Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – When you realize the first Doom is more modern than you think

In the conceptualization of first-person shooter games, a very important game for the popularization of the genre, visionary and ahead of its technological limitations was the first title of the Doom (1993) franchise, originally released for MS-DOS (computer). Bringing 3D elements, visual dilaceration of enemies and 2D graphics, is one of the games that has more versions until today (released, ported or re-released) and one of the most popular franchises in existence.

This game, along with Wolfenstein (1992) and Quake (1996), are very important and, together, make up the hall of “doomlikes” or “boomer-shooters”, having structured a new genre that increasingly dominates the current market. And in this genre, comes Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – The nostalgia factor

Being timeless franchises and with simple but frenetic gameplay, this type of game makes a great success and have great repercussions in streams, from the nostalgia factor of those who had the opportunity to play the great classics at the time to those curious to try games that are said by many to be a must-play.

Any game that is tied to a major franchise, directly or indirectly, will always have a great appeal in a stream, and especially if that game itself is based on a rising genre, even if in a specific group of people, as did the Dark Souls franchise to help consolidate and create the so-called soulslikes genre, initially considered a niche genre but that became increasingly popular with the success of the main games from FromSoftware.

More recently, mixing with an equally popular franchise, the release of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun blends the already existing and huge universe of this franchise with the boomer-shooter gameplay, which brings many hours of enjoyable gameplay, lots of exploration, secrets, hard-to-come-by arenas, and challenges that are worthwhile for both new players and those who have already ventured into the more classic games of the genre.

It is important to consider the genre in which it is involved, since the game is extremely faithful to the gameplay of the first Doom, with elements of lore, weapons and enemies present in Warhammer, plus some extra abilities.

Great amount of content for a livestream

For the curiosity and quality of the game, it is a nice title to bring in a stream, since it has a considerable amount of content (between 15-20 hours to finish the game, however it does not provide great reasons to replay or revisit beyond a possible hunt for achievements), a good variety of scenarios within the stages and also an ambient soundtrack that matches well with the game, artistic details that draw attention and, as mentioned earlier, the visuals can make the viewer remember the great classics of the genre and be attracted.

Also, it is worth noting, that the game demands reasonably of the computer in matters of performance and graphics, but has a menu of options that help in its optimization.

The game’s major problems are in making linear progression difficult for the player, since the stages are very confusing and the level design in some parts can make the player get lost, and the lack of difficulty balancing, which makes certain stages very easy and difficult, as well as the battles with the larger enemies and “bosses,” which are repeated a lot and get more complicated according to the design of the arenas they are in, something that we can consider as an artificial difficulty at certain points.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is playable with Xbox Game Pass.

Ludovicoluka

I have 25 years, I produce content to internet for 4 years and I like retro games, indies and I’m an enthusiast for new launches. I have as my favorite games Donkey Kong Country 2, Super Mario World, Hollow Knight and Red Dead Redemption II, per example. I like to experiment everything and the more, the better, but I never get sick of my comfort games!