Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 Review – More Madness and Mayhem

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 Review

I was a big fan of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun when it was released back in 2023. It perfectly blended two awesome things: classic boomer shooter mechanics with retro aesthetics and Warhammer 40K enemies and lore. What’s not to love about that? Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 does it again, but bigger, with two heroes and a branching campaign that’s highly replayable. It can be overwhelming at times, but you know, that’s Warhammer in all its chaotic glory.

Children of the Khorne

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 is 99% about the action. No offense to the devs, but the narrative kind of fades into the background when you’re being absolutely innundated by enemies for long minutes at a time. In the first game, Space Marine Malum Caedo was trying to prevent the forces of Chaos from opening a Rift. The sequel, which takes place immediately after the first game, is still about purging the world of monsters. For the new game, players have a choice of playing Malum, or Nyra Veyrath, a highly agile Sister of Battle. Characters can’t be switched during the campaign.

For the sequel, the structure of the campaign has seen major changes. The first game moved from stage to stage. Each level was lengthy and there were no side paths. For Boltgun 2, the completition of one mission — usually subdivided into 2-3 levels — opens up a branching path to the next mission. Overall, there are approximately 30 missions, but a single playthrough with one character will only engage with 15 or so, with several optional side missions. While the length of one playthrough is approximately the same, you’ll need to take multiple runs through the game to see everything. Levels are a little more bite-sized, which allows for more variety between areas.

Rather than focus on one or two enemy factions, Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 features armies from all the Chaos gods. Nurgle, Slaanish, Khorne and Tzeentch — which sounds like the world’s most evil law firm — all join in the party with several enemy types, elites and bosses. The missions range from snowfields to chaotic battlegrounds to poison swamps and many more. Each level is compact but well designed, with a lot of verticality and a ton of hidden secrets (well, 4-5 for each level).

Ok, Boomer

Malum and Nyra represent relatively unique approaches to combat, with different abilities and load outs. Nyra has a special move called the Fervent Slide and Leap, where she powerslides, jumps and slows time. Her left hand controls a Power Sword that she can use to lunge between enemies in rapid succession. She has a powerful Melta Bomb which…you know…melts everything. Malum brings back his Obliterating Charge, Chainsword Strike and the titular Boltgun. The only weapon pickup common to both of them is the Heavy Bolter. It’s worth playing Nrya for her Flamer weapon alone. Her Fervent Slide is hard to control at times, especially where there are deadly drops to slide into.

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 remains — just like the first game — an homage to classic boomer shooters like Doom and Quake. The quantity of armor, ammo and healing pickups vary across the game’s four difficulty levels, and you can further tweak those in the settings menu. Switching between weapons is fluid and effortless. Mechanically, the biggest gripe I had was that some of the platforming was less precise than it could have been.

There are moments in the game during the end-level Purges where the number of enemies on screen is absurd. For several minutes at a time, the screen is basically nothing but explosions, great gouts of chunky pixelated blood and flashing lights. It’s impressive but also, I often found, visually exhausting. The amount of sensory input was fatiguing over a mission or two. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Without exception, the feel of the weapons was visceral and engaging. The wall-to-wall metal music soundtrack didn’t really distinguish itself. It provided the requisite audio adrenaline but not much more.

Pixel Perfect

One of Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2’s wonders is how clearly the art department has recreated iconic Warhammer characters and monsters within the limitations of the retro, pixel aesthetic. Creature design is excellent, especially in the more elaborate elite enemies, mini-bosses and bosses. Visually, there’s quite a bit of variety amd detail in the environments, and the shorter mission design means that the visuals switch out more often. As with the original, there are lots of ways to make adjustments to the game’s difficulty and visual presentation. You can dial it back to the chunkiest of pixels to something closer to a modern game. for example. It’s a great way to show your kids just how good they have it now.

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 is bigger and more ambitious than the 2023 original, with a new character, more enemies, weapons and places to go in the non-linear campaign. It remains a highly effective homage to classic boomer shooters and Warhammer 40,000. However, while the battles are bigger and more chaotic, there aren’t many changes of pace and the relentless action becomes a bit repetitive if played too long. Still, it’s hard not to recommend Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 for fans of retro shooters or Games Workshop’s beloved franchise.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***