REVIEW / Painkiller (PS5)

Launching on Windows way back in the summer of 2004, the original Painkiller game, a first-person co-op shooter developed by the Polish studio People Can Fly and published by DreamCatcher Interactive, took fans of the genre by storm. Fans of the game were attracted to it initially because of its fast-paced nature but stayed because of its huge variety of enemy types and eye-catching environments. The strong attention that the developers paid to the games multiplayer experience undoubtedly was a good reason that players kept coming back for more. While it has been almost 23 years since the original game was released, a new development studio and publisher have taken the reins and released a new Painkiller that aims to bring the gothic style demon hunting good time to the masses. Publishers Sabre Interactive , 3D Realms and developer Anshar Studios are the new custodians of the franchise and have reimagined a fun and frenetic experience that honors the past while blazing a blood-soaked trail into the future.

Painkiller isn’t a game with a deep story or narrative and simply focuses on allowing the player to put boot to ass to several different kinds of demons in a fashion that is very gory, visceral and oddly pleasing…if I do say so myself. Being able to take your hand cannon and send a Nephilim to an ever deeper level of hell felt satisfying and fun as hell. The premise of the game has you, the player, upon having transgressed against Heaven, have been sentenced to battling across gruesome gothic environments to halt the oncoming forces of the fallen angel Azazel and thwart his invasion of Earth. That is the only way to earn your salvation — solo or in online co-op for up to three players.

There are four playable characters to choose from and each of them offers a different passive ability that will compliment your style of gameplay. There is Ink, human female, that increases Energy Soul restoration rate by 10%. There’s also a human male named Roch who provides an increase in health by 25 points. In addition, there is Void, don’t quite know what he/she? is but it offers an increase in your weapon damage by 10%. Finally, there is Sol, a female human, who brings an increase in ammunition capacity by 50%. Those who like to go in guns blazing will definitely want to choose her.

The game, in its near infinite replay-ability, offers up three play modes: Raids, Rogue Angel and Solo Offline Mode. Raids is basically your main game mode where you progress through the story across 9 levels that are split into 3 chapters with each culminating in a boss fight. Rogue Angel is an additional mode that offers a rogue like experience that sees the player battling across 7 randomized arenas that end at a Nephilims lair. Each run in this mode starts the player out fresh with no gear, upgrades or weapon mastery. Finally, the Solo Offline Mode is just like it sounds: you can play with 2 bots, however, your progress in this mode does not carry over to the multiplayer mode.

Speaking of gunplay, now might be a good time to jump into what the game has on offer for weaponry. One of the best aspects of this game is the variety of the arsenal that will be provided to you once you accept your fate and gear up for the battle for the souls of the entire world and your own. That’s really describing it a little dramatically, I know, but it definitely sets the tone. There are six main weapons on offer ranging from a hand cannon, shot gun or stake gun to a rocket launcher and an SMG. Each comes with a primary and secondary firing modes to offer you the most versatility to dismember the hordes to your liking. In addition, there are three melee weapons that you can use in combat or as a secondary use such as the hook shot that will damage an enemy and will also allow you to traverse the areas vertically.

Painkiller also provides the player with a few more features that allows for the customization of gameplay as well as some nice perks to keep you coming back for more punishment. For instance, there is a Tarot card system that allows you to customize your character with over 40 unique abilities and weapon properties. These are presented as three separate categories: offensive, defensive, and utility. Also, there is a gold system in the game that when collected, will allow you to unlock more Tarot cards, upgrades for your favorite weapons, and entirely new weapons platforms. There is a lot packed into this small package and while it doesn’t offer a lot of what other games in this genre may, what it does have is honed to a sharp edge.

I have to admit that it took me awhile to get my head around the philosophy offered in this game. Once I did, however, I found myself thinking about playing even when I wasn’t. This game really borrows from the Doom aesthetic and while it’s not quite the same feeling, it’s pretty damn close. The character designs are easy on the eyes and some of the creatures that you come across look amazingly detailed and are varied enough that I never got tired fighting them. My only gripe with Painkiller is the fact that hardcore co-op shooter fans may not find enough here to keep them satiated for very long, however, it wouldn’t be a bad stop while you are waiting on the next AAA game to drop this fall.

This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher.