Boltgun II – Preview
The Emperor protects!
"Ave Imperator! Welcome back, glorious Malum! I hope your rest served you well, because the forces of Chaos are testing us and we need your help once again. Fear not, mighty avenger, for this time you are not alone – the Adepta Sororitas has been merciful enough to send us one of their sisters, trained in the art of purification, to aid us: Nyra Veyrath. With your illustrious benevolence, I have set the coordinates to the new destination planet – the journey will take a while, but you can use this time for meditation or to share legendary experiences with our guest. Gloria in Excelsis Terra!” Log of a Tech-priest aboard an Imperial Battleship – c. 41,012 AD
Double the gun, double the fun
At the Warhammer Skulls 2026 event, the British developers at Auroch Digital gave us the chance to try an excellent two-level demo of Boltgun II. This version is intended as a small taste of the sequel to one of the best boomer shooters on the market, and let me tell you, we'll be eating extremely well when it's ready!
The first and most important addition to the game is the introduction of the second character with whom you can spread lead and sow death-bringing metal through the levels: Nyra. Honestly, I don't think anything could better complement the toughness of an Ultramarine than the agility and tenacity of a Battle Sister.
At first glance, Nyra seems to have been conceived with the idea of a character more focused on melee combat; the efficiency and speed with which she delivers sword strikes prove this, and her dash ability helps you easily position yourself behind enemies. The flow you get when playing as Nyra is fantastic, and her ability to regenerate armour encourages you to throw yourself into the middle of hordes and slice through Chaos abominations without too much worry.
However, she seems like the diet soda version of the game, at least for now. Her Bolt Pistol is almost useless, only benefiting from 5 (FIVE!) bullets per magazine, forcing you to reload every 3-4 seconds, which is really rubbish, because you're stuck in the reload animation without being able to strike with your sword in the meantime. Another surprise is that the Power Sword does less damage than the Chainsword, but it pushes enemies back and can be charged for a more serious blow. What's more, Nyra gets new weapons, which is great, but again, they seem somewhat weaker than Malum's.
The rest of her arsenal consists of: a flamethrower, which feels fantastic when you use it to purify those annoying little critters that jump everywhere, but which loses its effectiveness on larger enemies; a very powerful crossbow, which works like a kind of Railgun and is quite fun to use – probably Nyra's most effective weapon; and a Heavy Bolter that takes an eternity to lift and fire, with negligible damage – I understand that Nyra doesn't have Malum's strength, but then don't give her a Heavy Bolter if she can barely lift it.
On the other hand, my friend dressed in blue iron received some well-deserved buffs. Malum now has 50% more health, the shotgun is more powerful than ever – this time it seems they've done it justice, as it can destroy small and large enemies in a single shot if you're close – and the icing on the cake: the dash has been transformed into a charge, which now extends over a much greater distance and culminates in a furious blow that affects everything around you. As the Machine God intended.
While my adoration for Malum is evident, I don't want you to misunderstand me: it's fun to brawl dressed in the black metal suit of a Battle Sister, but I felt one side was more favoured when I looked at the two protagonists. Nevertheless, I'm very glad we have the chance to play with both, the contrast between them offering the chance for more diversified gameplay. Oh, and they kept the taunt button!
I left my heart in the Death World
Regarding the new realm, Death World, this planet designated too dangerous to inhabit, contrary to its name, is not dead at all; on the contrary, it is incredibly vibrant and beautifully detailed. In the two levels, I had the opportunity to visit a jungle choked with wild vegetation and a snow-covered military base, both raising the visual bar compared to the previous title. I was pleasantly surprised to observe snow falling from the sky and other such atmospheric particles in the game, very pleasing to the eye, by the way.
In addition to the visual improvements, some mechanics have been added to make the game somewhat more modern in terms of accessibility, such as: hit markers when hitting an enemy or slow motion when throwing a grenade. But what truly impressed me were the structural additions to the level, such as: new platforming sections (slides!), bifurcations of the level with separate enemies/challenges, the removal of weapon levels (it was about time) and, for the first time, allies! Now you have the chance to see Death Korps fighting alongside you in an attempt to stop Nurgle's forces. Pretty cool, especially since you can stand back and watch the AI do its thing.
And speaking of Nurgle's and Tzeentch's forces, we have both old and new faces. Among the new ones, two enemies left a lasting impression on me: some maniacs who throw grenades non-stop, and when they die, they leave you another as a gift, and some devils riding an intergalactic beast, each creature having separate health. I'd like to give a special mention to the Berzerkers, who, close to death, start doing more damage and run towards you like madmen – they brought back memories of when I was mercilessly assaulted by Aspiring Champions.
Otherwise, the levels adhere to the same rules imposed by a boomer shooter: kill everything marked red; if you encounter enemies, it means you're going in the right direction; and keep an eye out for secrets – I admit I was quite weak at the latter, only finding about two during my play session.
In the air tonight
I admit, when the first reveal trailer for Boltgun II dropped, I wasn't impressed at all, probably because it seemed like exactly the same game, just with better graphics, but it brought nothing new or interesting that would make me want to pick it up and play. I'm glad to find that I was wrong, because the second part of the series breaks away from the traditional boomer shooter style and is starting to find its own identity. The introduction of a dual protagonist system, along with the new mechanics, managed to pique my interest and make me eagerly await the full version. We'll see if it manages to reach its true potential, and until then, remember: Only in death does duty end!
Played on: PC
Release date: 14 October 2026
Developer: Auroch Digital
Publisher: Big Fan Games, Devolver Digital
