Warhammer 40K: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption DLC Review-Now with Bigger Guns

Warhammer 40K: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption DLC Review

A little over a year ago, I reviewed Warhammer 40K: Boltgun. Although built in a recent iteration of the Unreal engine, Boltgun hid its technical chops under a retro, classic Doom-style veneer. That wasn’t the only reference to old-school shooters. Everything from the flow of combat to the weapon effects felt like an homage. You could even adjust the level of pixelation from relatively smooth to super chunky. I had a great time. So I had high expectations for Forges of Corruption.

Forges of Corruption is the first DLC for Warhammer 40K: Boltgun, and if you enjoyed the base game, you’re in luck with the add-on. It bolts on (pun intended) a hefty new chapter and a handful of levels. Although it isn’t exactly standalone, Forges of Corruption is available after players have spent a fairly small amount of time in the main game.

Story Lite

No one comes to a Warhammer 40K shooter for the deep and nuanced narrative. There’s a little more to it, but the basics are: you’re a Space Marine named Malum Caedo, and your job is to stop Chaos from destroying the planet Graia. The DLC adds to the story but the objectives remain the same. Kill everything that moves.

To that straightforward end, most of the weapons from the main game reappear and there are two, beefy additions. The Missile Launcher’s name proves to be reliably accurate, with an impressive explosion when it hits the target. The Multi-Melta hits groups of enemies with a fiery, face-melting area-of-effect blast. Both weapons could be inheritors of Doom’s infamous BFG.

Enemies from the base game return in often overwhelming numbers. There are three new elite foes: the Terminator, the Helbrute, and the Havoc. As before, what Boltgun lacks in nuance it makes up for in crazy, chaotic battles that can — at the higher difficulties — be brutal. One of the base game’s minor flaws was its repetitive reliance on enemy counts to bolster the challenge. Unfortunately, Forges of Corruption hasn’t fixed this problem. The final battle is ridiculously long and borderline unfair.

Buttery

Forges of Corruption retains the same, smooth performance and fluid controls of the original. Once again it feels like classic shooters as we remember them, not as they actually ran. The soundtrack, weapon effects, and voice work are pure metal Warhammer 40K.

By popular demand, the developers have included a new Horde mode. It’s just the player against waves of beloved Warhammer 40K enemies, with each wave highlighting a new weapon. It’s a lot of fun for a while, but keeping the action in a confined space — no matter how well designed — and bound to a gameplay loop works against long-term enjoyment.

Everything that made Warhammer 40K: Boltgun a refreshing return to Doom-era shooter vibes is there in Forces of Corruption as well. The new weapons, enemies, and environments are seamless additions to the base game. A year later, a bit of the novelty has disappeared but like the base game, Forces of Corruption reminds us of simpler times when games had modest ambitions and a focus on fun above all.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***