REVIEW: ‘Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is the boomer shooter genre at its best

As I slowly descended in an elevator toward a train platform and saw a horde of enemies get off of it and prepare to attack me, I knew I was in for an intense fight. Thankfully, I had several different weapons ready. I riddled my enemies with bullets as I slid directly into the horde. I threw a Melta Bomb into the middle of the crowd and shot it so it could blow up and kill even more enemies. Clearing that room of enemies in Warhammer 40000: Boltgun 2 is one of the most cathartic experiences I’ve had in a boomer shooter in years.

Boltgun 2 is already a sequel to one of the best boomer shooters out there, and is a step up in almost every way. While narrative threads take a backseat to combat, each level remains memorable and tells its own story through the unique obstacles it throws the player’s way.

Add in some crunchy sound design, clever retro realizations of Warhammer 40,000 species, and a new playable character that slightly remixes how the first game felt to play, and you have one of the best games I’ve played this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is bringing the boom.

Boomer shooters inspired by Doom and Quake follow a fairly codified, retro-inspired formula. They tend to be faster-paced than more realistic shooters, let you swap between several different weapons on the fly, and have levels designed as interconnected mazes of hallways and corridors broken up by doors that need some sort of key to access. That’s exactly how the original Boltgun worked, and the same holds true for this sequel.

In Boltgun 2, Ultramarine Malum Caedo and Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath take on all sorts of alien threats across several different moons and planets. This game doesn’t really focus on its story at all, sometimes to its detriment.

At times, I wished I cared more about why Malum or Nyra were doing what they were doing, and I wanted the game to contribute to the Warhammer 40000 universe’s vast lore in a distinct way. Boltgun 2 cared less about that and more about reinterpreting as much of it as possible through a retro-inspired lens.

Its two playable characters have two distinct play styles and weapon loadouts. Mallum is more of a tank who can charge at enemies, while Nyra can slide through them or attack with a charged sword attack that feels like a grenade. Each unique weapon not only takes down enemies in a slightly different way, but also comes with its own cacophony of sounds that I’d want to listen to even if I was just shooting at a wall.

Thankfully, I rarely had to do that unless I was aiming for a switch. Boltgun 2 keeps enemy variety fresh with each new level. It doesn’t quite create the combat puzzles of Doom Eternal, but I still had to remain cognizant of what I was fighting and the best way to take them down. It was also neat to take on threats I haven’t seen in a Warhammer game before, like the Lord of Skulls, because even Warhammer 40,000’s wildest concepts work visually when realized in this retro style.

Another way Boltgun 2 is a step above its peers is through its excellent level design. I expected more of the same as in the first Boltgun, maybe with a new environmental interaction here or there as I fought enemies and sought out the correctly colored keys to open their respective colored doors. Boltgun 2 does deliver that still, but each level also felt crafted with care and designed around a set piece I’d still think about as I moved on to the next level.

Bringing boomer shooters to the next level.

Perhaps I was slowly making my way further into a mine, running over loads of enemies in minecarts as I proceeded from area to area. Another time, exploring the derelict, maze-like corridors of a factory for keys could be complicated by noxious gas spewing from pipes in patterns that temporarily halted my progress and forced me to fight enemies. Even when the level design didn’t get too radical, moments like that slow elevator descent still stick out in my mind days after experiencing them.

Each level in Boltgun 2 felt like more than just a shooting gallery. I always had to think about why and how I was moving through its world in some way, even if the majority of my playtime was spent shooting at and blowing up enemies. It’s proof that a game does not need to be overly complex to have good level design; developers just need to find clever ways to throw unexpected curveballs that shake up a rock-solid core gameplay loop.

Boltgun 2 encourages exploration and replay, too. Levels have secrets, each of which will provide some sort of gameplay boon, like unlimited ammo or a second life, to reward the player for going out of their way. After initially playing through the game as Lyra, I immediately wanted to replay some of my favorite levels as Callum to see how his more durable, tank-like build impacted how I played and to unlock certain levels I had chosen to not play in my initial campaign.

Boltgun 2 is a boomer shooter all-timer

With Warhammer 40000: Boltgun 2, Aurouch Digital boldly cements itself as the best boomer shooter developer out there. It understands the fundamentals that make these simplistic yet utterly satisfying retro throwbacks tick, then builds on that foundation with memorable level design and genre-best visuals and sound design.

At times, I did wish Warhammer 40000 took more advantage of the narrative opportunities this universe provides. I’m also not sure Nyra will become as iconic a character as Mallum. But anytime I had those concerns, some amazing gameplay moment was right around the corner to recapture my attention and prove this game didn’t need a good story to be great.

Anytime I get the boomer shooter itch in the future, Boltgun 2 will be the first one I boot up. Warhammer 40000: Boltgun 2 is a genre-defining boomer shooter. Excellent level design, sound design, and crunchy combat ensure Boltgun 2 is nearly as good as the classics that inspired it.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S