A Shot in the Arm for the FPS Genre
You may think that the Painkiller name seems familiar, and I can think of two possible reasons why that may be. You are either a fan of Judas Priest and their seminal track by the same name, or you have played the game series before, since it has been kicking around since 2004.
I’m in the first camp, having never played Painkiller before, but now my time is up and I am sent to Hell.
Coming from developers Anshar Studios and 3D Realms (although the original series was put together by People Can Fly, one of my favourite developers after the amazing Bulletstorm), Painkiller is a ”modern reimagining of the classic franchise”, featuring online co-op for up to three players, as well as a possibility to play in single player mode.
So, Hell’s hordes await, and they have an appointment with the end of your guns: let’s not keep them waiting, eh?
DOOM on Amphetamines
Starting with the way the game looks, the news here is good. Painkiller is a first person shooter style game (FPS) and the arenas that we have to fight our way around are nicely vertical, with multiple levels to jump around as you attempt to avoid being chewed, stomped or smashed to pieces!
The enemies are a nicely mixed bunch, with an overall design direction that looks really good. Once they get all up in your grill, they do look a bit pixelated and weirdly two dimensional, but to be honest the speed the game moves at means that you only really notice these quirks in quiet moments: and there are precious few of those!
The four characters available for play all look different, but again these can look odd, with the models twisting as the people controlling them shoot in different directions; it looks weird from the outside. However, you soon have other things to worry about, and the sheer speed of the game helps to hide the rough edges. Think DOOM on amphetamines and you’ll be in the right neighbourhood.
The Painkiller Shred
Sound is also very good, with the full range of weapon effects and squelchy impacts on display. The titular Painkiller is a pretty cool 3-bladed weapon that spins to shred demons, and is always your goto when you run out of ammo. The sound it makes is certainly evocative, let’s put it that way! Music is tilted heavily towards the heavy metal end of the spectrum when fighting, but soon calms down when you’re not: the contrast between the two works really well. Basically, if you can hear a power chord, get ready to fight!
Now, why are we smiting demons and baddies, I hear you ask? Is there a point to all this shooting? Well, there is, you’ll be pleased to hear. You see, we are a soul trapped in Purgatory for committing crimes against Heaven. I’m not sure what these crimes are, but one day Metatron, the voice of the creator, decides to offer us a chance to redeem ourselves in the eyes of Heaven. The catch? We have to defeat the fallen angel Azazel, his massive armies and his monstrous children, the Nephilim. Still, we’re already dead, so surely it can’t hurt that much, right?
Raids, Bots, and Solid Netcode
Much is made of the online co-op part of Painkiller, and starting with this part, the news is excellent. The netcode is super solid, with three people across different platforms all playing as a cohesive whole. Well, that’s the dream, but apart from the odd person swearing in what I think was German, the actual comms with other players is pretty quiet – we’ll blame that on current gaming trends. Still, Painkiller, as an online entity, is very impressive, with a truly ridiculous turn of speed and in addition, a crazy amount of enemies that get thrown at you.
Further, there are two basic ways to play the game. You can join a lobby to partake in Raids, a five (ish) stage series of battles culminating in an intense boss fight, or there is also a horde mode to have a go at. Both these work really well with other people, and the game is a lot of fun played online.
Playing offline, the choice of game modes remains the same, but the other two players are controlled by AI bots. This can be a boon in some ways, as usually to advance to the next section, all three players need to be standing in a certain location, and online, one guy is usually wandering around in the distance while the other two wait. At least with bots they go where you tell them!
The gameplay is still fast and furious playing alone, but obviously harder as real people at least can prioritise the stronger foes: something the bots are poor at, sadly.
Progression and Loadouts
Luckily, as we go through the levels, we can collect certain things, such as gold and Ancient Souls, to let us get stronger between runs. From there, expect to unlock new weapons from a roster of six, even if you can only take two, so choose wisely. Each weapon can also have resources spent on it to make it stronger. One of my faves, the stakegun, can be upgraded to not only fire three stakes at once, but also to ping out cluster grenades with its alternate fire mode, and these can help a great deal.
You’ll also find Tarot cards available to purchase in the hub, which allows for the equipping of new abilities, such as extra health and more weapon damage. The problem? After a successful run, they are destroyed, and either need to be resurrected or new ones bought to go on the next run.
A Jolt of Adrenaline
There’s no doubt – Painkiller is a shot in the arm for the FPS genre, with DOOM rivalling speed and masses of enemies to shoot. Chuck in multiple characters to master, each of which plays differently, and a wide selection of weapons to get used to, there is a lot of content here.
The online world is well populated too, with no difficulty finding others to play with. And it is here in which Painkiller really shines.
Important Links
Prepare for Pain as Painkiller Looks to Return in a Modern Reimagining | Release Date Confirmed – https://www.thexboxhub.com/prepare-for-pain-as-painkiller-looks-to-return-in-a-modern-reimagining/
Unleash the Pain with The Modern Reimagining of Painkiller – https://www.thexboxhub.com/unleash-the-pain-with-the-modern-reimagining-of-painkiller/
Buy Painkiller from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/painkiller/9NMSW622HWNH/0010
There’s a Deluxe Edition too – http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/painkiller-deluxe-edition/9MSPFVW32VW5/0010
