Rob reviews Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, & Teef on Nintendo Switch...
The grim-dark future of the 40,000th millennium is one that's full of war. Its a universe spanning conflict that has embroiled numerous races to fight one another for galactic dominance. It's also a universe where no one side is the light in the perpetual darkness.
The lore that surrounds Games Workshop's table-top miniature game is both expansive as it is vast. From simply searching a name such as 'Abaddon the Despoiler', or 'Marneus Calgar' you'll be greeted by a full-blooded (and I use that term liberally) history of the characters, their battles, and...well pretty much anything else you can think off.
As vast as the 40,000th millennium is, it's also as deadly. No other enemy has seen more battles than the bloodthirsty Orks. These menacing brutes love to fight. Wether it be the forces of Chaos, the Emperor's Astates, or themselves - no one stands in the way of an Ork and a fight.
The other side of this is that while the Orks are a pretty savage bunch, their also a bit stupid. Due to their low intelligence, they've often become the butt of many joke and meme within the 40K fandom. But, don't let the comical exterior fool you or you'll soon suffer a fate worse then death.
Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, & Teef is a game that attempts to highlight what the Orks do best - shooting, looting, and generally having a good time. Developed by Rogueside, this arcade twin-stick "shoota" has you thrown into the Orks latest "Waagh" (basically the various clans unite under one leader). Due to the Warboss taking a shine to your characters "shiny-thing", you're then thrown out of a Choppa and onto the battleground below. What then follows is a quest for revenge as you battle through your fellow Ork and 'Humie (human) alike.
Gameplay consists of traversing across numerous Warhammer 40K inspired locals while shooting everything that stands in your way. Across the linear levels, you'll be traversing from left-to-right with the sole aim of reaching the end gate. To keep things fresh, this terrain also has a few vertical obsticals to tackle. Their nothing taxing, just a platform here-and-there which you'll have to climb to reach the next part of the path. Playing Shootas, Blood, & Teef does feel a lot like SNK's Metal Slug - albeit with a twin-stick shooter skin.
Like Orks themselves, the available character classes are a varied bunch. Taking inspiration straight out of the Ork Codex, you'll find names such as "Weirdboy", "Stormboy", "Flash Git", and "Beast Snagga". Aside from their "Ork-ish" names, these classes do fall into the more traditional values. For example the "Weirdboy" is the Warhammer 40K psychic. Choosing this class allows you to wield psychic powers. While the "Beast Snagga" has an explosive spear, and a pet Squig - with a bomb attached to it!
Choosing what class to play as really does come down to personal preference. There's no particular stand out class, as each had their own particular strengths and weaknesses. The good thing here is that when it comes to playing co-op your team feels different, but is ultimately the same.
After you've picked your class, your chosen Ork can be further customised either various cosmetic trinkets and weapons. These are purchased simply by playing the game. Each kill grants you a small amount of coins which can then be spent in the in-game store. Fans of Warhammer 40K are in for a treat, as weapons and attire are both taken straight from the table-top game. As a primarily Adeptus Astartes player, some of the attire was...well let's say "heresy". But it all falls into the Orks mantra of scavenging everyting thet they can use.
Boss battles are also of a similar vein. While there's plenty of variation, they're all a greatest hits parade of the 40K universe. After tackling a wannabe rock-star Ork Warboss, you're then thrown against a local Astra Militarum Commisar and his formidable Leman Russ tank. Things get more chaotic as the story progresses - and on one particular level you do come face-to-face with a colossal Titan. While these bosses are formidable foes, they all die just the same - "you keep 'shootin' until the big thing goes boom!"
Control wise, and Shootas, Blood, & Teef is a twin-stick through and through. You move with the left analogue stick, and aim with the right. The only difference is that rather than playing via a top-down view, everything plays out on a horizontal plane - with a few vertical exceptions. Buttons are mapped within a fairly standard arrangement. Shooting is tired to ZR, while action buttons are mapped across the face buttons. These can also be customised in the options menu too!
When it comes to presentation, Shootas, Blood, & Teef takes a comical and lighthearted look into the grim-dark future. While Darktide is enjoying its very gritty look into 40K life, Shootas, Blood, & Teef is filled with vibrant colours, and cartoon-y textures that feel plucked straight from Castle Crashers. It's big, bold, brash, and Cockney which certainly makes the action stand out with a pop - and it also suits the Ork perspective well.
Much like their table-top brethren, your digital Ork can be customised with various cosmetic items and weapons. In keeping with tradition these have a distinctively Orkish flair, with bolted on armour plating, cobbled together plasma pistols, and stolen Militarum - or Astartes armour. While weapons do each come with their own statistics, armour and other clothing is purely visual.
For those wanting more, aside from the aforementioned couch co-op - which can also be played online - Shootas, Blood, & Teef also features a generic versus mode too. Its nothing to really shout home about and basically asks you to pick a loadout and do battle with your fellow Ork. I feel that Rogueside missed a trick with this mode. Granted that the game revolves around the Orks, but versus could of offered something else entirely. Imagine a Warhammer 40K version of Smash Bros if you will...
That being said, Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood, & Teef is fun stomp across the more "colourful" side of the 40K universe. It's simple arcade-action allows for a pick up and play style, and the additional co-op is a great bonus. If you're an Ork fan, then there's definitely a lot here to like. If not...well, Shootas, Blood, & Teef is a great representation as to what they do best - Waagh!
Rating: 8.5/10
A code was kindly provided for this review
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef is available now and can be purchased via ININ Games, or the Collector’s Edition is also available from from Games Rocket
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