Warhammer 40.000: Boltgun is certainly not the first shooter set in the disturbing universe created by Games Workshop, but it has a peculiarity: in terms of graphic style, gameplay and structure, it goes back to the classic FPS of the early 90s, in particular the original DOOM, thus offering fans a real trip to the past.
Equipped with a barely mentioned plot, the game takes us to the planet Graia (yes, the same one as Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine) to face a campaign divided into three chapters, in turn composed of several levels, in which our objective will simply be that of eliminating all the creatures of Chaos that will try to stop our inquisitive fury.
So what was it like to once again don the heavy armor of a Space Marine and fight for the glory of the Emperor in a world of giant pixels and faux-real 3D? We reveal it to you in Warhammer 40.00: Bolter Review.
Gameplay: Like DOOM, but longer
If you are an old school gamer and have lived through the era of the first first person shooters, it will only take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the game from Warhammer 40.000: Boltgun, which as we said is a passionate tribute to the great classics of the genre; First of all, DOOM, with a series of quotes that are impossible to ignore.
Obviously in this case the 3D is real, you move and shoot in three dimensions and that is reflected in the game mechanics, which from this point of view does not differ much from what we have seen in recent years. However, don't expect a very fast run & gun approach, since we will have to submit to the relatively tight tolerances of the eight weapons that we can unlock during the campaign, and which are added to the chainsword that our character is already equipped from the start. principle.
L'arsenal Obviously it includes a light and powerful boltgun (with the possibility of equipping it with different ammunition), but also a devastating shotgun, a heavy machine gun that does not require reloads, an energy cannon with area damage, an assault rifle, a grenade launcher, a gravity. a cannon and a plasma rifle, as well as three different thrown grenades that can make the difference against the toughest enemies.
The latter are obviously based onvery large bestiary of the Warhammer 40.000 universe and have different attack and movement characteristics, which we will have the opportunity to memorize to be able to perform the necessary actions to dodge their blows and respond in the same way, whether they are monsters, cultists, Chaos Space Marines or big and bad ones. and powerful bosses. In combination with the different weapons and careful ammunition management, this element guarantees a good variety of actions.
Another important aspect is the level design, which offers increasingly larger and more complex environments, sometimes even labyrinthine, in which we will have to try to orient ourselves without being able to access a map and relying only on the suggestions (not always very clear) of the Skull Servant that has been assigned to us for our mission. It must also be said that in structural terms Boltgun differs from DOOM in terms of duration, which is almost triple and reaches ten hours according to the approximation.
Of course, it is also true that Auroch Digital's title does not in any way try to go beyond its assumptions: the authors wanted to create a tribute to the shooters of the early 90s and they did so, taking up mechanics and structures that older users we know it well but without trying to introduce any innovation with respect to that formula, which necessarily appears nice but dated.
Technical realization: a pixel paradise
If at a playable level Warhammer 40.000: Boltgun tries to imitate classic experiences, it does so even more at a technical level, offering us a deliberately pixelated graphics, which takes up the false 3D raster solutions that characterized the various Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM. Well, the result is brilliant: a kind of polygonal pixel art with some gems that attract attention, such as the objects that "rotate" along with the view, behaving like sprites, as well as obviously the "slowed down" animations of the different deaths.
If we want to be picky, we can say that it would have been nice to see a slightly more animated introductory sequence and perhaps some interlude scenes that could further enhance the style chosen for this production. However, also consider the very affordable asking price and a Very solid soundtrack (aside from excellent scalability on PC, where the game runs smoothly at 4K and 60fps despite having very few options) there's really nothing to complain about.
PC system requirements
Test setup
- Processor: Intel Core i5 13500
- Video card: NVIDIA RTX 4070
- Memory: 32GB RAM
- Storage: SATA SSD
- Operating system: Windows 11
Minimum requirements
- Procesador: Intel Core i3 2120, AMD Phenom II X4 965
- Video scheme: NVIDIA GTX 560, AMD HD 7770
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Storage: 5 GB of space required
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended requirements
- Procesador: Intel Core i5 8400, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
- Video schematic: NVIDIA GTX 780 Ti, AMD RX 580
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Storage: 5 GB of space required
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop Price 21,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (26) 8.5 your voteWarhammer 40.000: Boltgun is a very nice homage to the first-person shooters of the 90s, with DOOM in mind, but at the same time an effective transposition of the fascinating images created by Games Workshop. Without frills, perhaps even too many, the Auroch Digital title catapults us into a fast-paced and spectacular action, very well balanced although lacking in ideas that could somehow elevate this type of approach and go further. However, considering the price, overall build, and surprising durability, there's very little to argue with: if you love Warhammer 4K and want to delve into the past, go ahead with the purchase without hesitation.
PRO
- A very nice tribute to classic shooters.
- Immediate, fast and fun gameplay.
- Excellent retro-style graphics, remarkable durability and affordable price.
AGAINST
- It returns to the classic formula without adding anything.
- Sometimes labyrinthine levels, some dead moments.
- The graphic style could have been used more in the scenes.
