Hammer and Bolter is an animated series based on the games Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.[1] 15 episodes were broadcast from August 2021 exclusively on Games Workshop's streaming website Warhammer+[2]
Hammer and Bolter is an anthology series, with the first 8 episodes directed by Dylan Shipley. Each 30 minute episode focused on one particular faction from Games Workshop Warhammer 40,000 universe, such as the Imperial Guard, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, or Tyranids. Some later episodes would switch to focus on factions from Games Workshop's Age of Sigmar game such as the Orruks, Cities of Sigmar, Slaves to Darkness, Witch Hunters, Skaven, Soulblight Vampires, or Stormcast Eternals.[3] The animation style is reminiscent of 1980s Japanese anime.[4]
Critics have generally responded favorably to the series due to the quality of the animation, the dialog, and its faithfulness to the source material.[12] The episode Old Bale Eye received particularly high praise due to the presence of the fan-favorite character Commisar Yarrick.[13][14]