It’s been 30 years since EA released Space Hulk for IBM PC Compatibles and the Amiga.
30 Years. I remember hearing about it in the corridors of school. An experience where you
could actually take command of those little miniatures you’d poured so much time into.
Where you didn’t have to imagine anymore. Where you could take charge of a squad of
Space Marine Terminators and clear out a ship of the dreaded CHAOS. 30 Years. 30 Long Years.
So, you can imagine my utter, utter delight when I heard that Focus Entertainment,
who have sponsored this video, were launching a BOOMER SHOOTER,
that felt like it was going to not just bring back the joy that I had 30 years ago,
but actually, produce the game that I had really been lusting over for all that time.
I mean, this is great. BUT THIS. THISSSSSSSS.
THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE. Let’s get into it.
The advertising literature tells us “Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst!
Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish
visuals of your favourite 90’s retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine of a perilous
mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos”
Honestly, this is all I want.
We kick off with a straight forward menu system.
None of that complicated gumpf. This feels like I’m diving into a game of
Doom or Rise of the Triads more than anything else. Which is a good start.
Options. Ohhhh yes, we have many of those. I do like options…
The familiar Invert Look Y Axis for those of us who remember the Berlin wall falling.
Other control options, even if you’re one of those BASIC batches who uses a gamepad. Video options,
yes very good. Gore Pool, always good to have the biggest you can. Now,
this is a nice section. RETRO. From here you can adjust Bloom. The Retro Palette,
which gives you a VGA vibe, and pixelation, in case you want, a much harder challenge,
I guess. It’s real nice there’s an accessibility menu too, so that your 3 year old nephew can get
involved with some gore without having to face the depths of their own mortality. It doesn’t really
matter if it’s someone else dying when you’re 3. All in all, great.
So, Chapters. We have many. I’m not going to go through all of them and spoil everything for you,
BUT, what I will do, is start the game and show you this excellent intro.
Remember Space Hulk. There was a rubber lipped guy
giving you a synopsis to the level. Well, that’s what’s happening here,
just without the rubber lips. Probably why she’s wearing respiratory equipment.
Ok, let’s get to it. By chainsawing the absolute crap out of these guys.
Honestly, from the go, this is excellent. You know you’re onto a winner. You don’t
even need a gun. It’s just pure, visceral fun… and it’s chaotic… and not just because
you’re fighting the forces of Chaos. Just take these taunts you can do. Bloody,
brilliant.
But, given the game is literally called Boltgun.
It’s not long before you actually find a Boltgun, and can lose your absolute shit.
This is what I’m talking about.
From here on out, it’s essentially, mindless, 90s, FPS action. I mean,
you turn living creatures into piles of bloody pulp. You collect power ups. You collect ammo,
health. You find keys. You unlock doors, and you move to the next level. So there we go,
that’s the end of this review. Thank you for watching. Goodbye.
Except. That’s not it.
Because, this game has something that many others do not. DEPTH.
DEPTH.
DEPTH FOR THE EMPEROR. DEPTH FOR YOURSELF. DEPTH FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.
Honestly, it’s great.
Take this area. We have a nice setup here. Chaos, generally fighting down below – and yes,
they do squabble amongst themselves, which is very Doom – but you can go into this with a number of
tactics. For instance, you could just jump down there and start absolutely going to town. Or…,
you could take a more laid back, casual approach and just snipe these guys from a distance. When
you have a foe in your sights, their class will appear at the top of the screen, and you can
just pop until your heart’s content. Lovely stuff. You know, these guns aren’t particulary accurate,
in terms of sniping, but you don’t need them to be. You can still pull off headshots.
Then you can carry on on your merry way. You can collect more items. You can go left, right,
and just generally crack on. But, it’s not all linear and jolly. Sometimes there will
be obstacles and you’ll need to find another route, or you might need to activate some stuff
and run. You know, the basic FPS puzzle elements. Enough to keep you interested,
but not enough to get in the way of the absolute gun blasting plenty.
I played most of this game on medium difficulty, which is a wise choice. Because, although on the
face of it, it looks like there are far too many pickups, you’ll often get to an area like this.
A kind of kill zone, and boy. BOY. Do you need some skill to get past these mothers.
These massive, two legged, frog bastards just spit acid directly in your face, and that stuff does
not mesh well with a Space Marine’s armour. Trust me. It’s horrible. It gets on your skin. It burns,
and there’s no way to get it off. It’s not like you’re carrying a punnet of wet wipes.
But, with skill, and determination,
before you find another hoarde… and that’s kind of how it goes on. There’s an adequate amount
of exploring and general frivolity, before you find these groups and then you have to
get down to business. It’s really, pretty great. Especially when you have the plasma gun in hand.
But then, the plasma gun is far from the pinnacle. All your Warhammer Space Marine
weapons are catered for here, and each one is more adventurous and interesting than the next.
But even the bolter stays fresh and useful. You get different rounds as
you go. Some armour pierce, some just cause utter destruction, and it really pays tribute
to the name of the game. After all, what’s a Space Marine without a trusty bolter.
Even the chainsword is great, and you can even use it to pull you in closer
to an enemy. You kind of lock on and then just purge the poor sucker to
absolute death. It’s really rather nice. It’s a shame there’s no power
fist to absolutely hammer victims into the ground. But, meh, you can’t have everything.
I guess the only thing that die hard 40K fans would be upset about is that you can’t change
your Marine’s chapter. Yes, you’re stuck with those snobbish Ultra Marines I’m afraid. But
hey, that’s fine, they may not have been my favourite colour in Space
Crusade. But who cares when you’re having so much fun… and that’s really key here.
This game is fun. Just taking down a Chaos Terminator alone is majestic.
Relic’s Space Marine, released in 2011 was fun, but honestly, it took itself a bit too
seriously. Some people want that. I do not want that. I want chaotic, frenetic destruction,
and really this game is kinda of sequel. It’s even set in the same time period. So,
if you enjoyed Space Marine, and you squint hard enough, you’re gonna have fun here.
And if you don’t squint, well, then you can take in the glorious art style, and really
just the magnitude of some of these environments. I mean, there’s a serious dystopian beauty here.
Plus you get some awesome music that changes with the on screen action.
I’m getting Tie Fighter vibes here and that is certainly a good thing.
and I guess if I had a couple of gripes about the gameplay, it’s that
sometimes, you just aren’t aware of how much you’re getting hurt. So when
you’re in the middle of these PURGE sections, some of these guys will utterly destroy you,
in seconds, and there’s no significant on screen visualisation that you need to haul
ass. You just suddenly realise that the slime is ripping you a new asshole. Plus some of these
walk like they’re about to miss their Clapham Omnibus. Also, whilst we’re talking about buses,
some of the arenas can also get a bit claustrophobic in their level design,
which can sometimes make the battles a bit confusing and monotonous. But, you can explore,
you can learn and you can mix the fight up enough yourself to keep the entertainment rich.
I’m not going to spoil the game by going through everything there is to see and do,
because that would be insane.
But, what I will say is that I had an absolute BLAST.
A.. BLAST… YES. A PUN. I AM HAPPY.
I had a BLAST playing Boltgun, and I think you will to.
Especially if you’ve got the brain of a 3 year old who doesn’t want to face their own mortality.
I know this is a sponsored video, but honestly, I would review it exactly the
same if it wasn't, so I'm just grateful to Focus entertainment for bringing it to my attention.
You’ve made your mind up already.
Go. Go play.
Go.
Until next time I’ve been Nostalgia Nerd. Toodleoo.