I’m a relatively new Warhammer 40,000 enjoyer, and I’ve been painting and tabling some awesome miniatures for the last four years. Chaos Space Marines first, then Chaos Knights once I saw how cool and massive they are, because I have always been interested in the rule of cool. So when a Warhammer game lets me kill the Ruinous Powers’ finest, I tend to feel a small twinge of betrayal, but they never really let you get past Terminator squads or marines when it comes to Chaos. Then I feel a larger wave of joy, because Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a ridiculously good time.
The first Boltgun was a tight, lean love letter to 90s boomer shooters wearing a coat of Games Workshop paint. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 keeps that foundation and builds a proper war machine on top of it. It’s louder, meaner and more varied, and a little more ambitious. It’s also still happy to let you hold a button down and delete a cultist’s torso.
The biggest change in Boltgun 2 is that you’re no longer playing solely as returning Ultramarine Sternguard Veteran Malum Caedo, because he is joined by Nyra Veyrath, a Celestian of the Sisters of Battle, and the two feel different enough that picking one is a real decision. Malum is the wrecking ball akin to a walking tank. He’s heavy, deliberate and built around forward momentum, and his Obliterating Charge turns crowded rooms into a bloody mess. If you played the first game, his rhythm will feel very familiar, and the extra weight and punch make it even more satisfying.
Nyra is the fun mix-up here. She’s faster and lighter, leaning more towards the players who like to be constantly on the move, and she feels very rewarding to play, especially if you chain her slide, leap, airborne time-slow and airburst into one flowing sequence. Armed with a bolt pistol, flamer and meltagun, she plays like a pyromaniac ballerina with a faith problem, in the best way. I kept catching myself playing her as a fast, aggressive flanker, then swapping to Malum and having to slow down and think about the room differently. That change of pace keeps the campaign from falling into a groove, and it adds real replay value.
“The art direction in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is also a joy…”
The original leaned heavily on Nurgle, and while I’m fond of those sassy Nurglings, the sequel opens the doors to all four Chaos powers. You’ll fight Bloodletters and their Juggernauts, and plenty of cultists and Chaos Space Marines in between. As someone who has spent a lot of time on the other side of the table, watching the heavy hitters of the Dark Gods show up as targets is a treat. Every faction brings its own look and feel, and the enemy variety goes a long way toward fixing my main gripe with the first game, which was that the roster could feel thin by the end.
The art direction in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is also a joy, with the chunky pixel style still selling the grimdark aesthetic, with gore, flames and grotesque monsters rendered in a way that’s somehow both nostalgic and sharp. It’s a good-looking game for something that deliberately looks old.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 picks up almost exactly where the first game left off. Malum and Nyra are sent to an isolated star system after reports of rising Chaos activity, and they discover worlds being consumed by the technological corruption of Vashtorr the Arkifane. He’s a Greater Daemon of Chaos who, interestingly, was born in the Warp without any involvement from the Chaos Gods, which makes him a nicely sinister wild card. The goal is to move from world to world, cleanse the corruption powering his machinations, and eventually banish him back to the Warp.
I’ll be upfront: Boltgun 2 is a story that assumes you know the universe quite deeply, and even someone who plays at the table, I still found myself pausing to go read some wikis. The game doesn’t pause to explain what a Celestian is, why the Arkifane matters, or why the Chaos Gods might be annoyed that something is competing for corrupted territory. If you’ve never touched Warhammer 40,000, a lot of the lore will wash over you, and some of the more interesting beats will land flat. For those of us who know the setting, there’s a lot to enjoy, including the voice work and the way Nyra’s fanaticism plays off Malum’s stoic professionalism.
That said, the story is clearly secondary, and that’s the right call. It exists to point you at the next arena and give each world a reason to be burned down. It sets the tone well, and it never gets in the way of the shooting, which is a great way to pull people into the 40K universe. If a deeper narrative was on your wish list, you may feel a little shortchanged, unless you do some real studying. If you wanted a good excuse to hold the trigger down, you’re in luck.
“Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a confident, bombastic sequel that understands exactly what it wants to be.”
The soundtrack is another major highlight in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. The music drives the action with a relentless, metal-forward energy that makes every fight feel bigger than it is, and it never overstays its welcome. Without spoiling some major beats if you are a W40K player, there is a great fight against a big baddie that is scored by guest composer Mick Gordon of DOOM fame. Gordon’s signature blend of crunching guitars and analog-processed synths feels like a natural fit for a Warhammer boss fight, and it elevates the soundtrack into something properly memorable. The weapons sound just as good. Every bolt shell has weight, and the flamer’s roar makes a strong case for being your favourite thing in the game.
The structure can be repetitive, though. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is deliberately old-school, so you’ll be clearing rooms, hunting keys and fighting waves in a loop that doesn’t reinvent anything. The retro style also won’t be for everyone, so if you aren’t into boomer shooters, this one may be a mixed bag for you. And while the lore-heavy story is a plus for veterans, it does do a good job of putting players in a position to just blow stuff up and watch the blood-soaked pixels rain down.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a confident, bombastic sequel that understands exactly what it wants to be. Two distinct protagonists give the combat a welcome shot of variety, the enemy roster finally feels worthy of the setting, and the soundtrack ties it all together in a way that makes every encounter feel like a headbang waiting to happen. If you are looking to get anything out of the story and you are a newcomer, it demands more background than a newcomer might have the attention for, but it knows its place. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is first and foremost about the gameplay and the sound of it, and on those fronts it’s a blast.
For longtime Warhammer fans, especially those who have spent plenty of time on the Chaos side of the table, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a rare chance to put the Dark Gods in your sights, and a hell of a lot of fun. The Emperor protects, but this time he’s got some real firepower.
