Announced at the Future Games Showcase: Spring Edition, Painkiller is a new entry in the cult classic shooter franchise. Anshar Studios aims to reimagine Painkiller, as it hasn’t seen a proper new release since the 2012 expansion, Recurring Evil. Similar to its predecessor, this follows a new group of characters and a story with a heavy emphasis on co-op play. Although the game won’t be out for another few months, Final Weapon had the chance to get an early hands-on look at Painkiller. While there are a few areas that still need work, it’s clear that jumping into the depths of Purgatory is worthwhile.
Drawn Amongst the Rubble of an Infernal War
Purgatory is the stage for the never-ending war between heaven and hell. Azazel, a fallen angel, took charge of hell’s army in an attempt to breach the Human realm. Tasked by God, the Archangel Metatron assembled an unlikely band of heroes. Without much choice, Ink, Roth, Sol, and Void became the last line of defense against the forces of hell. All while recovering any identity they previously had, and the fates that led to their damnation. Furthermore, they offer distinct mechanical advantages for gameplay. Ink generates energy, Roth has more health, Void deals more damage, and Sol can hold more ammo.
Completing the prologue unlocks the Bastion of Redemption, which was previously the final arena for the combat tutorial. Serving as the base of operations and in-game lobby, with customization becoming available, and a testing zone for weapons and items. Other players can explore through the lobby code, as there are secrets to uncover. Returning from the previous games, the tarot card system introduces a wide array of modifiers. These modifiers can add damage proficiencies, health conditions, and even spawning barrels when killing enemies. Cards can be purchased at the Tarot Lottery, drawing one of each type. There are 44 to draw from; however, only two can be taken on a raid. Once a raid is completed, the card is spent; however, it can be recovered at a cost. While some only give superficial effects, the right combination adds more to the loadout.
While the predecessor took itself seriously, there’s bountiful humor to be found. These characters banter with each other, Metatron, or even Azazel. The latter, who is present in almost all the flavor text, has special lines that activate when the weekly reset kicks in, notifying players that their cards are now disposable or being idle on the bastion. These interactions also display the dynamic between characters, such as Ink and Sol, who detest each other, and Void’s direct delivery, as well as Roth’s referring to his previous employment. The combination of dialogue is something to look forward to in the upcoming release.
Slaughtering with a Returning Arsenal of Weapons
Blasting through hell has been fun, as shooting is solid all around. Each gun feels different, and holding down the trigger feels good. Maintaining the flow of combat is also easy through the various traversal methods, sliding and dashing. It can collide with smaller enemies and launch them into the air, making it easier to shoot. The Painkiller also received a traversal advantage, in the form of a grappling hook for floating skulls in the arena. It can still deal damage to a horde of enemies, causing them to drop ammo. However, when changed, it can unleash a massive blast, reducing them to a puddle of energy crystals. All this combines into the combo system, where it stacks all the kills and combinations into a DMC-style meter. An online leaderboard will be available at launch for participants to compete for the top spot.
During the prologue, after obtaining the painkiller, two guns are obtained. Starting with the Stakegun, it can stick enemies onto the wall upon impact. The Electrodriver is a functional full-auto weapon that shreds through droves of enemies with a high-capacity drum. After the prologue, four more become available for purchase at the Bastion. The shotgun was initially a cool-looking weapon, but unfortunately, it proved to be the weakest of the guns. The Rocket Launcher can hit large numbers of targets and spread damage. The Hand Cannon is a single-fire weapon, but it holds its ground. The SMG is a burst-fire weapon; once the trigger is released, it gives it a more powerful kick. It can be held down, but the fire rate gets slowed down, so it’s not recommended.
Each weapon has a mastery challenge that must be completed to obtain further upgrades. Upon clearing these challenges, these branching paths unlock different capabilities for the guns. Each upgrade adds a gimmick, such as the Stakegun’s transformation to a shotgun or the Hand Canon’s ability to shoot through shields. This can also expand their alternate fire modes. With the push of the right mouse button, the Stakegun can become a grenade launcher or launch a black hole that holds enemies in place. There are a total of nine paths to choose from for each weapon, as they fundamentally alter the identity of the guns.
Punishing Demons with Everlasting Destruction
Raids are the primary source of progression, as they consist of simple objectives in the arena. Consisting of surviving waves and refilling blood tanks within a circular radius. Until the objective is completed, players will always receive an Ancient Soul for their efforts. It’s also during a raid that lives are on the line, as each player has three lives as the standard. Rather than having a shield, lives protect players when they’re downed, as they’re spent. Once out of life or captured by a warden, the player is out of play and won’t be revived until after the arena is cleared, as an Altar of Resurrection is always present. Exploration opens between arenas, as each open corridor holds secret areas and items to be discovered. There are three types of items: a health potion, an ammo deposit, and a target mannequin to lure any nearby enemies.
There are things to discover within a Raid, such as gold, but it can become dangerous if you stay for too long, as the dynamic scaling system is in place to make the environment unpredictable. It can turn a regular corridor into a bloody minefield filled with enemies, which can make or break a session. Not only can this happen at any difficulty level, but it also breaks the scale with the number of enemies on screen, as they’ll spawn in droves until reaching the next arena. When the full release is available, a variety of raids will be set within the different biomes. The levels provided in the demo were based on “Faith and Steel,” which is inspired by the fusion of holy Gothic cathedrals with industrial technology. “Souls and Sands” was described as the lands in-between, and “Flesh and Water” were defined as temples filled with vegetation.
The thralls are the standard grounded enemies that can vary between walkers, shielded walkers, shielded crossbow wielders, dual-bladed shredders, and walking exploding enemies. While there are standard thralls, Nephilim hold a different candle of difficulty. They can range from rushing brutes, binding enemies, and flying enemy types. Nephilim can spawn with a different combination and sometimes bring about frustrating results, as they can spawn between two to five within an Arena. The easiest way to dispatch them is by stunning them through elemental damage. Once filled, the prompt can appear to kill them instantly with the Painkiller as a finisher, but without an overly long animation, it’s quick and instant, keeping the pace of combat flowing fast.
Delving into the Depths of Purgatory is Without Isolation
Another core pillar of the upcoming Painkiller is the inclusion of Co-Op. Instead of having an entire loadout of weapons, each player can carry two of each weapon with their own specific loadout. By the time it comes to run a raid, there are three options to choose from: Quick Play, Create Room, and Join Raid. Quick Play instantly searches and connects to an active run. Create Room allows you to set specific parameters, such as leaving the room open for others to join or keeping it private. Join Raid is inputting the generated code for the lobby, which can also be done from the main menu. There are also four difficulties to choose from for each run: Slumber is the easiest, Daydream is Normal, Insomnia is hard, and Nightmare is the hardest.
For solo or offline players alike, there are AI Bot Companions to accompany during a raid. This is a persistent feature throughout the game, with no option to opt out, as these fulfill the fundamental roles to provide the bare necessities. They come equipped with a random loadout each time as the game shuffles through the other characters. Results can vary when it comes to their performance; they’re neither perfect nor do they do the bare minimum. Trained to attack any nearby enemy, collect items, and rescue downed players. Still, when it comes to fulfilling a command, it’s only a push of a button through the pinging system.
Bringing Righteous Vengeance Upon Thee, Together
During my hands-on experience, many of the mechanics initially caught me off guard, but over time, I became more familiar with them. Sticking with Ink, combined with the Infernal Tribute card and the Stakegun/Hand Cannon fire combo, is my preferred loadout. Upgrading each gun allowed for more straightforward progression, especially towards the last objective area. However, when it comes to the Nephilim, I’m more annoyed at the Tormentors, as their tongues can pull any player in and slash them to bits. This also became more frustrating as tormentors could wipe the AI Companions, leading to early wipes. Additionally, the AI Companions failed to carry out simple commands, such as pressing a button, because there were nearby enemies. There were instances where they’d get stuck behind bars due to not being able to escape, leading to incidental stalling as the Dynamic Scaling System kicked in.
I kept returning to the game because I wasn’t penalized for failing; I retained all the rewards, such as gold and souls, after a wipe. Sure, I lost some cards, but that can be reclaimed with ease, as I found further enjoyment in exploring and finding faster ways to reach the next objective, which kept me going. Alongside the current predicament of games being lost to time, Painkiller is launching with an offline mode. This is something I appreciate, as it allows for content that can be revisited at a later time. I enjoyed my time and would love to play more to get on the leaderboards or uncover the secrets of each character’s fate, especially Void’s, as he’ll be the most intriguing revelation. Even though I found some shortcomings, Painkiller is shaping up to be a fun time overall.
