You know one of the best things ever to come from The Lord of the Rings? (Well, there have been plenty) That’s right, cockney orcs! I love the cockney orcs and the thematic elements together fit so well. This is great, as cockney orcs are the main highlight from Rogueside’s take on the Warhammer 40,000 universe in Shootas, Blood & Teef. These are the same dudes who brought us the insanely good Guns, Gore and Cannoli and now they’ve decided to bring their cartoony, over-the-top violence and comic styling to Warhammer. Can it be as good or even better?
Read on.
What is Warhammer 40 000 Shootas, Blood & Teef
The Warhammer universe and brand are monumental, with countless books, comics, toys and video games spewing onto the scene. We’ve had plenty of video games ever since the mid-1990s, and there are even more coming out this year. All of them are gritty, ultraviolent and intense shooters that exploit the bleakness of the universe and subject matters.
But imagine if you wanted a more family-friendly title to play (at least the most family-friendly Warhammer game) then here is Shootas, Blood & Teef. This is still very much a Warhammer game, with plenty of side-scrolling action, blood and gore, and plenty of mayhem, all while playing as a brigade of loveable cockney Orcs looking to reclaim their former glory.
Very much representing the DNA of Guns, Gore and Cannoli, Shootas, Blood & Teef brandishes lots of fun, carnage and all the lore that hardcore Warhammer fans and their kids will certainly love! Battle through various warzones, taking on other rogue orcs, the Imperium of Man and all manner of horrific abominations that need a good Archie slap! (Rock n Rolla reference for ya).
Grab your shooter, and all those Bees and Honey (money)
Surprising and yet not so surprising, there is a story behind all this madness, one that is ripped from the core of the Warhammer 40,000 lore. Players will embark on a bloody quest to the planet of Luteus Alpha, which has been producing vital materials for the war raging on in the Armageddon sector. All manner of Imperium, Orcs and other factions are drawn here and the planet has become one of the most volatile places in existence. On the planet's surface, there is even worse trouble brewing, the great Warboss Ogruk Gutrekka has taken your most precious hair squig….
And that’s really about the heart of the story. I absolutely freaking love this.
So the all-important journey, the ensuing mayhem and carnage are now triggered by the retrieval of a lovely hairpiece. But it's also a show of who is the strongest and a claim to the Warboss throne.
Through this beautifully hand-drawn, 2D shooter, players will take on the roles of vengeful orc warriors, as they blast, burn, and shoot their way through dozens of warzones, the underbelly of the planet Luteus Prime and the mighty hive city.
So, all the Warhammer goodness is right here, but it’s a very different take on the intense, bleaker shooters such as Vermintide and Necromunda. There is still plenty of blood and action, but visually it's much lighter, and more colourful, making for a nice change of scenery. Everything looks great and the soundtrack/voice acting is also spot on, with awesome rock themes pumping as you blast your way through human meat sacks and other abominations. Plus, as mentioned I love the cockney orc thing, just a hoot to listen to them!
The story is certainly a parody, but there are all the classic elements of lore placed here to bump up the world-building and thematic aspects. You’ll be fighting the Imperium of Man, and their ungodly arsenal of super solider, beasts and tanks, along with other creatures that want your orc flesh and blood. It's nothing of the same level of gravitas as a typical 40K novel or game, but its good fluff, filled with lore that you’ll love but in a different tone.
Big Booms! Bigger Guns! And Bigger hats to wear
Those familiar with Guns, Gore and Cannoli will feel right at home when playing this. But for those unaware of Rogueside’s previous classic, the core of Shootas, Blood & Teef is to run forward, shoot the baddies and obtain new weapons to shoot even bigger baddies.
You begin by picking one of four Orc troopers, each with their own special abilities and such, and venture forth through the planet Luteus Prime in order to obtain your precious hair piece. You’ll start off with small arms, fighting low-level levels, but eventually gather more powerful weapons from shotguns, and grenade launchers, to special weapons such as a gun that zaps a chain-lighting strike.
I had a good feeling about Shootas, Blood & Teef as I had played Guns, Gore and Cannoli before and thoroughly enjoyed it. The selection of weaponry is excellent, and players can indeed mix and match the weapons of their choosing, to vary tactics and attack patterns. Pretty much all weapons felt purposeful and had an extreme impact on anything organic and in my line of sight. Some weapons do have a nasty habit of biting back, so you can’t simply just abuse their overpowered nature. Which was a nice touch of balancing, especially during co-op play! (Which was insanely good fun!).
Some weapons didn’t feel up to scratch in all fairness and felt more of a hindrance rather than beneficial, such as the flamethrower (which is given to you at a sewer level and should have been the best thing ever but comes across as more damaging than helpful. But in fairness, the sewer levels are pretty great, with swarms of killer rats coming to get you). But most were a lot of fun and mixing them all up in co-op just made it even better.
Each orc from the roaster has a melee and special attack which can be a lifesaver at the right moment. While in co-op, the mix of multiple special attacks is phenomenally spectacular, solo players will see that using the same single perk or powerup will feel a little tedious after a while. It might have been nice to switch or obtain new abilities for solo players, but I can understand the single special for each orc is to compensate for co-op play.
You’ll be battling Humans, Orks and Genestealer cultists to get your beloved hairpiece from Warboss Gutrekka. There’s a good mix of enemies, which will keep you on your toes and plenty of them to shoot. The variety of enemies was quite impressive and kept the flow of events and carnage engaging throughout the campaign. And the bosses are also immensely thrilling, even if some of them were hard as nails on the higher difficulties.
While the level design was nothing to rave about, there are certainly some great ideas at play, with different terrains, and death traps and overall, I admired Rogueside for cramming in as many set pieces, combat arenas and secret loot as they did. They understand good pacing and what to offer and how to execute an arena, boss or set piece in the best possible way. Though there are some intense difficulty spikes, for those playing solo. Thankfully there are enough checkpoints and moments you can grab another gun or funny hat.
Speaking of…
Who’s ready for Waaagh!?
Shootas, Blood & Teef offers players plenty of chances to obtain coinage hidden around the world, which can be used to purchase weapons and adorable hats! It’s a simple but extremely effective way to get you exploring the environment, taking on more enemies and dangerous tasks for the sake of more coins. But this is vital for unlocking more guns and unloading even more gore! The hats are a nice cosmetic touch and just wholesome fluff for when you’re wreaking havoc.
I honestly did feel that maybe a skill tree, or progression for upping multiple stats such as health and making your special attack much stronger or more “Boomy”. But with the line-up of vastly different weapons, enemies and set pieces, this does in some ways make up for anything that feels missing here.
And above all, co-op play is how Shootas, Blood & Teef should be played, as all the different methods of mayhem really come together in spectacular form. Shootas, Blood & Teef offers different game modes too, which are nothing incredibly new or refreshing, but are still a lot of fun and keep the replay value high for the most part.
Overall?Warhammer 40,000 Shootas, Blood & Teef is an excellent and fun-filled shooting experience, and while it could have had a little more depth and additional systems for character progression, the core gameplay loop and presentation are outstanding nonetheless. The gunplay and action are intense and highly enjoyable, with lots of guns, baddies to shoot and big bosses to defeat! The visual style and music are top-notch, with awesome metal beats and mixing up cartoony visuals with Warhammer 40,000 themes just feel so wrong, yet so right! And so far from this year, the co-op is certainly one of the best I’ve played!
While there are so many Warhammer video games out there on the market, I would advise you don’t miss out on the bloody good Shootas, Blood & Teef.
++ Presentation and thematic elements are awesome!
++ Highly enjoyable gunplay and action
+ Lots of variety in enemies, set pieces and bosses
+ Cockney orcs galore!
-- Could have had more depth in character progression for solo players
- Some intense difficulty spikes
An Xbox Series S/X review key for Warhammer 40,000 Shootas, Blood & Teef was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
