get the lay of the land and the enemies surrounding you before rushing in for the kill. Quickly, you’ll find the eponymous Boltgun that will shred the demons you’re up against into gory chunks.

"Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a purposefully pixelated Warhammer world where players can once again relive the glory days of the fast and frenetic FPS genre the ‘90s gave birth to."

The game plays exactly as you’d expect, but with a tinge of modern comforts. The controls are tight and highly responsive. As fans of these heyday FPS titles are accustomed to, the player movements are quick. You might feel like the Space Marine is running with basic movements but holding the sprint button will show you that’s not the case. Despite being outfitted in clunky armor, this Space Marine can move! The complications of modern gauntlets have been stripped in this classic experience. Every action can be taken without the need for menus. Swapping weapons is as easy as a press of the D-Pad (for those using a controller). Forget aiming down the sites. That’s a precision maneuver best left to other shooters. We’re back to the basics running and gunning via hip fire. Ammo pick-ups, gun upgrades, and hostiles are everywhere. So, there’s no sense in being conservative here. It’s an experience crafted just the way Uncle John Carmack would’ve intended.

Run-and-gun corridor and arena shooters often employ a standard structure for progression. That is, you must find keys to advance in any level. Explore the sometimes-labyrinthine depths of the neo-gothic urban sprawl or a desert compound to find the next key to advance. Also littered throughout each level’s map are a series of secrets and boost pick-ups for your guns or character. Don’t hesitate to explore.

When you first begin, Boltgun offers the sensation of a real power fantasy. Obtaining the actual Boltgun and slaughtering enemies with ease is a real trip. But keep in mind, that the early moments of the game might give you a false sense of security. Soon, you’ll begin encountering Purge events throughout each level. These are the moments that will test your mettle. You’ll be locked into an arena and expected to clear the onslaught of enemies before advancing.

The best advice that can possibly be given here is to keep moving. Purge events will also eventually include boss fights to up the ante. While it might feel like total chaos and that the moment calls for a trigger-happy plan, the strategy here boils down to managing your weapons. Save the harder-hitting firearms like the Heavy Bolter or the Plasma Gun for the tougher enemies while you shred the smaller ones with melee attacks, the Boltgun, or your shotgun. Believe it or not, amid the frenetic onslaught, you can employ strategies to stay alive. Focus on picking up med-kits and contempt boosts (basically armor) for the right moments to maximize their effectiveness. By the time all is said and done, you’ll have painted the arena with the bright-red guts of your enemies.

"The worlds of Boltgun are striking and unmatched, even by classic ‘90s FPS standards."

Of course, if everything becomes a bit too overwhelming, Boltgun offers an olive branch to the players who aren’t as adept with arena shooters. If you find that you are stuck continually being eviscerated in a particular spot, there is an “invulnerability” switch in the accessibility options from the pause menu. That’s right. There’s no cheat code or anything of that nature. You can be invincible simply by using a switch in the settings. If your pride can take the blow, flip the switch, push through the problem area, and then turn the invulnerable mode off while you continue on your way. I won’t judge.

The worlds of Boltgun are striking and unmatched, even by classic ‘90s FPS standards. In an age where Unreal Engine 5 exists and we have killer new technology in the gaming space like ray tracing, pixel art is a style choice. Boltgun could’ve easily gone for sleek realism. However, its pixelated corridors are a breath of fresh air opting for something both vibrant and rich in heavily-saturated colors but also simplistic. In fact, the visual appeal is both striking and wonderful. It’s the very element that brings players closest to their fondest memories of classic arena shooters.

Enemies are flat sprites with rigid and fixed attack and death animations. Despite all of this, Boltgun confirms that there’s a timeless quality to this particular design. Modern indie and triple-A titles like Celeste have shown us that what was once the result of creating video games due to technology limitations is now an artistic choice. Boltgun ultimately does the same for first-person shooters. Not to mention, there’s something refreshing about a game these days that is quick to download and runs as smoothly as slicing butter without any performance issues or technical hiccups.

"Fans of the classic arena shooter genre will undoubtedly be thrilled with this bloody fever dream that recreates the experiences of a past era in gaming."

While I could gush about Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun for hours, there’s only one critique that I can truly offer here – maps. Duke Nukem 3D, and Quake have the option to view the map of a level, even as the player moves through its halls. This aids in exploration, discovery of secrets, and, well, not getting lost. Boltgun didn’t appear to have any such option. Perhaps, with any luck, the developers will provide the option in a future update. Regardless, there is plenty to love in your time with Boltgun.

Fans of the classic arena shooter genre will undoubtedly be thrilled with this bloody fever dream that recreates the experiences of a past era in gaming.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The new trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun shows off quite a bit of its high-octane fast-paced gameplay accompanied by an over-the-top voiceover explaining the basic gist of the game, which essentially revolves around fighting against the forces of Chaos.

In Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, the player is put into the shoes of an Ultramarine Sternguard Veteran. Accompanied by his faithful servo-skull, the player has to use their vast arsenal to take on the forces of Chaos on the Forge World of Scour Graia which has been overrun by cultists, traitors and daemons.

Announced last year, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun had its May 23 release date announced back in April. The game is slated to launch on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is set to launch for PC and consoles on May 23, and will retail for $21.99, with pre-orders now open. The first person shooter will see players stepping into the shoes of a Space Marine and blasting through Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. As you’d expect from a retro-inspired shooter, there’s plenty of emphasis placed here on fast-paced and frenetic action and constant mobility. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at the gameplay.

When it launches, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

In Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, players take on the role of a Space Marine sent on a mission across the galaxy, battling Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. The self-described boomer shooter promises an extensive arsenal, as well as a 90s inspired art style and a metal soundtrack as an homage to classic first-person shooters of the era.

According to the press release, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun has been under development since 2018. The game already has a Steam page live with details, including the required system specs.

The announcement comes as part of Games Workshop’s Warhammer Skulls Festival of Video Games, which had other announcements like Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, an update for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and a new cinematic trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is set for release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch in 2023. Check out the announcement trailer below.

To learn more about this game’s development,  Gamingbolt reached out to the developers with some questions and the game’s Producer Nina Adams provided the following answers.

"As a studio it combined our two great loves, Cthulhu and turn-based strategy, it seemed like an obvious choice for us as the two go so well together."

How exactly does the momentum system work in the game?

You are awarded Momentum at the start of every combat turn based on the level of your leader. As you progress through the game and progress your leader, you’ll start each turn with more Momentum. You also gain additional Momentum points during a turn by hitting a critical shot. You can spend Momentum points on actions like Overwatch, using a secondary weapon, and special skills.

What inspired you to use a turn-based tactical game to tell a story about Cthulhu?

As a studio it combined our two great loves, Cthulhu and turn-based strategy, it seemed like an obvious choice for us as the two go so well together.

Can you tell us a bit about the universe of Achtung! Cthulhu ?

Achtung! Cthulhu is set in a WWII universe where Hitler and the Nazis have uncovered Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and are trying to harness it to help them win the war. The game is set behind enemy lines where our band of heroes are attempting to foil their plans and asks the question; ‘What would have happened if the Nazis discovered the Great Old Ones and used them for greater evil?’.

What made you include the Luck mechanic, and can you tell us more about how it works?

The luck mechanic acts a little like a shield, the character’s luck will reduce before HP does. Luck also recharges between combat modes whereas health doesn’t. We included this because we wanted there to be more complexity; rather than just being shot and killed. Adding this extra buffer definitely encourages the player to be more tactical in their gameplay.

What can you tell us about the progression system in the game?

The progression system is our key way of incorporating the RPG mechanics from the original tabletop RPG. We wanted the player to be invested in the characters and we’ve done this by awarding characters skill points for XP which can be spent on skills. On the skill tree there are various routes the player can take to strengthen their character. The player has total control over making their characters a general all-rounder, a strong fighter, healer etc.

In terms of gameplay, it looks like XCOM has been a major influence. What are some features of the game that set it apart?

I feel the major differences are: The Shroud, this is a beefed up fog of war which the enemy use to their advantage and creeps around the player in an attempt to engulf the characters; Momentum is an additional way of moving and acting on top of AP (Action Points); and the psychological system we’ve implemented which causes the characters to react uncontrollably when they witness Mythos creatures killing their comrades.

"As well as taking damage, the characters have a Stress bar. There are a few ways their stress increases, including when they take damage, when they get shot at from The Shroud, and seeing a mythos creature."

It seems like light and darkness will add an extra layer to the complexity the game.  Can you tell us more about how this works in the game?

This is our mechanic called The Shroud. The characters have a vision cone in front of them, so that when you move this cone clears an area of The Shroud, giving any enemies that fall within it a debuff. Enemies hiding in it are harder to hit so they naturally try and maneuver around you to hit you whilst remaining shrouded. The player will also need to be careful not to leave anyone behind, fallen units who are engulfed by The Shroud are captured.

How exactly does the psychological system work?

As well as taking damage, the characters have a Stress bar. There are a few ways their stress increases, including when they take damage, when they get shot at from The Shroud, and seeing a mythos creature. If their Stress level increases too much a random psychological effect will take place, for example going berserk will make the character run into the middle of the enemy and fire randomly. As they are uncontrollable like this the player may find occasionally the psychological effect has helped their situation, but more often, it will have had quite the opposite effect…

Any word on the game’s release date?

It’s going to be in your hands by the end of the year, and much sooner than you think…

The game will feature Xbox One X specific enhancements. What can players expect if they are playing the game on Xbox One X? Is 4K/60fps on the cards?

You can expect graphical improvements definitely. What those will be, we’ll be talking about at a later date.

And how will the PS4 Pro version turn out in terms of resolution and frame rate?

See above 😀

From a development perspective, how do you find the Xbox One X to be? With so much GPU power, we are sure you must be doing some amazing things.

It’s great! This is our first console game and we were a bit nervous about making the jump, but we approached the development of the game in the right way – i.e. making a game that sits naturally on both console and PC, rather than simply making a PC game fit on a console. The Xbox One X is capable of some truly astounding things and we’re really pleased to be making games for it.

"But will the platform owners champion more indie stuff in the future? What about niche stuff? Will we ever see a store front not dominated by the huge AAA releases and the odd “Big Indie” title?"

Next gen is coming sooner or later. From a development perspective, what is your biggest expectation from PS5 and Xbox Scarlett?

The main thing we’re excited about is seeing how the consoles embrace studios like ours, and related to that, how they handle curation of content. We’re a relatively small team – all in there’s about 20 of us at the studio – and so getting to launch titles on consoles is extremely exciting, as it gives us a wider audience. But will the platform owners champion more indie stuff in the future? What about niche stuff? Will we ever see a store front not dominated by the huge AAA releases and the odd “Big Indie” title? The occasional big push from a platform holder can really make amazing differences to smaller teams, but the opportunities to get those is limited right now. As a studio we’d like to see more of them!

What is your take on the ongoing drama of loot boxes and microtransactions?

I can’t really comment to them in a wider industry sense, as the reasons for their use differ from team to team and project to project. They make more sense in some games and less sense in others – a game like Clash of Clans couldn’t really exist without them, for example, but a point and click adventure would struggle to include them in a way that wasn’t obtrusive.

As a studio, right now they’re not for us. They don’t fit the kinds of games we’ve made previously and they don’t fit any of the games we have in the pipeline. Our ethos is that if a monetisation model gets in the way of the overall design goals, it’s probably not one you should implement.