Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef (PC) Review

If there's one thing this is very successful at, that would be how it portrays the act of violent conflict from the eyes of a Warhammer 40k Ork. While the franchise mostly leans towards a heavy grimdark vibe, when it comes to the green Boyz, blasting things and dying in battle is fun, fun, fun! You'll kill lots of things, while heavy metal blasts all around you. This doesn't feel like a battlefield. This is more like a Motörhead concert. Of course, since all these xenos know about is war, it's no surprise that the story is just an excuse to wage it. Players control an Ork who seeks revenge against his boss, who stole his hair squig (don't ask), and threw him off the plane he was shooting things from. The quest? Destroy everything in your path (and there's a lot to destroy) before reaching the end, and enjoy some hilarious cut-scenes along the way.

Upon selecting an Ork amongst the four classes available, which slightly (but only slightly) alter the gameplay, players are thrown into what is basically a straight line. Okay, it's not exactly straight, as the Ork will have to do a little bit of minor platforming, and every now and then search for the right way to go or for a lever to pull… but it's still a straight line. Run and gun from A to B. That's it. A twin-stick shooter (or a Mouse & Keyboard one, if you want it to be), the Ork can shoot at all directions while moving, make a dash-evasion, hit with a - somewhat unhelpful - melee attack, throw a grenade/napalm… and that's it really. Don't expect much in the way of variety.

…And this is where the inevitable comparisons with a better game will be made. Take Fury Unleashed. This "unknown" indie gem does everything the title at hand does and does it better. Starting with the controls, this is somewhat stiff compared to the smooth, finely-polished feel of Fury Unleashed. More importantly, though, this lacks the extra "stuff" of the latter. In here, you shoot, you collect 'teef' (the currency for buying weaponry), and… nothing else. No combo mechanic, no special moves or abilities that could spice things up a bit, and most enemies being essentially the same stupid bullet sponges.

The only thing that brings some variety is how different each weapon controls, with the Ork being able to hold a variety of different types at the same time. Their differences add a nice tactical layer, as there are combat scenarios that favour weapons with wide spreads, others that need the use of a rocket launcher or flame thrower, or something like a chaingun that shoots bullets very slow, but turns into a rapid-spitting stick of death if you hold the trigger long enough. There's also a nice ability that can be used after filling a green (of course) gauge by shooting at things, which is called 'WAAAGH!' - essentially a super move that lets the Ork shoot power up his weapon and shoot faster for a couple of seconds.

Despite its simple nature, Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef remains a fine piece of entertainment. It's one of those "shut off your brain and shoot at stuff" kind of experiences, and it's darn good at it. The hand-painted 2D environments look mighty cool as well. The whole thing mostly takes place in the chaotic labyrinth that is an Imperial Hive City - a gargantuan world filled with the Imperium of Man's gothic, grandiose, larger than life architecture and imagery. There are more issues to talk about, though, and while in the subject of visuals, one of those issues is that enemies and their projectiles kind of blend with the detailed backgrounds - but that's just a nit-pick.

By far the worst problem is the lack of content, and thus its low replay value. This offers a tiny campaign mode, which can be played either solo, or along with a few friends in four-player co-op, but that is simply not enough. Repeating the campaign also makes some of the flaws more obvious, like for example the fact that enemies, and especially the bosses, are bullet sponges that are more of a chore to kill than a challenge. The final nail in the coffin are the somewhat frequent freezes and crashes, which happen even after a month from its initial release. In the end, this is could only be recommended to diehard Warhammer 40,000 fans. If found at a much lower price it will offer an evening of two of great, chaotic, orkish fun.