BULLETHELL

About

BULLETHELL is a single player shooter game. It was developed by Walter Machado and was released on November 19, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Bullethell" is an experimental, retro-style top-down shooter that challenges players to survive in a fast-paced, bullet-filled arena. The game features classic WASD + mouse controls, complex enemy AI, and isometric pixel art, with the goal of achieving the fastest time and highest rank. Despite its difficulty, the game offers a hard-boiled, but satisfying gameplay experience with responsive controls and awesome original music.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

music2 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game offers a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping experience that keeps players engaged and entertained.
The pixel art style and graphics are well-executed, fitting the game's retro-hardcore theme perfectly.
Despite its difficulty, many players find it enjoyable and recommend it for those seeking a challenging top-down shooter.

The game heavily relies on RNG, which can lead to frustrating experiences and a lack of strategic depth compared to previous titles in the series.
Some players feel that BULLETHELL is a less interesting and more chaotic version of Ubermosh, lacking the compelling mechanics that made the earlier games enjoyable.
The extreme difficulty and fast pace may deter new players, making it less accessible for those unfamiliar with the developer's previous works.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The gameplay in Walter's titles, particularly the Ubermosh series, revolves around a solid core loop that is consistently expanded upon in subsequent iterations, showcasing a blend of tightly packed mechanics, a distinctive visual style, and minimal narrative elements. While the intense combat and over-the-top damage mechanics are praised, some players express a desire for increased variety and visual diversity in gameplay without complicating the core experience. Overall, the gameplay is characterized by its engaging simplicity and a commitment to a specific design philosophy that resonates with fans.
- “The iterations of themes are so fascinating to see, each franchise of games built around a few tightly packed mechanics, a concise visual style, a thin artful sprig of narrative or worldbuilding, all coming together to make an omnibus of games I'm always ready to buy day one.”
- “Some of my friends actually really liked Ubermosh; why not take what that game did well, just the feel of the combat, and maybe just add a bit more variety to it or maybe even just more visual diversity, maybe not complexity because I get it's not what you're trying to do, but just more things to kill or more simple mechanics, actually make it better, instead of making it worse with every new release.”
- “Everything is tuned to 12, heavy music, all damage is overkill, and there is no fake gameplay.”
- “Some of my friends actually really liked Ubermosh; why not take what that game did well, just the feel of the combat, and maybe just add a bit more variety to it or maybe even just more visual diversity? Maybe not complexity because I get it's not what you're trying to do, but just more things to kill or more simple mechanics, actually make it better, instead of making it worse with every new release.”
- “I think presenting this is missing the point of Walter's development mentality as a whole: the idea is that he'll find a core idea that works, and then expand on it or make certain features and characteristics more or less prominent. There’s a core gameplay loop that works that is presented to you in the first iteration, and then all of the other games are expansions on said 'core idea'.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics of the game are praised for their appealing pixel art style, which is well-suited to the overall aesthetic. Additionally, the game is accessible, running smoothly even on low-end hardware. However, some users feel that the visual quality has declined over time, detracting from the experience.
- “Really nice style of graphics and the whole pixel look fits very well.”
- “Now you made a game that literally offers nothing, so I can't even laugh at it. I am not exactly sure what you are trying to do. Is it to make me laugh? You make the same game with less and less aesthetic appeal to it.”
- “You can play this game on almost any computer; I was playing this on a bad dual-core Intel CPU with integrated graphics.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music and sound design are highly praised for their effectiveness, with a heavy, intense soundtrack that complements the gameplay perfectly. Reviewers note that the audio enhances the overall experience, contributing to a sense of over-the-top action without any artificial elements.
- “The soundtrack and sound design suit its purpose perfectly.”
- “Everything is tuned to 12, heavy music, all damage is overkill, and there is no fake gameplay.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not highlight any humor in the game, instead focusing on a desire for improvement in gameplay rather than comedic elements. Users express frustration with the game's progression, indicating that humor is not a significant aspect of their experience.