Hellpoint Review

When all the most interesting was shown in the demo

Really. Imagine that you are watching a trailer for some slick comedy. And he made you laugh to tears. And then you start the movie and realize that all the funny moments have already been seen somewhere. Somewhere - it's in the same trailer above. Roughly the same story happened with Hellpoint...

When it comes to a Souls-like game, it seems that many developers follow the same pattern: I take hardcore as the main aspect and then create gameplay with an eye to it. The unforgiving mechanics and the lack of markers literally leading you by the hand (as happens in games of other genres) is something special for anyone who wants to test their skills as a gamer.

Certainly, the high budgets available to game developers have affected the quality and popularity of many of the most famous titles, but there are still some projects created by indie specialists who do not have a lot of money at hand. Unfortunately, Cradle Games is difficult to classify as such: the developers managed to create a game that does not forgive mistakes, but all this was wrapped in some nondescript, uncreative shell.

Hellpoint has many well-known Souls-like mechanics that have undergone minor changes.Healing injections are used instead of estus flasks, rift saves and upgrades are used instead of campfires, axions are used instead of souls, and the fog that indicates the boss arena is replaced by an orange energy screen.

The battle uses completely unoriginal concepts that have long become the standard of this genre. Enemies hide behind corners, and with any missed hit, the main character receives heavy damage. Finally, attacks, dodges, blocking and sprinting require stamina, so you have to control its consumption. All these aspects in general make the gaming experience somehow prosaic and painfully familiar. From the very beginning of the game you will understand what to do, even without any prompts. Why? Yes, because they did all this before, in other titles.

But besides this, Hellpoint also has new elements in an already painfully familiar formula. Firstly, the sci-fi setting, which makes the game feel fresh, especially given that the medieval gothic setting has been used enough times already. But the story is revealed only in small portions, and for the most part remains unsaid. All that I managed to understand: events are developing in a post-apocalyptic setting, did something infect all living beings on board the cosmos??eskoy station, and you have to clear it.

The players control a humanoid with immunity to infection, and the Author who created you asked you to investigate the station and collect data in order to understand what exactly happened here. Those who are more interested in research and history will enjoy the process of collecting information, because something, and the submission of lore from the developers turned out to be famous. At least, this is what interested and attracted my attention.

Compared to other Souls-like games, the exploration process in Hellpoint is also different. It looks like there are a lot more platforming elements here. For movement, jumps are used, which often allow you to overcome pits, climb hills, and so on. Your character's versatility will allow you to perform jump attacks that deal much more damage. Even though this is what sets Hellpoint apart from other games in the genre, I didn't find the aspect to be so necessary, important or fresh.

All this brings me to the main idea regarding Hellpoint. Overall, the game feels like the less polished and polished Dark Souls in a sci-fi setting. It is difficult to say whether there is something new and interesting here that has not previously been in games of this genre. All these new things do not improve the overall experience of the game.

There are many other Souls-like titles that make for a more unique experience, and Hellpoint just gets lost among them. There are few respectable systems in the game, and all efforts will go to honing those skills that players have previously used. In some other similar game. I do not believe that the co-op mode somehow improves or aggravates the situation, but I could not help but notice that it is there, and you can play the game together with a friend.

It's hard to say to whom Hellpoint can be recommended, because for fans of the genre the game will seem too familiar and unprepossessing, and for beginners - overly complicated and incomprehensible. The developers managed to captivate us with a sci-fi setting and an unusual presentation of the story, but all this collapses in the blink of an eye on a rather boring gameplay.