Warhammer Survivors: drowning Tyranids in a pot of Nuln Oil, and other bullet heaven pleasures

Among the game's 75-plus weapons, there is the Bolter, the Space Marine chainsword, whirling axes, and a pot of Nuln Oil.

For those who have never held a brush: Nuln Oil is a black shade from the Citadel paint range, the one every Warhammer miniature painter keeps on the desk to grime up the recesses. Here, you throw it at Tyranid hordes. It is the game's best joke, and it says everything about its spirit: it was made by people who know the hobby from the inside.

The pedigree is solid. Auroch Digital made Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and the game is developed in partnership with poncle, the Vampire Survivors studio. In other words, this is not a licensed clone, it is the original formula applied to Games Workshop's universe by people who already made a very good game in it.

The formula does not budge: you move, your weapons fire on their own, enemies come by the hundreds, and you pick up what you need to evolve your arsenal until the screen turns into fireworks. The hand-animated pixel art is superb, and each level has its own enemy faction, from the open plains of Aqshy, the Realm of Fire, to the narrow corridors of an abandoned Space Hulk.

The real selling point is the cast: more than 40 playable characters from Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar, each with their own weapons and starting stats. Commissar Yarrick, Neave Blacktalon, and Malum Caedo, the hero of Boltgun. Switching characters really changes the run, which is not always true in this genre.

The reservations are those of the genre itself. If Vampire Survivors left you cold, the Warhammer setting will not convert you: same loop, same visual chaos late in a run where you can barely see your character. The Extremis-level bosses, on the other hand, give even veterans a hard time.

At 7.49 euros with the launch discount, on PC, consoles and mobile from tomorrow, it is the most generous survivors-like of the year for the price. The studio says half a million people have wishlisted it, and it is easy to see why.

Which hero did you unlock first? The InsertCoins Discord has a wargame channel, and 40K fans are plentiful there.