The moment Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 boots up, it feels like you’ve been strapped into a chainsworld and hurled straight into the Eye of Terror. This is not subtle; it’s not gentle, and it absolutely does not care if you survive the opening scenes.

Developer Auroch Digital, in partnership with publishers Big Fan Games and Devolver Digital, doubles down on everything that made the first game a blood-soaked love letter to retro FPS chaos, then cranks the dial up until it obviously snaps off in someone’s hand. From the first guttural roar of Heretics to the last pixelated explosion of warp-tainted flesh, this sequel leans hard into pure Warhammer excess, which is faster, louder and far more unhinged than before, so strap in, soldiers.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 picks up directly after the chaos of the first game, throwing you straight back into the Emperor’s war without so much as a smoko break. The galaxy is still drowning in heresy, and it’s your job to scrub it up with as much violence as possible.

You step into the boots of either Ultramarine Melum Caedo, who is a relentless Sternguard Veteran known for turning entire battalions of corruption into dust and being an unstoppable frontline wrecking ball, or Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, who brings a more precise but equally brutal brand of faith-fuelled destruction. Both characters are in a branching single-player campaign that sends you deep into new warzones where the Imperium’s light barely reaches.

The game does not reinvent its original formula; it sharpens it into something even more aggressive and relentless than the first title. It still has that pure retro FPS chaos with fast gameplay, heavy weapon feedback and that arena-style combat we all froth knowing that in each encounter you’re either mastering it or being swallowed whole.

There are a few games out there that can create a space where there is no breathing room, no comfort, just the momentum to keep moving forward from corpse-stacked corridors of cities to jungle swamps. Every mission feels like an absolute blood fest, and I’m all for that. You might be thinking the more I get used to this game, the easier it becomes, and you would be completely wrong.

As the campaign escalates, so does the enemy resistance. You’re not running around cleaning up cultists anymore, you’re cleaning up daemonic entities like Bloodletters and Juggernauts, and they’re not here for a fight… they’re here for a hunt! Combat remains the highlight of the game, constantly switching between brutal close-range weapons that can turn enemies into epic pixelated gore or devastating ranged firepower. There was no weapon that I thought, “This is boring”. As I mentioned before, you need to keep on your toes because the variety and the aggression ramp up significantly, so you need to adapt and keep the rhythm of play.

Boltgun 2 keeps its controls intentionally simple, and that is exactly what we want out of a retro FPS. There are no overcomplications or unnecessary systems, just tight, responsive inputs that let you stay locked into the chaos. The movement is snappy and aggressive, which is built around a system of constant forward pressure rather than cautious positioning. If you are a fan of old-school FPS games, you will love the weapon handling, which has punchy feedback, fast weapon swaps and an immediate responsive feel that we all grew up loving.  

Regardless, if you are revving the chainsword up close or blasting heretics apart at range, everything feels direct and intentional, which is what kept me hooked. I was also surprised to see the game had full controller support, which we are seeing more and more on PC titles these days, but there is nothing quite like mashing out the keyboard and mouse on titles like these; it just hits differently. I was also impressed when things became overwhelming; the controls never once felt like they were fighting you, which I enjoyed.

The developers have nailed that retro-boomer shooter aesthetic while still feeling unmistakably Warhammer 40,000. The entire game looks like somebody shoved a 90s FPS into the perfect little violent package. The art style leans heavily into chunky pixelated visuals, exaggerated gore, massive gothic architecture, and lots of visual chaos to keep you overstimulated.

The colours constantly bounce between dark greys, blood reds, toxic greens and glowing purples, which really polished the visuals off perfectly. I was really impressed with the environmental variety. One moment, you are blasting through towering hive cities packed with steel corridors and shrines, littered with corpses left in your wake.

The next moment, you are knee-deep in some dense mangrove swamps. The developers did a perfect job of creating meaningful environments with each one really having its own identity. I feel like the game was created purely for me because sometimes more is better, and big explosions, blood sprays and enemies being burst into little pixel pieces is my cup of tea.

The audio was full-on chaos in the best way possible. After about 20 minutes, I actually had to turn the game down a bit because everything is constantly loud. Between shots being fired, enemies screaming, explosions, the constant noise of enemies being blown to smithereens, and your footsteps sounding like a tank rolling through the map, there is never a moment when the game is super quiet, which fits the game perfectly.

The soundtrack has that heavy industrial-style music, which really kicks in during bigger fight moments, but it keeps true to that fast movement and retro visuals. Each weapon has that chunky, satisfying sound as well, which was a big plus in my books.

The small taste I’ve had of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 has made me want to go back for more. The fast-paced combat, brutal weapons and over-the-top presentation all fit the Warhammer universe perfectly, even if the constant action gets a little overwhelming at times. There’s still plenty left to see, but based on the preview, I’m keen to see what the full game can bring to keep the momentum going. 

Written by: Hayden Nelson