Whenever you get proper all the way down to it, is there actually any distinction between Warhammer 40,000 and Doom? Completely offended house marines, large weapons, sci-fi installations being invaded by demons from literal Hell… principally all the identical, innit? Actually, it is a surprise nobody’s made a Warhammer boomer shooter prior to now.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (opens in new tab) retains issues gloriously easy. After a charmingly unsettling opening cutscene, the preview construct simply drops me on a planet stuffed with Chaos cultists with a chainsword and a dream, and tells me to have at it. Instantly I am racing across the map sending up pixelated sprays of blood, discovering weapons that might be banned underneath the Geneva Conference, and slotting comically giant keys into management panels to open doorways to locations stuffed with much more horrible enemies.
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It is an absolute blast. The weapons—on this set of ranges together with a boltgun, a shotgun, and a plasma gun—are chunky and beautifully satisfying, and the sport makes positive you’ve got all the time obtained extra targets to make use of them on. The shotgun specifically is a brand new all-timer for me, taking enemies aside in booming blasts worthy of an Ultramarine. The maps are easy and constructed to be raced by way of, however stuffed with secrets and techniques and energy ups for curious explorers to uncover. It is quick, easy, gorey enjoyable that could not really feel extra applicable to the heavy steel world of Warhammer. The truth that it has a devoted ‘yell on the enemy that you will kill them’ button actually sums up its vibe.
Visually, it attracts closely on Doom—enemies are 2D sprites animating in a 3D world—however with some fashionable lighting and particle results that come collectively into one thing actually placing. And a surprisingly extensive number of enemy sorts, from cultists and Chaos Area Marines to Pink Horrors and Plague Toads, means there’s all the time some new ugly foe to catch your eye (and your bullets).
Simply as its aesthetic combines retro and fashionable strategies, the motion too appears like a intelligent mixture of the conventions of Doom with extra fashionable FPS concepts. Boomer shooter purists might cock an eyebrow at having a charge-dash capacity on a cooldown, a devoted grenade button, and melee assaults, however it all provides as much as an expertise that is old skool but accessible. In case you like the concept of capturing monsters with huge weapons at excessive velocity, likelihood is you will like this no matter whether or not you’ve got spent the previous couple of years taking part in the likes of Nightfall and Ultrakill or not.
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And positively anybody who’s an enormous fan of Warhammer 40,000 will discover lots to like. Devoted touches embody Pink Horrors splitting into Blue Horrors when slain, Nurgling designs that decision again to beloved minis, and a injury system constructed across the energy and toughness scores of the tabletop sport.
Boltgun does not have a launch date introduced but, however what I’ve performed already felt very full—hopefully it will not be for much longer earlier than it comes sprinting onto Steam (opens in new tab), screaming and hoovering up well being pickups.
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