Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef Switch Review – Waaagh!

Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef is a spinoff title in the Warhammer 40K universe that puts you in the spiky boots of the Orks as you shout, growl, and scream your way through treacherous terrain. This is an old-school feeling 2D run-and-gun that is definitely a step away from the normal Warhammer formula.

So is Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef something for you and your friends to enjoy? Or do these Orks need to accept that they are not the leads in this universe? Let’s find out!

Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef is a wild ride that takes place within the Warhammer 40K universe. You play as the Orks, a savage race commonly known as the ‘Green Tide’, as they sweep across the stars with unrivaled violence in frenzied crusades known as a Waaagh! Yup. You read that right. Lots of screaming, Waaaghing, and poor pronunciation fills the screen. The Orks are savage, brutal, and crude, and they are quite fun to watch.

The story is that you are spearheading an Ork invasion through the hive city of Luteus Prime, which the Orks absolutely cannot say correctly. Not only are you part of this invasion, but you are also on a revenge mission against your warlord, who selfishly stole your beautiful hair squig and threw you off the airship. Hopefully, after proving yourself, you can become the warboss of a Waaagh! (Sorry) and show your fellow Orks that you mean business and are a threat to be reckoned with.

This is precisely the kind of silly and over-the-top story a game like this needs. You are instantly sucked in to the madness happening on screen, and for whatever reason, you will have great empathy for your character who was truly wronged by his own leader. I mean, what kind of leader steals your hat and tries to kill you? Definitely not an influential one. It is because of this simple storytelling that we draw clear lines on the protagonist and the antagonist, and I could not wait to get my revenge.

Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef is a 2D action game that is reminiscent of oldschool side-scrolling shooters like Contra and Metal Slug. There is a whole lot going on in a given stage, and the chaos that ensues can be equal parts exhilarating and frustrating. The reason for that is the satisfaction of wiping out an entire fleet of enemies, but the annoyance is that you can die rather quickly and some times not even know why or how, particularly on harder difficulties.

Controls are twin-stick, where the left stick controls the movement on the 2D plane and the right stick aims your weapons. Most buttons are solid and feel like they are in the appropriate place, but the jump button is assigned to ZL, which feels incredibly awkward for a 2D platformer. I’m honestly not sure why they decided on that shoulder button for jumping, especially since double-jump is a thing, but thankfully you can customize the controls to your liking (Definitely change the jump button, as it feels SO much better on the B button).

Combat is intense and bloody, and the wide assortment of weapons that you obtain and purchase over the course of the game offer an awesome variety that keeps the action feeling fresh as you pop some heads off, light enemies on fire, and just blow them up. This is especially true during boss encounters, which are often times big, bonkers, and a helluva challenge. I especially love the change of styles that each boss has, as this keeps things interesting throughout. Some bosses can feel a bit overwhelming, but thankfully, Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef has excellent checkpoint placements that make continuing play a breeze.

The “Teef” part of the game is that teeth are money, and finding them in stages to purchase new guns and hats is part of the fun. There are loads of guns to unlock, all with an assortment of pros and cons to keep you on your toes. For example, purchasing the Looted Plasma Pistol is great, but if you aren’t careful, the gun can overheat and deal burn damage to you. It is things like this that provide nice challenges in the game, and it allows you to customize the experience even more than just simply shooting and Waaaghing!

The soundtrack in Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef is pure metal. It is heavy, it is awesome, and the game does not shy away from expressing how metal it is. There are so many cool songs here, and I found myself head-banging frequently as I shot some fools. There is voice acting, too, and it is surprisingly good. Lots of great performances, especially from the main protagonist, and all of this helps to make the story more believable and to connect you with what is happening, even if it is silly.

This may sound overly critical, but something about the graphics in Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef weird me out. As someone who has played many Warhammer games, including the table top game, I am just not feeling the Scribblenauts-style visuals. Sure, it looks fine, and some of the environments look incredible, but the character designs just look a bit too cartoony for a series known for its grit, intensity, and gore. Considering those elements are still at play here, the art direction simply feels off.

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Now, I had to save this point for last, because it is important. Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, and Teef is a single player experience that is also a multiplayer experience for up to 4 players. I say this because the single player is not unfair and not boring, but when you add more players to the mix, it becomes even more fun! The title supports both local multiplayer and online, and this includes cooperative play and a bombastic versus mode that is genuinely loads of fun.

One of my biggest issues with the game are the long load times between stages. Even just opening the game takes ages, and I do wonder why that is the case considering the graphical style and relatively low download size. Despite that, Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, and Teef is a hilariously fun 2D shooting experience that can entertain for hours and hours whether you decide to play alone or with a friend or two or three.

If you are a fan of the Warhammer 40K series, this is an absolute! The art style may be a tad offputting, but most everything else in the game is excellent and will provide a one-of-a-kind experience within the Warhammer universe. So get ready to scream WAAAGH!, ride the dakka, and cause all kinds of glorious chaos in Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, and Teef. You won’t regret it.

Links:
Amazon
ININ Games Store
Strictly Limited Store
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Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, and Teef Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Rogueside
Release Date: October 20th, 2022
Price: $19.99, £16.49, €19,99
Game Size: 1.4 GB