While Doom in 1993 wasn't the first FPS, it popularised the genre as we know it today. It not only featured a kickass single-player campaign, but also let you kill your friends in enjoyable multiplayer modes.
Thanks to the release of Doom in the early '90s, the FPS genre is as strong as it has ever been. Without Doom, we may not have made the likes of Half-Life, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and lots of other great shooting franchises.
Doom itself has changed in the last 30 years because its most recent games have been realistic-looking 3D shooters. It has been decades since we've seen a 2D entry in the franchise. If you miss the 2D aesthetic of Doom, you may be interested in playing Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 instead.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 may have been released in 2026 for modern platforms, but it mimics the graphics of Doom back in 1993. The cool part about the 2D graphics is that it brings back memories of when I played Doom as a kid.
Despite the retro-style graphics, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 still has amazing art direction. All of the demons look huge and menacing, plus you can see all of their blood and guts lying on the floor once you kill them. Not to mention, all of their dead bodies do not disappear.
Another cool aspect of this game is that it includes two playable characters. The bulky-looking Malum Caedo from the first game returns, and he's still armed with his trusty Chainsword, with heavy armour in tow.
The new addition to the game is a female warrior named Nyra Veyrath. She's faster and more agile than Caedo, plus she is equipped with a Power Sword of her own. The only sad thing is that you cannot swap characters once you choose one of them. If you want to swap characters, you have to start a new game.
For my main playthrough, I opted to play as Malum Caedo because his armour is too iconic to ignore. His main weapon is the famous Boltgun, an assault rifle that can kill demons and enemies with ease.
As for the aforementioned Chainsword, it reminds me of the chainsaw gun from Gears of War because you can slice enemies up close by holding down the L2 button on PS5. Another neat ability of Caedo is an Obliterating Charge that can take out multiple enemies as well.
Caedo and Veyrath have access to a total of eight different weapons, which they can access via a weapon selection wheel. Weapons and ammo can be found roaming around the maps, and the variety is insane. Some of the awesome weapons you can wield include a missile launcher, a shotgun, a grenade launcher, a plasma rifle, and more.
The only types of weapons you can't have in Boltgun 2 are sniper rifles. This is because Boltgun 2 is aimed to be a fast-paced Doom clone, so there's no aiming down the sights or cover system. You're supposed to move and shoot from the hip in quick fashion!
Apart from normal enemies, some (not all) levels include a huge boss for you to kill at the end. Some bosses have multiple health bars and weak spots for you to exploit. You may also have to watch out for traps and environmental dangers too because a lot of things are out to kill you in this game.
Boltgun 2's levels aren't linear because they are expansive, with multiple corridors and locked doors. In order to open doors, you will have to find lots of different-coloured keys. Thankfully, this game includes a map and waypoints so you don't have to get lost like when the first Boltgun game launched in 2023.
It's also worth mentioning that Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a single-player-only experience, with the campaign lasting around four to six hours depending on the difficulty setting you choose. Sadly, the game does not include any type of co-op or multiplayer VS. modes.
Speaking of difficulty, Boltgun 2 can be a brutal and relentless experience for some gamers on its default settings. This is due to the sheer number of enemies that appear on screen, and the fact that there is no cover system. You really need to have fast trigger fingers in order to succeed in this game!
If the game is too hard, Boltgun 2 offers cheats you can activate from the start. This includes access to all guns, infinite ammo, invincibility, and much more. You can turn these on or off whenever you please.
Despite being a short game, Boltgun 2 is priced fairly for consumers. If you own a PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X/S, this game is priced in the $40 NZD range on digital storefronts. A Switch 2 version of the game is not out yet, but it will be released at a later date.
If you loved the old-school 2D Doom games, you are going to really love Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. Not only are the graphics similar, but the gameplay is familiar, too. The game is also affordable thanks to its aforementioned discounted price.