The world of Warhammer 40,000 may be grim and dark, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a bit of humour.
And that’s exactly what Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef provides. Developed by Rogueside, who some will remember for Guns, Gore and Cannoli, it also serves up a fulfilling portion of twin-stick shooting action fused with platforming. Needless to say, for fans of the franchise, it’s a bit of a treat.
Set upon the mineral-rich planet of Luteus Alpha, Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef has a story driven by revenge. You see, drawn to the planet to exploit its offerings, Warboss Ogruk Gutrekka has stolen your favourite hair squig, and you’re not going to stand for that. And so, after getting yourself ready for battle, you’re going to fight your way across Luteus Prime, pulverising anything that stands in your way.
In terms of gameplay, Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef is probably everything you expect. Making your way from left to right, with a bit of verticality thrown in for good measure, you combat anything that stands in your way. Guns are perhaps the most effective way to dispatch your foes.
You start with just a simple pistol, but soon gain access to more powerful firearms such as an assault rifle and shotgun. Using the Teef you collect on your exploits, you can also unlock additional, more powerful variants of these weapons, and switch them into your active loadout at generously placed checkpoints.
Guns aren’t the only thing at your disposal though. Multiple classes of Ork are available for you to play as, and each comes with its very own melee attack and throwable weapon. You can slam a mighty hammer over your head and throw a standard grenade, for example, or you might be able to lob weighty tools at your enemies and throw a small critter that seeks out enemies to chew on them.
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Adding yet more fun into the mix is a temporary Waaagh! mode. You can enable this whenever a bar under your health meter is filled, and it fills pretty rapidly. Enter Waaagh! mode, and for a few seconds or so your Ork will unleash a hail of bullets of their own accord. Even better, they’ll be more powerful than normal.
With your decently-sized arsenal, you can have a hell of a lot of fun combating your enemies in Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef. It helps that your enemies are quite varied, too, ranging from other Orks to humans and even gigantic crocodile-like creatures. And while there is plenty of shooting to be done, platforming elements keep it from feeling too monotonous.
The experience isn’t flawless on Switch: loading times are long and there’s the odd performance hiccup. Perhaps your greatest grievance with Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef, however, will be how short its campaign is. Chances are you’ll be done with it in around a couple of hours. Thankfully there is local and online co-op that might entice you back, as well as a versus mode.
For anyone that enjoys side-scrolling shooters, Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef is well worth picking up. Even more so if you also like the world of Warhammer 40,000 or simply having a good laugh. While its campaign is short, it’s fun from beginning to end – and there’s a good chance you might go back for another playthrough or engage in some multiplayer action. Just maybe pick it up on a format other than Switch if you’re sensitive to performance issues.
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef Review – GameSpew’s Score
