BULLETHELL
- November 19, 2023
- Walter Machado
Get on Steam"BULLETHELL" is an experimental, top-down shooter with retro-hardcore gameplay, designed to test the limits of speed. It features isometric pixel art, complex AI, and original music, with matches that can be completed in 24 seconds or less. Players can compete against themselves to achieve the fastest time and highest rank, with responsive WASD+Mouse controls for a challenging, fast-paced experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- BULLETHELL offers a fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping experience, perfect for players seeking a challenging and chaotic gameplay.
- The game's minimalist design and pixel art style are well-executed, providing a nostalgic and engaging aesthetic.
- Players appreciate the RNG elements combined with skill, making each run unique and exciting, with a strong sense of satisfaction from achieving high ranks.
- The game suffers from technical issues, such as lag and problems with multi-monitor setups that can disrupt gameplay.
- Many players find the game to be overly reliant on luck, making it frustratingly difficult and less strategic compared to its predecessor, UBERMOSH.
- Some reviews criticize BULLETHELL for being too basic and lacking innovation, feeling more like a rehash of previous games rather than a fresh experience.
- gameplay4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Walter's titles, particularly the Ubermosh series, revolves around a core loop that is consistently refined and expanded upon in each iteration, showcasing a tight integration of mechanics, visual style, and 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 future releases, suggesting that enhancements should focus on enriching the experience without complicating the core gameplay. Overall, the gameplay is engaging and well-crafted, but there is room for improvement in terms of variety and depth.
“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?”
“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 would 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. Such is the case with his Ubermosh games; 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.'”
- graphics3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their appealing pixel art style, which suits the game's overall aesthetic well, and the game runs smoothly even on low-end hardware. However, some users criticize the diminishing visual quality in newer iterations, suggesting a decline in aesthetic appeal.
“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.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music and sound design are highly praised for their perfect alignment with the game's tone, featuring heavy, well-tuned tracks that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the authenticity and intensity of the audio, which complements the gameplay effectively.
“The soundtrack and sound design suit their purpose perfectly.”
“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.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is perceived as lacking, with some players expressing disappointment in the series' progression and a desire for improvements rather than a decline in quality.
