In the grimdark world of Warhammer 40,000, genetically altered space marines and fanatical Sisters of Battle fight a multi-front war against aliens and demon gods. There is no "good guy," there are no saviors and everyone is expendable, according to the grand calculus of the Imperium of Man. Entire planets can be snuffed out in an instant, and that barely moves the needle in the battle between galactic empires. Nothing ever really changes.

Maybe that's why the latest build of developer Auroch Digital's Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun 2 feels so similar to its predecessor. Maybe we're blasting through many of the same battles on rerun -- a common feeling in first-person shooter sequels. During a virtual press preview event showcasing two of the upcoming game's levels, an Auroch developer told attendees that the focus was on taking "what people loved about Boltgun and [making] it bigger and better."

When I got my hands on the preview levels, I found undeniable quality-of-life improvements and a whole new arsenal of weapons alongside the familiar hard-hitting gunplay and satisfyingly grotesque gore. But the big new features -- including a second playable character and more visually diverse level design -- don't feel like they meaningfully transform the sequel.

I'd be happy if every level in Boltgun 2 played like the ones featured in the demo, but so far I haven't seen much in the way of real innovation over the original.

More demons than you can shake a chainsword at

If you're a Warhammer fan just looking for another hit of FPS carnage, Boltgun 2 will be incredibly satisfying. There are more weapons, varied levels and a whole bunch of new enemy types for enthusiasts of different factions to enjoy.

Though I'm not extremely well-versed in Warhammer lore, I was pleasantly surprised to see Khorne cultists and disgusting new Nurgle-themed enemies scattered throughout the two levels I played. The original Boltgun primarily allowed players to pummel followers of Tzeentch, so it's promising to see so many new, richly detailed pixel art versions of iconic enemies (before you turn them into mulch).

Auroch Digital developers obviously love the tabletop game that Boltgun is based on, because you can see where certain mechanics have been lifted and adapted for an entirely different medium. 

Shambling poxwalkers will regenerate flesh and mutate postmortem, returning from the dead to harry you once more. Khorne berserkers will fly into a rage when they reach a low health threshold, getting quicker and more dangerous. And demonic infantry units will mount up and ride steeds into battle.

All of these tiny interactions make Boltgun 2's world feel more reactive. Best of all, pivoting to deal with these different enemy behaviors adds some much-needed mechanical depth to an otherwise by-the-numbers boomer shooter.

The new levels are beautiful but far too spacious

When I think back on my time with the original Boltgun, I fondly remember the level that capped off the game's first act. In it, you're plunged into the warp, where the cookie-cutter cathedrals that have become so commonplace begin to unravel and collide with one another in a place unruled by the laws of physics.

It's a visual spectacle of purple hues and topsy-turvy gravity, a truly great backdrop that would likely be the pièce de résistance of any FPS game it showed up in. But it especially stands out in Boltgun, because almost everything else is a dreary gothic cathedral or a red-hot weapons forge. The Warhammer aesthetic makes for good gritty fun, but the entire game is a muddled series of greys and reds that don't particularly stand out.

Thankfully, the two levels present during the playable preview were distinct and colorful: A glacial military base overrun by demons certainly hewed closely to some of the original Boltgun stages, but the overgrown cultist-infested forest (complete with person-eating plants) was a welcome reprieve. I don't think there was ever a splash of green in the first game, so I hope this preview's multi-planet adventure is the norm for the full release.

While these new levels certainly look pretty, I have some reservations about how they play.

The original Boltgun may have placed players in visually monotonous environments, but the industrial atmosphere of that game confined you to tight rooms and corridors extremely often. Winding up in these situations forces you to think fast, strafing into cover just in time to avoid a hail of gunfire from encroaching foes. 

These encounters inspire a real sense of danger, forcing you to manage health and ammunition while maintaining the power fantasy that comes with being a genetically engineered brute that can tear apart enemies with ease.

In contrast, the Boltgun 2 levels I've played were wide-open. Most battles in the forest and swamp happen in clearings with only a couple trees to break up the line of sight between you and your enemies. The icy military base included an entire bridge full of dozens of enemies that could be micromanaged and defeated before even crossing over to your side of the expanse.

I even managed to slay some enemies across a long enough distance that they didn't register me as a threat, allowing me to pepper them with gunfire while suffering no resistance at all. But even when the enemies do react to my presence, expansive swaths of open air make it far too easy to sidestep bullets flying toward you. At its worst, Boltgun 2 feels like it's emulating Serious Sam's arena-style maps, which doesn't pair well with the rest of the game's Doom-like foundations.

There's little challenge to be found in these sections, which is a shame because the game shines when it puts you in tight situations. The standout battle from my hands-on time was fought against a horde of hundreds of poxwalkers who ambled toward me as I defended a ship's landing zone. The enemies themselves began to restrict the playing space, which was a clever way to clamp down on a cavernous area of the map. 

I'm left hoping that the levels in the preview build were chosen to showcase the visual direction for Boltgun 2, and that there's a better balance between vast battlefields and claustrophobic corridors in the full release. If Auroch Digital continues to be poxwalker-fight levels of creative, that would address my level design worries.

Space marine? Sister of Battle? What's the difference?

Stepping into the preview event, the biggest new feature in Boltgun 2 seemed to be a second playable character: a Sister of Battle with access to separate weapons and abilities from the tried-and-true space marine.

Members of the press were told that Malum Caedo, the Ultramaine protagonist from the first game, is a walking tank with access to a familiar suite of firearms. On the other hand, Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath comes with a new set of weapons as she deftly maneuvers the battlefield.

These well-defined characters sounded like a perfect answer to the most recent entries in the Doom franchise. Caedo's gameplay loop sounded like it'd borrow cues from the slower, weighty Doom: The Dark Ages power fantasy, whereas playing as the quicker, frailer and more aggressive Veyrath would make the game feel more akin to Doom Eternal.

Unfortunately, after playing the preview build, I came away feeling that the biggest impact either character has on a playthrough is likely to be their taunt voice lines. While Caedo and Veyrath have different dashes, grenades and passive abilities, those differences feel mostly cosmetic. Their unique arsenals provide a more noticeable change, but the weapons available to each character largely fill the same roles.

Caedo gets the titular chaff-clearing Boltgun while Veyrath finds a smaller, heavy-duty Bolt Pistol that does more damage but needs to be reloaded more frequently. Caedo wields his trusty shotgun to clear out bigger targets while Veyrath holds onto a crossbow that… well, does the same thing.

These weapons do feel very different to use -- the high-damage Sister of Battle weapons are hefty and satisfying -- but they don't encourage players to alter their playstyle in any discernible way, which feels like a missed opportunity. It's possible that Boltgun 2's full release will further differentiate the Ultramarine and the Sister of Battle, but my experience in the preview was nearly identical.

The fundamentals are still here (and they're strong)

Even if certain facets of the Boltgun 2 preview came across as slightly underwhelming to me, Auroch Digital has patched up many of the biggest problems I had with the first game.

Levels are no longer confusing to navigate and weapon strength and enemy toughness levels have been completely stripped away, which makes the entire arsenal of firearms feel more worthwhile, especially when you're faced with bigger and badder enemies.

Melee weapons now feel like a viable way to close distance and down easier enemies. Using the chainsword in the original game was a good way to get turned into Swiss cheese as the enemy you attacked blasted you at point-blank range, but now it feels like a viable option.

The original Boltgun also featured one of the worst, flimsiest shotguns I've ever used in a video game -- which is a cardinal sin for a boomer shooter. The sequel atones, though, as Caedo's boomstick now does a respectable job turning bad guys into puddles on the ground. 

Enemies are generally less bullet-spongy this time around, making weapons feel more powerful while better delivering the innate space marine power fantasy and avoiding the frustration of overly long fights.

Boltgun 2 is simply a smoother, more polished version of what came before it. Despite the introduction of new guns and a host of much prettier levels, I left the preview with the understanding that this game will likely be another high-octane "Doom clone" rather than an experience that moves boomer shooters forward the same way games like Ultrakill, Selaco and Turbo Overkill do.

But retreading old ground doesn't sting so badly when its littered by demon bodies and shell casings, and getting to step into the shoes of one of Warhammer's living tanks is still a novel treat. If you're itching for another heavy metal three-act FPS campaign, I reckon Boltgun 2 may be one of the best of its kind in 2026.