Talk about a creative way to hype a game ahead of launch. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Words of Vengeance is a great example of garnering hype. This is a free-to-play game that serves to promote Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. I tried the first game last year and found it fun. I had no idea a sequel was coming, but I would have played it without Words of Vengeance. Yet, this is a fun distraction until the follow-up releases next year.
Typing of the Dead but with a Warhammer coat of paint
This is a three-level game that takes place in the Boltgun world of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Unlike the first game, this is an on-rails shooter that throws words and phrases at you to spell as quickly as you can. If you’ve played the Typing of the Dead series, then you’ll feel right at home.
From what I can gather, these are words and phrases from the game’s universe. “Kroot Carnivores” or “Pain is temporary” is not something I’d use in everyday writing. So, it may take some time to get used to the words that come up on screen.
This isn’t a hard game. I was able to complete it on Medium difficulty in about 10 minutes without ever worrying about dying. Hard gave me a bit of a challenge. While I did finish the game without dying, the last few sections of the third level almost saw me die. The game’s highest difficulty, Exterminuatus, was difficult. There, I could only get as far as the last section of the second level before falling in battle.
One way to get the message out there
This dropped during the “Warhammer Skulls: Festival of Video Games” promotion. On top of a ton of Warhammer 40,000 games going on sale, they also revealed a handful of new and remastered games. So, it should not have come as any surprise that this free game had a connection to a new announcement.
While this is a great way to promote the Boltgun 2 reveal, the timing is a bit premature. Boltgun 2 only has a vague “2026” release date, so a lot of the hype this game would generate may not last long enough. Personally, this might have been better teased closer to the game’s launch.
To be fair, the developers might have more for Words of Vengeance. They could easily update this in the future with another level or two. They could include content from Boltgun 2 as a sneak peek. The only incentive to play the stage again is to see if you can get an “S” rating. If they offer some sort of perk or bonus for doing that, then I could see people coming back and playing the stage again.
Fun for a few minutes, so definitely worth the price (free)
For a free game that takes no more than 10-15 minutes to complete, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Words of Vengeance is a great distraction. Again, I would love for the developers to drop future updates as they move closer to Boltgun 2’s launch next year. But even if this is a one-and-done release, it’s an easy recommendation. Give this a try and see how quickly you can spell “Officio Assassinorum”.
