Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Review: Initiate Purge Protocol (PC)

A boomer shooter set in the Warhammer 40k universe sounds perfect, and Auroch Digital has delivered just that with Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Set in the horrifying ‘grimdark’ universe occupied by artificially augmented supersoldiers and terrifying killer insectoids alike, Boltgun seems like the perfect step up from Doom and Quake.

Just like Doomguy, the protagonist in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun engages in a solo crusade against hordes of unrelenting monsters and mutants. But if you’re a fan of the grimdark universe like me, playing as a Space Marine offers a different kind of high. It is the perfect power fantasy for its fanbase — an adrenalin rush that is scarcely matched by the aforementioned games.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is available on Steam, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch (digital version only) for $21.99.

Story — Purging the Heretics

The narrative is something you rarely pay attention to in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, but this does not mean that it’s poorly written. It’s what you would expect from a boomer shooter set in the 41st millennium. The story is, quite surprisingly, a sequel to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. It is set several years after the events of the game on the Forge World Graia.

Entering a Warp Gate

The protagonist is Malum Caedo, a Sternguard Veteran Space Marine of the Ultramarines Chapter sent by the Inquisition to Graia. The Inquisition has closely monitored Graia for new threats ever since the Ork and Chaos invasions. The late Inquisitor Drogan’s Power Source was experimented with by rogue Techpriests of Graia, according to Inquisitor Seibel of the Ordo Malleus. The experiments led to the opening of a warp rift, which allowed the Forces of Chaos to once more invade the Forge World. Caedo’s squad crash lands on the planet and he is the only survivor, which explains the reason why you’re a lone soldier.

Animated Cutscenes

Although brief, the story and briefing are explained in four hand-drawn, animated cutscenes that appear in between each chapter. In addition to being visually appealing, these act as constant reminders of the game’s attempt to have an old-school aesthetic. And if you’re a fan of that style, you’ll be quite pleased.

Gameplay — A Satisfying Power Fantasy

WH40k games, especially ones where you get to play as the Space Marines, are all about the power fantasy of being the universe’s best supersoldiers. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun manages to capture this feeling perfectly, as your solo campaign against the Chaos hordes doesn’t ever feel like an impossible endeavor.

Weapons, Abilities, and Equipment

The game’s main talking point is its weapons, which, while lacking any kind of customizability, are all satisfying to use and distinctive enough to support a variety of tactical approaches. The very first weapon your character wields — the boltgun, or the bolter, is the most iconic weapon of the Space Marines and is what the game is named after. It is what you will be using throughout the campaign, and despite being the starter weapon, is actually quite reliable.

Attacking an enemy with the boltgun

While you can’t customize your weapons, there are several ‘secrets’ spread around every map that, when taken, gives you a temporary weapon upgrade. These range from increasing the weapon’s ‘strength rating’ to swapping out for a more powerful, unique type of ammunition. The backup weapon that you always have on yourself is the chainsword, which is also quite powerful and satisfying to use. Using it on an enemy will make the player dash toward him in a brief moment when time slows down.

You also get to use a separate dash mechanic that can knock back enemies or effortlessly cover the gap between you and them. The jetpack, or Jump Pack, as it is known in the WH40k universe, is available in the game, but unfortunately, it isn’t used often. There are specific spots on the maps where you can use a Jump Pack to reach high-off places or cross a large gap. It can’t be equipped outside these spots.

Level Design

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun plays out like a retro run-and-gun shooter, and the typical FPS combat will not work here. However, the game often shifts to what feels almost like an arena shooter at times, where you need to survive for a few minutes while hordes of enemies keep spawning continuously. The problem is that you can’t move across the map as fast as you need to for an arena shooter. Even the dash ability can’t be used frequently as it takes a moment to cool down.

Some areas feature a bit of verticality

These are the moments for which you may need to conserve your ammo for the more powerful weapons. The very few Vortex grenades that you may find before a boss battle is better used for these situations instead, as they’re quite effective for crowd control. As mentioned before, there are some secrets to be found in the maps and they include weapon boosts, special abilities, and even Vortex grenades. Thankfully, they aren’t too hard to find most of the time and are strategically placed so they can be effectively used before facing heavy enemy resistance.

Another issue is that the more powerful weapons are only there for a short period of time. You’ll get the more basic weapons like the bolter, the shotgun, and the plasma gun in the very first hour. But the more efficient crowd-control weapons like the Meltagun or the Vengeance Launcher are unlocked much later. They are then taken away right as the first chapter ends. This entire process is repeated again in the next chapter as well.

Graphics and Audio — Does Justice to the Setting

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is very similar to other recent boomer shooter titles like Prodeus, Ultrakill, and Cultic in terms of graphics. It has a nice retro aesthetic that can be customized to look more old-school and pixelized, or a bit more modern and clean. The interactable props (piles of bones, corpses, and explosive barrels) and the enemies are all 2D sprites. Meanwhile, the weapons, which are also 2D, have a nice 3D effect to them.

The grimdark universe can be quite colorful

The levels themselves are beautifully designed and you can’t call them generic in any way. In fact, they are quite immersive and offer an amazing glance into the grimdark world of the 41st millennium. The imposing and industrial landscape of Graia emphasizes what the Imperium of Man is all about, while the glowing Chaos taint seen in the walls and floors of these locations look eerie and otherworldly in comparison.

Voice Acting

The most unique feature of the game is the taunt system, which allows players to taunt their enemies by pressing T. The dialogues by Malum Caedo are remarkable, and Rahul Kohli did him justice with his voice acting. The voice actor behind Inquisitor Seibel — Rachel Atkins, has also done quite a good job of portraying the character. It also manages to be quite believable amid the WH40k backdrop. She had previously lent her voice in another WH40k game — Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

An Exceptional Soundtrack

Audio is very important to a WH40k game and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun nails it quite admirably. It manages to capture the feel of the omnipresent Imperium and its religious zeal perfectly with its choral and atmospheric soundtrack. With heart-pounding tracks that begin just as the action begins, the game also captures the fast-paced gameplay of a high-octane boomer shooter.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun was reviewed on PC.