Once the DISAPPOINTMENT wears off, this is actually fun!
After being very disappointed at its initial release I actually played throughOnce the DISAPPOINTMENT wears off, this is actually fun!
After being very disappointed at its initial release I actually played through HELLRAID completely. I still wish we'd gotten what we were promised in 2013/2014, I still wish Techland would cancel DYING LIGHT 2 in favor of a full HELLRAID game (we really don't need another zombie game set in the present day, but we really could use a modern day successor to WITCHAVEN), but apparently this is the best we're gonna get. Unfortunately it kind of is just a stripped-down demo version of what HELLRAID was supposed to be.
HELLRAID offers dark fantasy hack & slash, and it is refreshing to have a dark fantasy hack & slash that isn't either a DIABLO or DARK SOULS clone, so that's a plus.
What HELLRAID nails is the atmosphere - few games come close. The Gothic atmosphere, the creature sounds and design all are top notch.
What I did not care for however is that no gameplay mechanic were added. This is DYING LIGHT with a new paint job. They basically ripped the skin off 2013's HELLRAID and left the soul behind. It plays like DYING LIGHT. Many game mechanics of DYING LIGHT don't make sense here: parkours and scaling walls feels out of place, the limited durability of swords and weapons, while yes, a makeshift club or ripping an iron bar off the wall would have a limited durability, for a sword or mace crafted by a blacksmith to break after a few swings - let's say that blacksmith has the wrong job... For HELLRAID weapon degradation should have been ditched entirely given the maximum playtime of a run of only 60 mins.
Instead I would have liked to see some additional gameplay mechanics like SHIELDS, ARMOR and maybe BLOCKING?! Nope, not here.
CONTENT is also a problem - or the lack thereof. Basically it's three levels in which you are locked in arena-like rooms (think 2016's DOOM) and have to combat swarms of enemies before the next room unlocks. You collect three "keys" and fight three final rounds before the ultimate boss. All that can be done in 30 - 60 mins. (no exaggeration!). Why not, at least make the dungeons randomized? I mean REMNANT: FROM THE ASHES was able to do it? It would have added a LOT of replayability.
Lastly am easily fixable gripe is immersion - or the lack thereof: the player character wears his street clothes from DYING LIGHT and his w r i s t w a t c h (Braveheart anyone?). How about some medieval armor??? How about a better HUD and menu? Something medieval with a Gothic font instead the sci-fi based DYING LIGHT one??? This is just immersion breaking and lazy.
Also I did not like that HELLRAID is not accessible through the menu. You are forced to play through the entire tutorial. Dear devs, some of us do not enjoy DYING LIGHT and were "forced" to buy it just to be able to play HELLRAID which should have been a standalone game in the first place! We don't really want to be forced to play about an hour of DYING LIGHT just to get to play HELLRAID!
And finally the simplistic combat. Left click to swing. That's it. You have to unlock a heavy swing before you can hold the left mouse button to smash some skulls. Like I mentioned before, shields and blocking would have been a must.
Now I know this sounds like a negative review and my original rating was a 4 out of 10, BUT I really fell in love with this game. It is fun. I've played through it more than 12 times already. I still wish they'd give us a real full-length standalone title one day, and hopefully they will (which is why I ended up buying HELLRAID *TWICE*, once on Steam and once on GOG. It's not a 9 or 10 out of 10. I'm torn between a 6 and a 7.5, but in good faith that there'll be some UPDATES in the future I'll settle with a 7.5 ~ 8.… Expand
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