MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Interviews

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. Which is both the blessing and curse of the Warhammer 40k universe; it’s an often lore-rich and tantalisingly dark setting for tabletop gaming, fiction and video games – but most of the time, it takes itself far too seriously for its own good. Even as a fan – having read a reasonable number of the novels and having been involved in painting miniatures (and playing with them!) – that humourless tone can be really overbearing.

Yet that’s not to say that humour can’t be found out there in the far reaches of the universe. Orks in particular are a fun and intentionally daft faction; for example, Ork vehicles painted red go faster simply because Orks think they do.

It’s so refreshing to play a Warhammer 40k video game that isn’t afraid to take a more light hearted view of the universe, as well as one that tells its story from the perspective of the Orks (haven’t we had enough of those boring intergalactic fascists, the Space Marines?).

Shootas, Blood and Teef really does lean into that humour in every possible way too; from its silly story – of an Ork on a quest to retrieve its blond wig (sorry, ‘hair squig’) from a former colleague – to its brilliantly voiced characters and excellent script and beyond.

A fast paced, old school run ‘n gun adventure, Shootas, Blood and Teef takes 1-4 players on a whistlestop tour of the Warhammer 40k universe – with tons of familiar races, vehicles and settings popping up on your quest.

There’s some genuinely impressive boss battles against enormous foes and the variety, even amongst normal sized enemies over the course of the journey, is impressive too.

The gameplay itself never really changes from beginning to end, however. It can feel a little repetitive during longer play sessions; especially as, despite changes in scenery and enemy types, the level design very rarely does anything too adventurous – though a zero gravity section and one stage set in a subterranean waste disposal system do provide highlights.

However, the 2D animation style cutscenes are always amusing – and the general attitude of the main character when against impossible odds is genuinely brilliant.

There’s a great selection of weaponry available to unlock and its here that the game truly excels, with plenty of options to tailor the game to your exact, preferred method of carnage. It’s a shame that in-game – certainly in the heat of the moment when under attack by seemingly hundreds of enemies – it can be difficult to tell which gun you’re selecting, but for the most part this won’t be a problem.

The 80s-metal style soundtrack is a highlight too, really fitting with the old school, Ork rampage action on screen.

Local and online competitive multiplayer is a nice touch and can be pretty fun, if incredibly chaotic, but the campaign – despite being relatively short – certainly felt like the biggest selling point of the game to me.

It was great to see Space Marines, Inquisitors, Genestealer Cultists, Genestealers themselves and so many more characters making appearances within the daft framework of the story; there’s some pretty big surprises in terms of the units that appear to oppose you too.

Shootas Blood and Teef is a genuinely good time and – despite lacking in replay value – the campaign is a riot from beginning to end.

It does make me wish that more games would have the balls to both remain faithful to the Warhammer lore while still poking it in the ribs a bit; hopefully Shootas, Blood and Teef finds the audience it deserves so we can get a sequel. I certainly wouldn’t say no to spending more time in this humorous take on the Warhammer 40k universe.

Many thanks to PR Hound and Dead Good Media for providing me with a game code for review purposes. Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood and Teef is now available on PC, PlayStation, Switch and Xbox consoles.

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