Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 Is Bloody Gorgeous And Performing Well On Steam Deck - Preview

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While my time with the Steam Deck was still relatively fresh, one of my favorite shooters to play on it was Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Not only was it a joy to play on the go, but it was gorgeous and one of my favorite entries in the Warhammer franchise. I was extremely excited when the sequel, Boltgun 2, was announced. And I was super excited to see if it would be just as enjoyable to play on the deck as the first game.

Recently, I had a chance to try out a slice of the upcoming game to see how development is progressing. However, we got to try this build on our own, which means I got to test it out on the Steam Deck to see what performance may be when it releases. And so far, it’s all looking very positive.

It has been a while since I played the first game, so as soon as I booted up this demo, it was like a wave of nostalgia and excitement rushed over me. The demo started me off in this forest swamp, coming across different enemies, like Nurglings, and picking up new weapons along the way. The gunplay still feels as tight as ever, and it is so satisfying to shoot. It’s exactly as I remembered, but tighter, faster, and just as much action-packed in it.

But what really hooked me in was the visuals, and it’s a big part of what makes the gunplay so satisfying. The miniature explosions from each direct hit, the pixelated blood gushing out of their wounds, and their explosion into bloody bits all contributed to making it a visual splendor that kept me wanting to shoot. The guns are great, and I appreciate the lack of recoil to focus on the boomer-shooter aspect, but the team knocked it out of the park with the graphics to make it so enjoyable to kill.

This extends to the levels as well. As I mentioned, the demo had to start off in a forest swamp, and then we made our way to icy mountains. Both of these places were beautiful, and a lot of it can be attributed to the pixelated graphics. I loved it in Boltgun, and I love it in Boltgun 2.

I would have loved it if this game were just more of the same, but there are some great changes to emphasize that they are going further. We have a second playable character, packed with their own abilities and guns. Each of the two characters has their own loadout, so we can go for Malum Caedo, with their trusty Shotgun and Plasma Gun, or take out Nyra Vetrath, with their Crossbow and Flamethrower. They each come packed with their own abilities as well, whether it be Caedo‘s ramming or Nyra‘s sliding with their power sword. Both are effective, but ultimately provide different experiences with different focuses on how to play.

I genuinely can’t wait for the full game to release, and I’m so excited to play it to its fullest. However, I also want to take a look at the Steam Deck, just to see how optimization is coming along. The first game was one of my favorites to play on the Deck years ago, so I was curious to see if the sequel would feel just as good. And so far, it does.

For the most part, the game is able to hit 60 FPS on its default settings, and while there aren’t many to change in this demo, it is playing at 1280x800 resolution with a 100% resolution scale. The visuals look gorgeous, especially on the OLED screen, and it will stick to the framerate in a lot of the smaller fights.

The biggest issue so far is the larger ones. The final fights in both levels are extremely demanding, with tons of enemies on the screen. And because of that, the framerate drops dramatically. It doesn’t go too far down, sticking above 30 FPS, even when grenade explosions are going off, but it doesn’t stick to 60 FPS. So, while I can still stick above 30 FPS, there may need to be some optimization that goes into these combat situations with tons of enemies on the screen. I’m not sure what more can be done, since, if I remember correctly, the first game had a similar issue. But I’m hopeful, because I know the developers want to make sure this game is running on the Steam Deck.

I’m also happy to say that gyro aiming does work as well. We will have to set it up in Steam Input, but using the “As Mouse” option works well. I did need to turn the sensitivity down, and it is going to change the controller, icons to keyboard icons at the bottom of the screen, but it does work without issue.

Either way, the Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 demo did its job of getting me extremely excited for the full release. It still has the core gameplay that I fell in love with, while expanding it with new locations, weapons, and a second playable character that changes the way I approach combat. The performance on the Steam Deck is also great, and I’m hoping there can be more optimizations for the larger fights in the full release. Time will tell for sure, but I am waiting on the edge of my seat.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2’s demo is also available now, so you can check it out and see how it performs for yourself. It’s definitely worth trying, so I highly recommend doing it.

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