This is a spoiler free review.
Hellpoint is a new game developed by Cradle Games and published by tinyBuild that releases today July 30th on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Switch release is coming, but has been delayed for now.
Check out the launch trailer, then on to the review.
Setting
Hellpoint is a game set inside the space station named Irid Novo. Something otherworldly has happened here, as evidenced by the scene outside of the windows. This station was the epitomy of what humans could accomplish, but now it has been overtaken by the Cosmic Gods.
An event called the Merge occurred, again contributing to the current state of the station and the space around it, caused by workings of the occult. Your task is to find out what happened here and what led to the Merge.
To me, this gives me vibes like those of Warhammer 40K where Chaos spawns and wreaks havoc everywhere it can. Look outside the window and you see a giant red-ringed black hole, complete with alien creatures swimming outside, glowing with bio-luminescence. At certain times creatures can spawn, on fire, that can kill you in two hits, and they remind me of the demons of Khorne. I need more of this atmosphere.
Where the station is around the black hole causes different phenomena to occur, like those fire creatures spawning. Keep an eye on the compass in the top left, and when it’s in the red, that means things are about to get hard.
I want to learn the lore more than anything. Why did this happen? Who or what caused this tear in space? Who is the Author and why did they send me here? As I play more I hope to learn more about this, but so far I only know pieces of the story. I feel like the universe has a fascinating storyline, and I desperately want to explore it. Potential source for YouTube videos in the future perhaps?
Gameplay
Gameplay wise this is a Souls game. Controls and play style are close to Dark Souls, though not exact. It seems like some hits that I do should connect and they don’t, but other than that the game is smooth and plays well.
There are multiple weapons that you can wield- from traditional swords and clubs, to firearms, to some pretty unique weapon types like a bladed staff and something that reminds me of Faeblades from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Certain weapons can be upgraded as you use them, like a dagger that I found that gives me a health boost. Different weapon types fit different playstyles, so find the one that you want to use, and don’t be afraid to experiment because some weapons also give stat bonuses to your character.
You use items called Axions to upgrade your character. These are obtained via killing enemies, as well as collectible items you find hidden around the game. Upgrading your stats allows you to use different weapon types, give more load capacity so you can carry more without being overencumbered, as well as gain more health, stamina, and resistances for general survivability. When you die, any you have obtained via killing get dropped at your death location, and you can pick them up when you go back there. The ones you obtain as items stay in your inventory through death.
This game also has co-op available, either online or local. Local co-op keeps the experience gained for the second player as well, so that’s a huge plus. I hope to try this out soon, but when I was doing it online to help others, it kept saying that the world was full. If this is the case, the icon to help that player should go away when the instance is full, instead of staying on.
Score- 8/10
Overall I am very impressed with this game. Atmosphere is awesome, gameplay is challenging but not insanely difficult, and everything just melds together really well.
Hellpoint leaves me wanting to play more, and I would except that I have to work like a responsible adult. tinyBuild can you write me an excuse from work so I can keep playing this? That would be amazing.
I’m going to be streaming Hellpoint this Friday, July 31st, at 8 pm EST on the Silver Soul Gaming Twitch channel. Come on by and see what this game is all about!
Silver Soul Gaming 