(Nintendo Switch code provided by Focus Home Entertainment)
By Sam Coles:
The Warhammer 40k spin off franchise of Warhammer, has been going on for over 40 years and has enjoyed popularity throughout said duration. Games set in said universe have been mixed to say the least, from the awful Fire Warrior to the excellent 2011 release of Space Marine, which is getting a sequel soon (at the time of writing). So, who knew we would get an old school shooter from a developer based in Bristol, UK, but here we are with Boltgun. A shooter set in the 40k universe, however this time it is done in the style of the original Doom, with over-the-top violence with a metal soundtrack. Is it any good? Let’s find out!
The narrative of Boltgun is rather paper thin, as it should be for a Doom style game where the gameplay does most of the talking. You play as an Ultra Marine, the white bread of the Space Marine chapters although easily the most iconic. Where you are sent to a planet to, you guessed it to purge the local heretics. What I love about the cutscenes although they are far and few, is that they take inspiration from 1990s games like Dark Forces, with basic yet well drawn animations it gives me a warm feeling of nostalgia in my belly. Although the lore of Warhammer 40k is vast and unique, I like how this game keeps things basic and to the point, as most players just want to tear enemies in half and blow them to kingdom come.
As I have already detailed, Boltgun’s gameplay is in the style of old-school first-person shooters specifically Doom from 1993. The environments are 3D polygons, which give me an original PlayStation vibe where they almost replicated the texture warping from said platform. However, like Doom the enemies, items and weapon pick-ups are 2D sprites, so they will always be facing you no matter what angle you look at them replicating the style of that era and it looks outstanding.
When you start the game, you start off with just your chain sword which can tear through basic grunts, but it is not long until you find your titular Boltgun. The chain sword works well as a good back up when you are in close quarter situations, it is a good companion to your Boltgun but ultimately it will fall to the wayside as you expand your arsenal. Not only do you get the Botlgun, but you also get a shotgun which just feels great to use as you blow someone into a bloody mist, a plasma gun, the Heavy Bolter (a personal favourite) and the Vengeance Launcher. The guns feel fantastic to use, and unlike a lot of old school fps games each weapon has a purpose, as you switch between them in each encounter to deal with the various heretics you will purge.
Not only that, but the game also has a taunt button which I want in all fps games now and it is almost required in a Warhammer 40k game. I found myself getting into character, where I would almost spam the button after every kill as my Space Marine shouts a battle cry as he splits an enemy like a wishbone.
The game has massive and sprawling levels for you to explore, it is fairly typical of a 1990s first person shooter, where you find secrets and different colour keys to unlock new areas. The arenas are huge, with enormous enemy counts and I am going to say this right out the gate, this game is hard. I died numerus times in this game, it doesn’t mess around you have to keep moving during firefights because otherwise you will turn into a bloody pile of jam on the slice of toast that is the floor. It is very fast paced this game and requires quick reflexes, but the game does give you the tools to combat such endeavors, as you get power ups to give your weapons a little more kick like extended magazines to name a few.
As I have said briefly before, the visuals ape the style of 90s fps, and it looks fantastic with the beautifully drawn sprites coupled with the gothic inspired architecture of the 40k universe. It is a surprisingly colourful game given its grim subject material it is based on. The only real issue with the visuals on Switch, is that the draw distance can be rather low, where it can be hard to see if there is a power up in the distance or an enemy ready to blow you into chunks. Not only that, but I also found performance would really struggle in places especially during moments where there is a large enemy count on screen. Maybe this is due to the Switch’s hardware, but I don’t see a reason for this given its simple art style and this platform can run games consistently with larger scales, perhaps it is an engine issue.
Overall Warhammer: 40,000 Boltgun is an amazing game, even on the Nintendo Switch. It takes all the fun elements of the Warhammer: 40k universe specifically the Space Marine chapters and turns it into a gory, violent and over the top shooter! Even if you know nothing about Warhmmer: 40k, you can enjoy this regardless, as it requires no knowledge of the lore, and you can just get stuck into the gore fest! I highly recommend it!
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