So first and foremast, insanely huge thanks to Saber Interactive for granting us access to the game. This particular game was the game I’ve been most excited for all year. As a longtime fan of Clive Barker’s writing, The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser, and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 I was incredibly pumped to see Barker’s world unfolded of pain and pleasure in game form.
We play as Aiden Lynch, a dude who simply loved a girl. Convict, addict, Aiden never felt whole until he met Sunny, who seemed to share his need for pain and desire as well as her own inner darkness. During a night of BDSM play, she brings out the box, summoning the Cenobites. Sunny is torn apart and whisked away to the mysterious Labyrinth. Now Aiden must not only face a deadly, sadistic cult devoted to the enigmatic Cenobites but face never-ending depravity and torture to save the woman he loved. Can Aiden survive and free Sunny from hell itself or will he give in to the darkness of Levithan?
Ok, much like Terminator: Resistance and Alien: Isolation, the love and attention to detail for the source material is incredible. The labyrinth, the Cenobites, the creatures, Levithan are all captured beautifully. The game uses its IP to the fullest extent, and respects it in ways so few games do. Doug Bradley triumphantly returns to voice the iconic Hell Priest, Pinhead, and is still spine chilling in his line delivery. The game’s strongest feat is making you feel on edge, whether it’s being chased by the gruesome Chatterer through the mazes of the Labyrinth, or roaming through the smoky, vulgar sex clubs fronted by the cult. Seriously, full disclosure, this game holds nothing back in terms of sex and violence- totally understand why this game nearly got the dreaded A rating.
As for gameplay, it’s very akin to Resident evil 7 and Dying Light in terms of melee combat. The box adds a lot in terms of abilities and puzzle solving. The box grants you telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and can summon chains as a ultimate attack. Combat is most fun using the box and strategically wiping out crazed gimp and hell beasts. I appreciate that the game is about creativity and never gives you too much to work with but never fully leaves you dry. I will say, I wish weapons weren’t so flimsy. Melee weapons feel like they’re made of glass so you have to use them sparingly. Aiden himself practically feels like he too is made of glass; god love you if you get set on fire. A few times I was annoyed and wished I had some kind of armor or the weapons lasted longer. Overall, it was still mostly fun to play throughout.
The game had a few clipping issues and a few funny glitches at times but meanwhile played well. During a ten hour hour playthrough, I had just 1 hard crash and only really noticed a couple laughable glitches. My biggest complaint that had nothing to do with skill (because I fully admit I sucked at this game) is the inventory system. I get having to worry about space for weapons and health. I hated having to factor in treasure. The real killer has the oddly huge size of the ammo boxes. I don’t see why a box of ammo should take up nearly as much space as 9MM, SMG, or a damn bear trap. Inventory layout is borrowed from Resident Evil 4 but I can’t lie, I felt it was unneeded enemy in the game.
In the end, I had a lot of fun with Hellraiser: Revival. It’s a good, shorter horror game that doesn’t wear out it’s welcome and it’s a hell of a treat and love letter to an incredible horror writer and his most iconic work. I’d absolutely recommend it with full warning; it’s not for the faint of heart. It is an 8/10. Thanks again to Saber for sharing it with us. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
- Hellraiser: Revival Playstation 5 Review
- Lostbound Steam Review
- Ashfield Hollow Steam Demo Review
- No More Room in Hell 2 PlayStation 5 Review
- The Torn Lands await you in DROVA II! (Reveal trailer – all platforms)
