Hellbound
- August 4, 2020
- Saibot Studios
- 3h median play time
Overall Hellbound meets expectations as a retro style 90’s Shooter. Whilst it does not innovate as much as some people would like, this game has enough about it to be worth the pickup.
Get on Steam"Hellbound" is a single-player action-packed First Person Shooter set in Hell, featuring grotesque enemies, metal music, and big guns. With fabulous 90s-inspired game mechanics, good graphics, and a hilarious tone, players assume the role of Hellgore, seeking vengeance atmosphere composed by David Levill, Zardonic, and Christian Fernando Perucchi. Despite its few bugs, it offers a fast-paced, gory experience for true warriors.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Fast-paced and satisfying gameplay reminiscent of classic 90s shooters.
- Great graphics and a solid metal soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- Fun weapon mechanics, especially the triple-barrel shotgun, which feels impactful.
- Extremely short campaign, typically completed in under 2 hours.
- Limited enemy and weapon variety, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- Numerous bugs and performance issues, including unresponsive controls and frame rate drops.
- gameplay195 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Hellbound" is characterized by fast-paced, straightforward run-and-gun mechanics reminiscent of classic 90s FPS titles like Doom and Serious Sam. While many players appreciate the nostalgic feel and solid gunplay, criticisms arise regarding the game's brevity, lack of depth, and uninspired level design, leading to a consensus that it could benefit from more variety and challenge. Overall, it delivers a fun experience but falls short of fully realizing its potential as a modern homage to retro shooters.
“The fundamental gameplay is solid and the guns are good.”
“Hellbound's core gameplay loop is punchy, satisfying, and cathartic.”
“Not only is it a new 90s FPS, the gameplay is very fast and the levels are exciting, and if you just take a look around in the level you would find a secret.”
“So the gameplay is the main sore spot of the game along with the amount of content.”
“The gameplay is bare bones, the level design is uninspired, the enemies are unimaginative, the weapons look bad and handle poorly, the main character is unfunny, the graphics look horrible, the AI frequently breaks, and the mandatory parkour sections are awful.”
“The gunplay wasn't fun enough, and the enemies weren't varied enough, so coming out of the main campaign (whose boss I just circle-strafed until oblivion) I felt absolutely no desire to just play more of the core gameplay loop.”
- music190 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its heavy metal soundtrack that complements the fast-paced action, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety. Some players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature, reminiscent of classic titles like Doom, while others feel it falls short, describing it as generic and forgettable. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a key element that enhances the game's atmosphere, despite some complaints about its limited range and repetitiveness.
“The music in Hellbound is great and really pumps; it goes perfectly with the pace and action of the game.”
“The soundtrack is next level.”
“I definitely want to support the game as I had fun with it and it delivered on what it promised: action, blood, and good music.”
“I think only two songs played throughout the entire game.”
“The speed is all wrong, the level design is flat and weird, the music is boring and everpresent-- and the audio as a whole is all mixed improperly and I'm pretty sure they recorded the lead vocals so close to the mic that it's clipping out on several lines.”
“Music is in dire need of variety.”
- graphics161 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the modern aesthetic that draws inspiration from classic 90s shooters, resulting in visually appealing environments and character designs. However, some players criticize the optimization and performance issues, noting frame rate drops and a lack of variety in visual elements. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good to excellent, they may not fully meet the expectations set by contemporary titles, leading to a somewhat polarized reception.
“The graphics are actually AAA quality and I am not even exaggerating, it looks beautiful.”
“Action packed shooter 90s style with very nice graphics up to UHD.”
“That said, after my two-hour playthrough, I felt a bit 'meh!' graphically, the game is a delight to look at, with dazzling displays of lightning, beautiful pits of volcanic lava, and sprawling cavernous mines.”
“The graphics are lackluster and do not make any sense for the frame rate that is given.”
“Visuals are pretty bad, which the developers tried to mask with overdone post-processing effects.”
“Unfortunately, just like the 90s games before it, it’s pretty dated in both optimization and graphics.”
- story76 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 87 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in Hellbound is minimal and largely serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, with most narrative elements presented through brief text snippets during loading screens. Many players feel that the lack of a substantial story detracts from immersion, comparing it unfavorably to more modern shooters that offer richer narratives. While some appreciate the throwback to classic '90s FPS games, the consensus is that the game prioritizes action over storytelling, leaving the plot feeling underdeveloped and uninteresting.
“The main story is incredibly brief, but for its weight it poses a fair throwback to 90's FPS games and has a lot of elements that I missed from them.”
“Hellbound is really fun; it's not just some HD remaster of an older FPS, it has its own thing with a good story and amazing gameplay.”
“I have followed this game for a long time, and it makes me incredibly happy to see that the developer kept working and made a story campaign.”
“The minimal story sets up that this dude really dislikes the enemy, but that really isn't conveyed other than during the pre-level texts and snippets of rare dialog.”
“Also the story and the main character are uninteresting.”
“The game is all about gameplay - and that isn't bad in itself, but something seems amiss - there is no background story on the character you play or the demons that appear, which takes the immersion away and makes it feel like just another sandbox.”
- optimization56 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting performance issues such as frame rate drops, especially during intense moments like boss fights. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly under certain conditions, the consensus is that it requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the overall experience. Despite these technical shortcomings, many players still found enjoyment in the gameplay itself.
“What's more, nearly every significant '90s FPS can be purchased right here on Steam, most of them remastered and/or optimized for modern systems.”
“It's fast old school shooting and it's very well optimized.”
“The game does have a decent amount of polish to it in that it runs smoothly, the enemies and the environment look good enough.”
“Hellbound is an unoptimized, poorly designed and short mess of a game.”
“To make matters worse, performance is rather poor and the game is prone to crashing.”
“On the technical side, there's some very apparent optimization problems.”
- replayability32 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players noting that while there are arena levels and secrets to discover, the overall experience feels short and lacks significant replay value. Many reviewers mention that it can be enjoyable for a brief period, especially for fans of classic shooters, but ultimately, it may not offer enough content to warrant multiple playthroughs. The consensus suggests that while there are elements that encourage replay, such as high scores and survival modes, the game is primarily designed for a one-time experience rather than extensive replayability.
“Highly replayable like the old shooters like Doom and Quake from the Windows 98 & XP era.”
“Excellent game, level design is truly out of the 90's (in the best way possible), it's short but highly replayable.”
“Low price, replayable to find missed secrets, and great price point.”
“Honestly, there isn't much for replay value and I probably beat this in 2 hours tops.”
“There are some secrets, but they're pretty easy to find so I probably think it doesn't have much replay value after you beat it.”
“While the first reason could be enough, there is no replay value for me.”
- humor32 mentions
- 88 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it genuinely funny due to its hilarious voice lines and clever nods to classic FPS tropes, while others feel it leans too heavily on forced jokes and unoriginal character quips. Many appreciate the comedic elements that add a layer of enjoyment to the gameplay, but some criticize the humor as being tedious or lacking depth. Overall, the humor is seen as entertaining by some, but not universally appealing.
“It was fun, didn't feel long, was pretty interesting to progress through, and had some hilarious voice lines.”
“The map layouts are appropriate, each level has secrets, has a good soundtrack, and the art style and humor are spot on.”
“It offers a great challenge, some fun enemy designs, great gunplay and satisfying weapons topped off with a funny as hell protagonist that makes fun of every single thing that's dumb about the old school FPS and boomer shooter genre as a whole.”
“I came purely for the boomer shooter gameplay, not manly mcmanlington spurting out manly lines about how manly he is and making unfunny jokes every other minute.”
“The gameplay is bare bones, the level design is uninspired, the enemies are unimaginative, the weapons look bad and handle poorly, the main character is unfunny, the graphics look horrible, the AI frequently breaks, and the mandatory parkour sections are awful.”
- stability24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience, including issues with item counts, audio problems, and game-breaking errors. Many players recommend waiting for a sale due to the lack of polish and stability, as these technical issues can lead to frustrating gameplay moments. Despite its potential, the game's stability issues have left a negative impression on users.
“There’s a large number of bugs and game-breaking glitches to be experienced, all of which tarnish what is otherwise an incredible experience.”
“[It takes no more than a few hours to complete the 7 levels and 1 boss fight in the campaign. Many game-breaking bugs and glitches can and will ruin the experience. Graphics are dated for an Unreal Engine 4 game, and the frame rate needs to be optimized significantly more.]”
“Really a buggy mess.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game appears to be well-received, with players appreciating the lack of intrusive microtransactions and the satisfaction derived from weapon mechanics. The game offers a straightforward purchase model, allowing players to enjoy content without the complications of additional monetization strategies like loot boxes or pay-to-win elements.
“With no regenerating health, no rogue-like elements, battle royale mechanics, procedurally generated levels, microtransactions, survival elements, or zombies, the game feels lacking.”
“I'd been salivating for it from the ads, yet when I got it on sale, I was disappointed by the monetization tactics.”
“The presence of microtransactions in the game detracts from the overall experience.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in recent shooters like Dusk is praised for its rich environmental storytelling, spooky ambiance, and dynamic musical score that enhances immersion. In contrast, Hellbound's atmosphere is criticized for its clichéd reddish hues and poorly executed dark lighting, which detracts from the overall experience despite some redeeming qualities. Overall, while some games successfully create a captivating atmosphere, others fall short due to uninspired design choices.
“When thinking about recent shooters, Dusk had environmental storytelling and a spooky atmosphere, with rich ambient noise and a score that situationally changed to deeply immerse the player.”
“Please devs, you did a great job with the atmosphere you created in the Doorways series.”
“Sure, it has a few bugs, of course it does, I've noticed them too, but they're forgivable because it made me think a little bit about why the defaults were set the way they were, and the kind of atmosphere they were initially intended to create.”
“Visually, you'd think an Unreal/Unity-based game would look nice, and Hellbound doesn't disappoint mostly - but the unimaginative reddish hues everywhere feel more like a cliché than anything else, and the dark lighting everywhere isn't done tastefully enough to create a sense of atmosphere.”
“Sure, it has a few bugs, of course it does, I've noticed them too, but they're forgivable, because it made me think a little bit about why the defaults were set the way they were, and the kind of atmosphere they were initially intended to create.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a repetitive experience that some players find tedious, particularly in relation to the character Duke. However, the accompanying music, featuring a grindy metal guitar sound, is appreciated for its intensity despite the overall monotony.
“The music, while projecting the intensity that you would hope for, is a little repetitive.”
“The grindy metal guitar sound is enjoyable, but it becomes monotonous over time.”
Critic Reviews
Hellbound review
If you’re hankering for more of that simple, unfettered Doom action, Hellbound may well scratch your itch.
70%Hellbound Review
Hellbound is a great experience. Although it does rely heavily on the DOOM aesthetic, Saibot Studios have created a core gameplay experience that could be the launchpad of something brilliant.
75%Review – Hellbound
Hellbound attempts return to the classic and beloved twitch shooters of the 90's, but falls flat in too many ways to earn a recommendation.
50%
