Considering theWarhammerfranchise has dipped its toes in almost every video game genre imaginable, it was only a matter of time before it set its sights on the rapidly-growing boomer shooter genre.Warhammer 40,000: Boltgunputs players in the Power Armour of Malum Caedo,a Space Marine sent to the planet Graiaon a mission of utmost importance. The narrative is quite forgettable as the main draw of the game is the visceral first-person gameplay that players experience.
Being a boomer shooter,Warhammer 40,000: Boltgunforgoes realistic graphics and modern gameplay mechanics in favor of a more pixelated art style and straightforward run-and-gun combat. Players find a variety of weapons strewn throughout many levels and introduce them to their enemies. But whileWarhammer 40,000: Boltgunlikes to get directly to the point, its simplistic style results in a lack of progression.
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Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Gives Players a Strong Space Marine from the Start
As players step out of Malum Caedo’s drop pod, they find that they are equipped with nothing but a Chainsword. The only melee weapon inMalum Caedo’s excellent campaign, the Chainsword excels at cutting down unarmored and low-health enemies. While it can be revved up to deal continuous damage, players soon find better Chaos-eliminating weapons on their adventure.
From the titular Bolter to the excessively powerful Grav-Cannon, there is a weapon for almost any combat scenario. As players plow through the game, however, they will find that starting each of the three chapters strips Malum Caedo of his weapons save for his trusty Chainsword and Bolter. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem though, as both the Chainsword and Bolter are very strong from the get-go. Players will also notice that later chapters quickly allow them to reclaim their lost weapons while adding more to their arsenal.
The Scarcity Of Upgrades Makes Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Feel Like It’s Lacking Progression
Apart from weapons, ammo, health, armor (called Contempt), and standard grenades, there are 7 kinds of power-ups found throughoutWarhammer 40,000: Boltgun.Relics are powerful boons that grant players special buffsfor a limited time. These range from increases to ammunition storage and melee damage to a Vortex Grenade that decimates anything and everything it is thrown at.
One of these powerful Relics is the Machine Spirit which serves as the only way to upgrade weapons. The buffs for each weapon vary, such as the Plasma Gun getting a magazine and fire rate increase as well as gaining the ability to no longer overheat, but they all make Malum Caedo a stronger Space Marine.
Sadly, the longest time these Relics can remain active is for the duration of the mission in which players find them. When the mission ends, players lose all their equipped buffs and must find them again in the succeeding missions. Some of the stronger Relics are limited and quite hard to find, which is why the game classifies them as Secrets.
To make use of them effectively, players need to know where the Relics are in the level and which combat scenarios to use them in. The coveted Infinite Ammo Relic, for example, lasts for only 30 seconds, so it is imperative that players equip their strongest weapons before picking it up and going to town on the toughest enemies.
Due to their limited nature and quick expiry time,Warhammer 40,000: Boltgundoesn’t exactly make players feel any strongerthan they were at the beginning of the game. They provide short bursts of power followed quickly by a return to normal gameplay. While this makes players feel powerful at the start, constantly remaining in the same state makes players wish they could personalize their power fantasy more.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgunis available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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