| Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 | |||
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Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is the sequel to Auroch Digital’s retro-style first-person shooter inspired by classic boomer shooters. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
| Digital Storefronts | ||
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| $24.99 | ||
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Review: This Satisfying Retro Shooter Is Your Next Warhammer Obsession
There’s nothing more gratifying for a Warhammer fan than getting another Warhammer entry. The franchise has always been about who can come up with the craziest lore in its grimdark universe and how the gameplay ties into it. The Space Marine series, one of the more popular entries in Warhammer 40,000, revels in third-person shooting action, delivering pure, unadulterated “hype moments and aura,” while strategy fans can always find their Warhammer fix in either Rogue Trader or the Dawn of War series.
Boltgun does something completely different yet familiar in video games. It’s a first-person boomer shooter, a genre we’ve seen in franchises like Doom and ULTRAKILL. That means it’s a relentless, often nauseating shooter where you’re forced to bob and weave as you shoot through hordes of enemies and clear levels as fast as possible.
This sequel, aptly named Boltgun 2, doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it masters the core appeal: being a one-man army surrounded by a swarm of the Emperor’s heretical enemies. It’s a Warhammer game through and through, with its total disregard for life and exaggerated displays of power. It does its job so well that you’ll sometimes forget that it’s painfully straightforward for a boomer-shooter because you’re too busy blasting through enemies.
A Sister of Battle Joins the Fight
Boltgun 2 takes place years after the first game, when Ultramarine Malum Caedo successfully purges the Forge World of Graia in the most badass way possible. This time around, he’s back to hunt down the Great Daemon Vashtoor across the cosmos. But that’s not all. What makes this game worthy of the “2” in its name is a whole new character to play as: a Sister of Battle named Nyra Veyrath.
| Playable Characters | Lore |
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Nyra Veyrath is the new protagonist in Boltgun 2. She is a Sister of Battle Celestian, a warrior of Adepta Sororitas who fights alongside the Imperium's forces. She comes equipped with her own weapons like the Power Sword that can slash and lunge enemies in quick succession. |
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Malum Caedo is an Ultramarine who served as the main protagonist of the first game. He is a veteran known for being an absolute killing machine, especially after successfully purging the Forge World of Graia of Chaos forces. He comes equipped with his iconic Chainsword, capable of tearing through enemy armor with ease. |
Nyra Veyrath brings a fresh feel to the Boltgun boomer-shooter formula, playing more like a modern DOOM character than Malum Caedo. This is thanks to her Power Sword, which lets her lunge at enemies and shred through hordes of Chaos forces like paper. Unlike Caedo’s heavier approach to combat with his Chainsword and Shotguns, which feels more like the classic DOOM guy, Veyrath’s enhanced mobility is the perfect addition to this sequel. Beyond her Power Sword slashes, she can also slow time when she soars into the air, giving her more freedom to strike down Traitor Snipers from afar.
Twice the Campaign for Barely Any Value
As a sequel, Boltgun 2 introduces a dual campaign featuring both characters. Once you’ve picked your favored hero, you’ll still face the same types of enemies, with the only noticeable differences being their movesets and weapons. Even then, these differences don’t feel all that significant when you’re fighting the same fodder enemies anyway.
The whole branching-choice system is easily one of Boltgun 2’s most undercooked aspects. I expected choosing either Malum or Nyra to change how I progressed through the story, but that’s not the case. You’ll largely tackle the same missions, with your choices having no real bearing on the plot. It feels like an attempt to give players the freedom to approach the campaign however they want, but everything is so limited to choosing between Option A and Option B that it creates the illusion of choice.
This isn’t me asking for more content in its campaign, considering it was made by a small team on a limited budget, but I would’ve loved to see a bit more variety with Boltgun 2’s two protagonists, such as having them meet or cross paths along the way. This is something Space Marine 2 does well, as choosing either of Titus’ squadmates (Chairon or Gadriel) lets you experience the campaign from their perspective, complete with unique voice lines. The story remains the same, but at least it feels like more than just a character swap.
What Boltgun 2 offers is a fairly straightforward campaign where neither choice has any impact on the story. Granted, most boomer shooters ignore storytelling and focus on action, but having two protagonists with no clear canon path feels weird, especially when there’s only one final boss to deal with. My only recourse was to come up with a headcanon that choosing one branching level meant the other character was off doing the alternate mission. As a result, there’s little incentive to pick one character over the other unless you want to replay the campaign or hunt for secrets.
But its obvious illusion of choice isn’t egregious enough to bother fans, as part of Boltgun 2’s appeal lies in the agency it gives players when dealing with its innumerable Chaos threats. While it doesn’t necessarily revolutionize the overall structure or story, it’s still great to pick your preferred approach before jumping headfirst into a fight.
Regardless of who you choose, you’re still the same badass who treats everything happening around you like it’s just another regular Tuesday.
It’s Unapologetically Warhammer
What carries the campaign, however, is how strongly it reminds you that this is still a Warhammer game, with its grimdark worlds seemingly devoid of humanity. Warhammer fans will find plenty to be in awe of, as every level is steeped in history. Even with the game’s stylized low-poly visuals, it still feels and looks unmistakably like Warhammer. Khorne’s Temple of Blood is filled with ritual circles and rivers running with... well, blood, while Nurgle’s toxic swamps remind you of that first moment you entered Blighttown in Dark Souls, with the constant threat of causing your health to slowly tick away.
Each of the game’s 33 levels tells its own story, whether it’s a train station infested with Chaos forces or a Hive City overrun by Noise Marines that fire concussive sonar waves at you. You always have a reason to purge the heretical threats lurking in these locations, but don’t expect anything that adds much to the saga's overarching lore. At least this time, you won’t need to watch your favorite YouTuber’s video essay like Bricky to explain the lore, because everything is relatively straightforward. The good thing is that these levels add variety, breaking up the monotony of fighting wave after wave of enemies by constantly introducing fresh locations.
Unlike its peers, its level design offers less open-ended exploration if you’re not keen on looking for secrets. Boltgun 2's pathing is so linear that the game practically hands you the way through, with well-placed items or a button press to reveal a path, though that’s still better than the obstructive “fart trails” we’ve seen in games like Wolverine. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, since the rest of the gameplay is built around fast-forward momentum that really fits its design, and bigger maps could break that pacing, though I’d love to be wrong.
More Heretics to Slay With Your Boltgun
Boltgun's gameplay has always leaned closer to modern first-person shooters than its retro inspirations, thanks to technological improvements that keep the action flowing without the hassle of long loading screens or performance dips. This matters even more for this sequel, as you’ll face far more enemies than the original's standard Chaos hordes.
One of the sequel’s most noticeable additions is its expanded enemy variety. Both playable characters will face threats from all four Chaos Gods, including Nurgle’s stinky cultists, Khorne’s blood-soaked armies, Tzeentch’s mystical forces, and Slaanesh’s Daemonettes. For a first-person Warhammer game, that’s a lot of foes to deal with. The developers have made things even more intense by increasing enemy density, making every corner feel teeming with enemies and giving you every reason to go ham.
This is a good thing for the boomer-shooter genre, and it works well in this sequel, as having more enemy types adds constant challenges and surprises. You might encounter another wave of Daemonettes constantly shifting and warping around the area, or find yourself dealing with Noise Marines whose sonic blasts concuss your character.
The increased enemy density forces you to switch between weapons in your arsenal, making you pause and think before engaging. That means you’ll need all the firepower you can get. Being a Warhammer game, it leans into the power fantasy of being a nigh-unstoppable servant of the God-Emperor. These new weapons are great additions to Boltgun 2’s relentless shooting experience, as almost all of them are perfect for any occasion. Nyra’s weapons, like the Flamer, burn through enemies with ease, making it perfect against Nurgle’s swarm of Poxwalkers, (or stinky zombies) while the Multi-Melta Gun can shred enemies with larger health pools in seconds.
Most of the time, enemies are swarming from every direction, and I even forget to use Nyra’s melee abilities because I’m having so much fun blasting them from afar.
These fresh armaments are even more satisfying to use because the sequel doesn’t have as many bullet-sponge enemies as the first game. In the original, mini-bosses on Normal difficulty took far too long to kill, even when using weapons like the Plasma Gun or Heavy Bolter. This time around, that problem has dissipated, so you don’t have to worry as much about facing another mini-boss that takes a full minute to whittle down.
The only thing you’ll need to worry about is Nurgle’s annoying forces and their constant poison attacks. There are no items to counter these status effects, so you’re left waiting for them to wear off. This really breaks your momentum, especially since Nurgle’s smelly brood has bullet trajectories that make little sense, and I can’t tell where they’re shooting from. I can only imagine how frustrating this would be on higher difficulties.
It Doesn’t Overstay its Welcome
The original Boltgun offered around 10 hours of gameplay in a single playthrough, spread across eight linear but somewhat lengthy chapters. In Boltgun 2, however, it takes roughly five to six hours to complete on Normal difficulty with a single protagonist, and playing through all 33 levels doubles that playtime. This makes the sequel 2 hours longer, though not by a noticeable margin.
Missions last around 8 to 10 minutes, depending on your skill and how much time you want to spend checking corners for secrets. Even when things start to drag in the latter half with the standard rinse-and-repeat routine of “take this keycard to this door,” the gameplay doesn’t feel too repetitive because the levels are designed to keep you constantly on the move, with multiple enemy types coming at you from every direction. It’s a nice balance that complements the game’s rapid pace, while its short runtime helps overshadow its downsides by ensuring it never overstays its welcome long enough for you to notice what’s missing.
That short playtime won’t deter hardcore boomer-shooter fans looking to rise to the occasion, as the higher difficulties and levels clearly designed for speedrunners offer a playground for their skills. For the average player, however, these are largely optional challenges that can wait, with overall playtime still clocking in at around 12 to 15 hours.
Finally, performance-wise, there’s not much to say beyond the fact that the game runs smoothly, with consistently high frame rates and no noticeable stuttering.
Is Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun 2 Worth It?
A Sequel Worthy of the Emperor’s Blessing
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is unapologetically Warhammer, right down to its core fantasy of being the perfect result of a eugenics program in a grimdark world. This sequel captures that same power fantasy of playing as a Sister of Battle or an Ultramarine, and it’s even better with two protagonists to choose from. The only downside is that there’s little reason to switch between them beyond a couple of minor differences.
It’s definitely an upgrade over the original in playtime, but it's by no means a major evolution of the series. That’s okay, considering its $25 price tag gets you up to 12 hours of rampaging against heretical mobs. It offers plenty of replay value, with branching paths that practically beg for a second playthrough. If you’re the kind of player who enjoys taking on self-imposed challenges in a boomer shooter, you can take things even further, as long as you’ve got the Emperor’s blessing and your trusty Boltgun at your side.
FAQ
Do You Have to Play the First Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Game to Enjoy its Story?
No, you don’t need to play the first game to experience this sequel’s story, as it’s another standalone adventure with no major story elements carried over. The universe is already well established, with plenty of lore to explore, so you can always head to Wikipedia or Google to learn more about it.
Is Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 a Multiplayer Game?
No. Boltgun 2 is a single-player Warhammer experience.
Which Chaos Gods Appear in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2?
The game features enemies associated with all four Chaos Gods: Nurgle, Tzeentch, Khorne, and Slaanesh.
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