“Programmers will never forgive me for this level”: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 features a rotatable “fleshmetal” puzzle map that drove its developers insane

Background: A grimdark FPS returns with level-design ambitions

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, the new first-person shooter from Auroch Digital, launches next week. It enters the far-future Warhammer 40,000 setting, where the protagonist may be a Space Marine or a Sister of Battle.

The game is being presented as more than a straightforward shooter. Principal designer Matt Bone has discussed environments that aim to make the setting feel unsettling through space, geometry, and movement rather than relying only on enemies and weapons.

Development Process: From arenas to a rotating, tentacle-filled puzzle

The most distinctive example is Vicious Circles. Bone describes it as a level that works like a huge, spinning lock full of tentacles. The player’s Space Marine or Sister of Battle protagonist is framed as the key that must fit into that rotating mechanism.

This marks a shift from the expected pattern of open combat rooms and linear corridors. The concept uses the Warhammer 40,000 universe’s body horror and industrial scale to build an encounter where navigation, timing, and spatial awareness may matter as much as shooting.

It also fits a familiar pattern in game development: the most memorable ideas often provoke both excitement and skepticism. Bone appears to have reached that point. A level built around a tentacle lock is exactly the kind of concept that can feel absurd in a pitch, yet distinctive once players experience it.

Latest Progress: What players will test at launch

With launch now next week, the question is whether Vicious Circles remains a strong visual idea or becomes a practical, playable challenge. If it works, it may signal that Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 wants to pair first-person shooting with more experimental spatial design.

For players, the takeaway is that the game’s preview focus is not only about weapons or enemy types. It is about how far a Warhammer 40,000 level can lean into horror and mechanical puzzle while still feeling like an FPS.