Although DOOM (1993) and Warhammer 40,000 are not officially linked, it is true that there is some similarity between the iconic Doomguy and a space marine. Both are well-equipped in their brash armor, become one-man armies on the battlefield, and love to cause the most brutal deaths imaginable to demons.
Boltgun, the upcoming FPS from Auroch Digital and Focus Entertainment, seems like a game that will endure. The setting of Warhammer 40,000, with its demons and space marines everywhere, fits perfectly in this stylized old-school shooter full of gore, gore and guns. It seems that for Warhammer 40,000 fans it is a very good base game. We were able to sit there for a few hours and already have our first impressions of Boltgun.
As you’d expect from the “Boomer Shooter” category that Boltgun proudly wears, it doesn’t take much of a narrative as an excuse to get into a shootout. Of course, you’re a Space Marine and you’ve been dropped onto a hostile planet filled with Chaos adepts, enemy marines, and demons from the Warhammer 40,000 version of hell known as the Warp.
As much as I care to say, after the phrase has been butchered and devalued by vile critics in the past, you “feel” like a Space Marine, or Commander. More in Boltgun than any other Warhammer 40k game I’ve played except maybe 2011’s Space Marine. not completely immune to more deadly enemy fire. As soon as you jump into the first two levels of Boltgun, you’ll immediately feel like everything fits together and makes sense.
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That sense of satisfaction goes beyond feeling like you’re controlling a Space Marine while playing the game. The gameplay, when it comes to it, is dynamic, tense, and downright frenetic. Melee combat and shooting are attractive, although the latter is more relevant. However, melee gives you more moments of on-screen gore, so if all you’re looking for is gore, you’ll have a great time ripping through your enemies with your chainsword.
Despite what I’ve said before about destroying enemies, it’s not that combat is child’s play in Boltgun. Or at least not always. If you’re looking for a real sense of overwhelming power, many cultists burst like red grapes when you hit them with a single bullet. One thing that really surprised me, however, is how Boltgun doesn’t deliver a few hours of violence and fun and that’s it. The difficulty increases and you will have to be smart and go fast if you want to dodge the attacks of the biggest Chaos demons. Like the popular Ultrakill, Boltgun seems to have a lot of potential for those who want to earn the reward of beating it on the hardest mode and in the shortest possible time. These are levels that can be played more than once, especially to discover all the secrets hidden in each one.
Just as the visual effects are well done, giving us nostalgia for boomer shooters while embodying the creations of Warhammer 40k, the power of Boltgun’s sound design should also not be underestimated. From the rumble of every footstep to the satisfying thunder of the game’s namesake weapon, Boltgun’s soundtrack accentuates the violence of the gameplay and visual effects, giving it added intensity.
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Even if you only try a few levels, Boltgun will blow your mind. It exudes all the morbidity and grandeur one would expect from a Warhammer 40,000 shooter. Although sometimes meeting expectations is more than enough to make a game stand out from the rest. It’s a game that may go unnoticed even by fans of the dark, distant future, but we have to lose sight of it as long as the rest of the game lives up to the sheer variety of enemies, gameplay, and of soundtrack of this trailer.
