DaRmaZat The eternal, dystopian war between humanity and the corrupting forces of Chaos in the grimdark science-fiction universe of Warhammer 40,000 is a perfect recipe for mindless, adrenaline-fuelled action. Auroch Digital seems to have understood exactly what makes this setting so well suited to a shooter when developing Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Following the success of the 2023 retro shooter, the newly released direct sequel, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, sends you straight back to the front lines to clean house yourself.
Before diving into this fresh bout of madness, you must choose one of two characters: the respected Ultramarine Malum Caedo, a genetically enhanced supersoldier, or Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, a fanatical warrior fighting in the name of the God-Emperor. Both wield a sword of sorts, but their starting arsenal, special attacks, and grenades are completely different. Malum Caedo has his Obliterating Charge and uses Frag Grenades, while Nyra relies on her Fervent Slide, which is pretty cool because you can slide straight through multiple enemies at once, and her Melta Bombs for large-scale destruction.
Each character also has a distinct combat style, giving you a good reason to try both. Caedo is the heavier, more resilient fighter, whereas Nyra is faster and more agile, with her Faith shield providing an additional layer of protection. As you progress, both characters gain access to additional weapons and ways to boost their protection, giving you more tools to survive the increasingly brutal battles. You won’t be fighting entirely alone either, as the Death Korps of Krieg occasionally joins the action, adding some extra battlefield chaos with their characteristically expendable soldiers.
There isn’t much of a story here. It’s basically you and the enemies in space. Simple enough, right? You’ll face unclean cultists, Space Marines and chunky Chaos Terminators, among other foes. Enemies often gather in groups and tend to move in fairly predictable patterns, but many pack long-range attacks, so you constantly need to watch your surroundings and keep an eye on where the incoming fire is coming from. Combat also ramps up in pace and difficulty at regular intervals, introducing Purge encounters that lock you into arena-style battles against successive waves of enemies you must survive. Thankfully, the sequel introduces plenty of new foes. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 brings the forces of all four Chaos Gods into the fray, with the terrifying Bloodletters riding Juggernauts, the poison-spewing Blightlord Terminators and the mighty final boss Vashtorr the Arkifane among the highlights.
As straightforward as the game feels at first, the challenge gradually increases, although seasoned retro shooter fans probably won’t mind. There is no permanent RPG-style progression system with character levels, skill trees or permanent stat boosts to make you stronger as the campaign advances. Since this game is a proper boomer shooter and strictly single-player, progression follows the old-school formula. Your main way of becoming more powerful is to unlock and pick up bigger, more devastating weapons as you advance through the campaign. However, temporary power-ups and Blessings do play their part, granting powerful upgrades for the current level. These include larger magazines, increased damage, a chance to cheat death with an extra life, or unique abilities such as dual-wielding Nyra’s Bolt Pistol, which is just awesome. However, once you complete the level, these additional modifications disappear.
Every enemy you take down bursts into a gloriously gory puddle of blood, just like the good old days. Melee combat with the sword takes a little getting used to because it is mapped to the right mouse button, but you’ll soon understand why this works so well. It allows you to swing your blade while simultaneously firing the Bolt Pistol you obtain early on, making for a satisfying combination of ranged and close-quarters combat. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 also significantly expands on its predecessor’s arsenal with a range of character-specific weapons. Highlights include Nyra’s crossbow-like Condemnor Stakethrower, Malum Caedo’s devastating Red-Mist Shotgun and his utterly destructive Grav-Cannon. Yes, these weapons are pretty damn epic, and they feel fantastic to use. Each has its own punch, and mowing down hordes of enemies with them never gets old.
One thing that feels a little out of place in an old-school shooter, in a good way, is the ability to climb during exploration and combat. That was hardly a standard feature in the retro games of old. Alongside the good old health kits, you can pick up Armor as Malum or Faith as Nyra, both serving as your protective shield. Nyra has a lower maximum health pool than Malum Caedo, but she can compensate by accumulating more Faith for protection. Her shield can also regenerate up to a certain point, making it important to manage your Faith carefully. And if things get a little too tough, you can always drop down to one of the four difficulty settings. Being able to save and quit after completing a level is another incredibly convenient feature. The game also offers manual saves, quicksaves, and quickloads. Now that’s some proper old-school luxury!
Navigation is another area where the game offers some welcome conveniences. You can activate a pathfinding guide that helps you locate keys and find your way through locked passages, while a comprehensive automap is also available. The campaign features a branching structure, allowing you to choose which battlefield to tackle next. Each branch features its own levels, so you won’t necessarily experience every mission in a single playthrough. These choices add some replay value without changing the game’s straightforward approach to storytelling.
Visually, Boltgun 2 looks the part and immediately evokes the feel of the classic DOOM games, with its fast-paced action and incredibly smooth frame rate, helped by its modest hardware requirements. The chunky visuals can look a little unstable on a larger display, though, with a CRT-like shimmer effect around your weapons. Fortunately, the game has a solution for that too, allowing you to set pixelation to None through the menu options. Yes, someone really seems to have thought of everything! There’s also the Undying option, which lets you survive a potentially fatal hit thanks to the Emperor’s intervention, along with slow motion when using your abilities.
Although Matthew Walker once again composed the soundtrack for this sequel, Mick Gordon also deserves a special mention for his contribution. Boltgun 2‘s industrial riffs are a perfect fit for the action and sound just as sick as ever, providing the ideal backdrop for tearing through waves of heretics and making the already frantic combat feel even more intense.
Final Thoughts
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a chunky, uncompromising sequel that understands exactly what makes a boomer shooter fun. With its wonderfully straightforward gameplay and pounding industrial riffs, you don’t have to engage your brain for even a second. Despite its branching paths, this is ultimately all about fast-paced, bloody retro action, making it ideal for short gaming sessions whenever you feel like blowing off some steam. A sizeable campaign, smart quality-of-life features, a massive arsenal of brutal weapons and a gigantic legion of Chaos enemies to tear apart make this an absolute must-have for both Warhammer fans and lovers of old-school shooting action.
Additional Information
Release Date: October 14, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Auroch Digital
Publisher: Big Fan Games, Devolver Digital
Relevant Links: Available on Steam.
