Hellbreach: Vegas
- March 11, 2024
- Infinity Ape Studios
"Hellbreach: Vegas" is a wave-based demon shooter developed by Infinity Ape Studios, where players face a demonic threat in the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas, unlocking and upgrading an array of futuristic weapons and power-ups. Progress through increasingly challenging maps, and try your luck at the various casino-style weapon and bonus machines. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, and it's up to you to make sure the city survives the onslaught.
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging wave shooter experience reminiscent of classic COD Zombies, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- The mechanics, such as the slot machine for weapon upgrades and perks, add a unique twist to the gameplay, enhancing replayability.
- Despite being developed by a single person, the game shows potential with solid gunplay and a variety of enemies, making it a worthwhile purchase for its price.
- The game suffers from performance issues and bugs, which can detract from the overall experience, especially on lower-end systems.
- Graphics and animations feel unpolished, with some character models and enemy designs lacking detail, making the game visually underwhelming.
- The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited enemy variety and a lack of significant challenges as rounds progress.
- gameplay57 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun mechanics, chaotic gunplay, and a variety of weapons and maps, appealing to fans of the COD Zombies and Killing Floor genres. However, many players note that the game feels unfinished, with issues such as performance problems, clunky movement, and a lack of content after extended play. While the innovative features and customization options are appreciated, some mechanics, like the gambling system for upgrades, have received mixed reviews.
“The gameplay is a mix of chaotic gunfire, clutch moments, and yelling, 'why are there so many of them?!' while your friends ditch you to 'find ammo' (read: run for their lives).”
“The gameplay is satisfying and has some fun elements, with a good variety of enemies, and weapon choices, along with perks and bonuses that add an element of interest and help maintain balance as the difficulty increases.”
“If you enjoyed Call of Duty zombies and Killing Floor, you will love the wave-based gameplay Hellbreach: Vegas offers – a perfect way to spend a weekend with friends.”
“The game still feels heavily early access in terms of player movement, overall animations, textures, and many gameplay mechanics (perk system, weapon buy and upgrade system, barebones progression, etc).”
“The mechanics here are very innovative for a COD Zombies style game, but unfortunately I can't recommend it because the actual movement and shooting just do not feel good and the visual clarity is very bad.”
“It's still buggy, has performance issues, terrible reloads, stuttery gameplay, and a poor progression system.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that while there are some appealing elements such as lighting and art style, overall quality remains inconsistent and often underwhelming. Some players appreciate the effort put into graphical updates and the aesthetic improvements, but criticize issues like blurriness, poor detail in enemy models, and performance problems, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, while there are beautiful visuals and potential for growth, the game still requires significant polishing to reach its full graphical potential.
“From an art design and graphical standpoint, the game has a lot of room to grow, but that shouldn't deter you since this game is already far ahead of most other games that have tried to take advantage of this genre.”
“The art style is pleasing, the lighting especially fits the theme and style of the game, and both the visuals and sound design match the energy of the gameplay brilliantly.”
“Awesome graphics, really good performance with a few stutters!”
“The graphical assets are really undercooked, just overall poor quality.”
“Anyway, that's how far the positives go. On the negative side of things, graphics are blurry and confusing sometimes, enemies aren't that distinguishable because their models have poor details, and animations aren't the best.”
“Lowering the graphics isn't a problem; it's the fact that it runs so poorly without DLSS and is arguably only playable with it on my system at max.”
- optimization17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including high temperatures on GPUs, stuttering gameplay, and frequent crashes. While some users acknowledge that the game is in early access and appreciate its low price, many express frustration over inconsistent performance across different hardware setups. Overall, the optimization remains a major concern, detracting from the overall experience despite some positive aspects.
“For the price and performance, animations and gun mechanics not happy at all :( was waiting for this game ...”
“It gets a pass, being early access, a one man dev & quite cheap, but the performance is a bit all over the place.”
“The most optimized early access game I have ever played.”
“The optimization is still a mess: I get 80 degrees on my RX 6600 on medium settings with bloom, DOF, and anti-aliasing off.”
“It's still buggy, has performance issues, terrible reloads, stuttery gameplay, and a poor progression system.”
“Too many crashes, animations are cringe, badly optimized, audio is terrible.”
- stability15 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 87 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting numerous bugs and glitches, particularly related to movement and gameplay mechanics. While some users find the issues tolerable and believe the game shows potential, others criticize it as unfinished and recommend alternatives. Overall, the stability is a significant concern, but there are indications that improvements may come with future updates.
“Played it on Steam Deck and it runs great.”
“The game is not buggy at all in what I've played.”
“The maps are a buggy mess.”
“After a game, it freezes and you have to close the game manually.”
“Game is a buggy mess, unfinished, lacks a lot of things. I respect the fact it's one developer's work, but you proceeded and made a full release while the game is not even 10% finished.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game is primarily focused on fast-paced action rather than a narrative, with many players appreciating the absence of a complex storyline. However, there is a desire for more engaging elements such as main quests and easter eggs to enhance the experience and prevent it from feeling repetitive. Overall, while the lack of a story may appeal to some, others feel it detracts from the game's potential depth.
“In my opinion, all this game needs to be major is some story/easter eggs and a little polishing.”
“Needs easter eggs/quests and perhaps rewards from them to keep it from feeling stale.”
“I like the lack of a storyline and plot, just pulse-pounding run and gun action like Unreal Tournament, Quake 2, Doom, etc. If you like games like this, as I do, you will not be disappointed.”
“Feature no story, objective, or easter eggs of significance.”
“Is it story driven? Heck no, not by any means for sure.”
“Lack of a story mode.”
- monetization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 57 % negative mentions
Overall, players appreciate the absence of microtransactions, favoring a monetization model that rewards gameplay with cosmetic unlocks rather than purchases. There are requests for improved ad sensitivity controls and gameplay adjustments, but the general sentiment is positive regarding the game's straightforward and enjoyable monetization approach.
“No microtransactions in sight (yay!)”
“I'm always a fan of cosmetics being available through actual play, rather than being sold as microtransactions.”
“It's simple, easy fun; no politics or microtransactions stuffed in your face, and from playing solo to wave 30, I didn't notice any game-breaking bugs at all.”
“Tl;dr: matchmaking is too punishing, melee should be more fun for the player, upgrades too pricey in later waves, hipfire is less punishing than ads, and cop cars are too big to jump on half the time.”
“Also always a fan of cosmetics being available through actual play, rather than being sold as microtransactions.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features a significant amount of grinding, as players must repeatedly earn currency to unlock weapons, perks, and doors, which can be appealing for those seeking to reach higher levels. While the low price point makes it a decent value, the grind can feel tedious due to issues like blurry graphics, indistinct enemy models, and a lack of engaging endgame content. Overall, the grinding experience is mixed, with some players finding it addictive while others are frustrated by the repetitive nature and technical problems.
“The game is pretty grindy, and your currency to unlock starting guns, perks, and cards is also the currency you use to unlock doors.”
“Progression is very grindy, but considering it's only a $15 (or $10 on sale) game, it's well worth the price for what it delivers.”
“The grinding and addictive aspect of the game for me is the skulls currency.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is described as brutal and hilarious, with creative elements like slot machines and roulette wheel guns adding to the fun. While some aspects of the humor may not encourage prolonged play, the chaotic nature and amusing AI tracking contribute to an overall lighthearted experience.
“It's brutal, it's hilarious, and it’s the most fun I’ve had getting mauled by a demon since I tried to babysit my cousin’s hyperactive chihuahua.”
“I really enjoy the concept of Hellbreach: Vegas, especially the creative use of slot machines and the roulette wheel gun; it's quite funny!”
“In summary, this game may be a bit chaotic, but it certainly offers a bit of humor and lightness in the gaming world.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its energetic and diverse styles, including raving, dubstep, and rock metal, contributing to an intense atmosphere. However, some players suggest improvements in sound effects and a desire for more hardcore tracks to enhance gameplay. Overall, the music receives a perfect score of 5/5.
“Music 5/5”
“I'd really like to see some more hardcore music in the game to up the intensity.”
“I'd really like to see main quests and easter eggs, tighten up some animations and models, fix sometimes glitchy pathfinding, variety in the look of the perk cards, some better sounds for certain things and rebalancing of the sounds, maybe some more hardcore music in the game to up the intensity.”
“Menu sounds and music in the menu sound like Back 4 Blood, so that's odd.”
“The game has copyrighted music.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's extensive variety of unique weapons and customization options, which significantly enhance its replayability. The potential for custom maps and additional game modes is also seen as a promising avenue for increasing replay value in the future. Overall, the game's design encourages repeated playthroughs and experimentation.
“The weapons are cool as hell (no pun intended). I really like the vast amount of unique guns in this game; it allows for replayability and just a lot of fun!”
“Custom maps would also help this game have a lot of replay value. Maybe some different game modes too in the future. All in all, 10/10 for me; I've been wanting this type of game for a long time.”
“Key bindings and tons of menu options, character and gun customization; there are tons of replayability options.”
“The game lacks variety, making it hard to find motivation to replay it after finishing the main story.”
“Once you've completed the game, there isn't much incentive to go back; the lack of different modes or challenges really limits replayability.”
“While the game is enjoyable, it quickly becomes repetitive, and I found myself losing interest after just a few playthroughs.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has been criticized for failing to create an engaging or immersive experience, leaving some players disappointed.