Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Image
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90's retro shooters.

    Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle
    Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90's retro shooters.

    Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos.

    In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!
    Expand

Trailer

Play Sound
Please enter your birth date to watch this video:
You are not allowed to view this material at this time.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun — Preorder Gameplay Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. May 25, 2023
    90
    Fans of the classic arena shooter genre will undoubtedly be thrilled with this bloody fever dream that recreates the experiences of a past era in gaming.
  2. 90
    The best boomer shooter I've played in a long time, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is weapons-grade catnip for genre fans and Warhammer 40,000 fans alike. Indeed in retrospect, crafting a retro style FPS in the Warhammer 40,000 universe feels like something we should have had long before now - so perfect is the fit of form and function. In the Warhammer 40,000 universe there is only war. Apparently there are also supremely great shooters too. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a riotously violent and thoroughly entertaining shooter that everybody needs to play.
  3. May 24, 2023
    85
    Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is not only a fantastic nostalgia trip, but also a fantastic game. With extremely fun missions, creative enemies and a perfect setting, old school gamers will feel right at home with a title that feels like a classic straight out of the 90s.
  4. May 29, 2023
    75
    Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun absolutely delivers on its promise of 40K-meets-Doom. Its guns are deliciously punchy, the chainsword is a consistent thrill to wield, and everything is presented with fantastic period graphics and a suitable riff-heavy soundtrack. The game’s overzealous commitment to one single note is a sadly undermining affair, eventually transforming an exciting experience into one that runs out of content long before it runs out of levels. Nevertheless, it’s fundamentally entertaining for as long as one remains invested, and I definitely had enough of that entertainment to feel like I got what I wanted out of it...Plus, y’know, it has an entire button dedicated to yelling at vile filth and heretics. That’s easily worth the cost of entry.
  5. May 30, 2023
    70
    Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a good game if administered in small doses. Unfortunately, after a couple of hours, it becomes tiresome due to the repetitive design. Taking breaks will put it in a different perspective and chances are that you’ll find your way back to it for another short session. There's some replayability in this, since you can go back and to try and complete the levels on higher difficulty, as well as unearth any secrets that you might have missed in your previous playthrough. More importantly, the atmosphere is catchy and almost rises up to the expectations created by the trailers. Well, almost, but not entirely. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun feels like a pretty good start for something bigger. Hopefully, Auroch Digital’s take on the retro FPS genre will get a sequel that will bring exciting new mechanics and more varied content.
  6. Oct 2, 2023
    67
    Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun aims to be the kind of FPS throwback to get your adrenaline pumping, and almost hits the mark, if not for the overly expansive levels which don’t quite land the old-school feel that the rest of the game nails.
  7. May 23, 2023
    60
    If you can look past the repetition and the roadblocks, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a largely solid shooter. It nails the visuals, the guns generally feel great, and the sound design is suitably punchy — just don't expect it to push beyond those foundations.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Jun 2, 2023
    10
    An awesome retro game that feels like the old Doom games. A good variety of weapons, ennemies and mechanics.
  2. May 26, 2023
    9
    Good-
    Vibrant and nostalgic art design; Intuitive gameplay; Tight controls; Satisfying gunplay.

    Bad-
    No map feature to aid in navigation.
  3. May 25, 2023
    8
    If you're into either Warhammer 40K or old school Doom/Wolfenstein/Quake Shooter type games this game is probably for you.
    While it isn't a
    If you're into either Warhammer 40K or old school Doom/Wolfenstein/Quake Shooter type games this game is probably for you.
    While it isn't a perfect game it is certainly one of the best Warhammer 40K games out there that I've played.

    Lots of fun gunplay, enemy design is taken straight from the tabletop, sound and movement feel like you actually are a weighty Space Marine rather than just a random soldier sprinting across the battlefield

    I believe the many secrets and difficulties can offer a lot of replay value if you're into that sort of stuff

    The only downside I have is that it can get a bit repetitive especially if you get lost inside the "samey" looking hallways, however in my opinion this is more an issue with the type of game it is or tries to mimic rather than being the fault of the game itself

    Overall a really fun game, especially if you're into Warhammer and want something to pass the time until Space Marine II is released

    I'd recommend this game to anyone who wants either a hit of nostalgia, a fun run and gun shooter or just some Warhammer game, especially at the price point it is sold I believe this is more than worth it
    Expand
  4. May 25, 2023
    8
    Amazing and a great homage to the old DooM series. The only thing that's missing is a decent soundtrack to along to stomping the enemies of man.
  5. Sep 8, 2023
    8
    This was an enjoyable homage to old school shooters, and serves as a great entry into the Warhammer 40k game library. Highly recommend this one.
  6. Jul 3, 2023
    6
    This game is generally ok, but with a few pretty major caveats. It gets a few extra points for being made by a small team and notThis game is generally ok, but with a few pretty major caveats. It gets a few extra points for being made by a small team and not over-charging for the game.

    The weapons in this game are meaty and fun to use, it does a good job of capturing the feeling of those early 90s shooters and the Art style is good too.

    The level design is pretty frustrating however, I would say a large chunk of my game time was spent running in circles trying to figure out which identical looking corridor I was supposed to have gone down. This really ruins the flow of the combat.

    The game loop is basically, find a key, to unlock a door, to find a key, to unlock a door, to find a key, to unlock a door that leads to a door which is the end of the level. Not very creative or interesting after the first few levels.

    The enemy types are just spawned haphazardly throughout the levels with no rhyme nor reason.

    The soundtrack was terrible, I'm not expecting nine-inch-nails or megadeath to anti up for a budget shooter, but something with a bit of presence would have been nice.

    My biggest gripe however, was the controls on the PS5. No matter what i did the input felt slow and floaty, which is really the one thing that should have been a focal point of the whole project!

    The closest comparison I would have for this game is Prodeus, and I'd say that is hands down the better game and doesn't have any of the issues listed above.
    Expand