Warhammer: 40k Boltgun takes this to its absurd logical endpoint.
“A Holy Relic!”
burbles your accompanying servo-skull as you lock and load.
“The Emperor Provides!”
No other weapon is afforded such treatment, which is appropriate because no other weapon is as good.
Unlike how it introduces its signature firearm, Boltgun doesn’t stand on ceremony getting you into the action.
A brief cutscene summarises the situation.
Visually, Boltgun derives from the Doom and Duke Nukem school of polygonal environments and sprite-based enemies.
The game it most strongly reminds me of, however, isStar Wars: Dark Forces.
Although Boltgun may look “old”, it feels distinctly modern beneath the fingers.
Your space marine can zip around maps like any classic FPS avatar.
That physical depth is also extended to your enemies, though in a very different fashion.
But Boltgun’s commitment to violence is eye-popping in every sense.
The combination of tactile satisfaction and sanguine spectacle truly gets going once you pick up the bolter.
Enemies struck by several bolts will proceed toexplodeacross the surrounding area, scattered giblets running down the walls.
Crass as this may sound, the point is Boltgun nails the fundamentals.
At its most basic level, this game is inherently fun.
Auroch also ensures that your Boltgun remains relevant across the ten-hour campaign in a couple of ways.
But its projectiles also embed themselves in enemiesbeforethey explode, a one-two punch that always tickles mejust so.
To be clear, none of the weapons are bad, and all are useful in the right circumstances.
But none of them are quite as good as they could be, either.
These feel like the alt-fires the weapons should have, or at least unlock as the game progresses.
Ability to unlock access to all levels.
This is the biggest problem Boltgun suffers from, but it isn’t the only one.
But there’s also a dissatisfying looseness to the levels at times.
Sometimes levels will provide a neat shortcut back to the main path once you find a key.
Other times, you’ll have to backtrack through levels that you might quite easily become lost in.
Sometimes this backtracking will spawn new enemies for you to fight.
Other times, it won’t.
Nonetheless, Boltgun’s foes are more fun toshootthan they are tofight.
