Hellkind

About

Hellkind is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Motamot and was released on June 30, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Hellkind is a single-player horror action game set in the misty village of San Andrés de Teixido, where an ancient cult’s dark ritual threatens to break the veil between worlds. Players explore, solve puzzles, and uncover eerie folklore to escape before becoming part of the unholy rite. The game offers a unique atmosphere with immersive storytelling and impressive graphics.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 87 reviews

atmosphere27 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Hellkind features a unique visual style and art direction that effectively creates a creepy atmosphere, making it stand out among other horror games.
The sound design is immersive and contributes significantly to the overall experience, enhancing the tension and ambiance throughout the game.
Despite its short length, the game offers intriguing lore and clever puzzles that encourage exploration and engagement.

The game suffers from slow movement speed, which can make exploration feel tedious and frustrating, especially during backtracking.
Many players found the gameplay mechanics to be simplistic and lacking depth, with some describing it as less interesting than expected.
Technical issues, such as the inability to change resolution or disable fullscreen, detract from the overall user experience.

atmosphere
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
21%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its effectiveness in creating a creepy and haunting experience, with many reviewers noting its stylish visuals and eerie audio that enhance the overall mood. While some found the atmosphere to be more foreboding than outright scary, it successfully immerses players in a unique and atmospheric world, making it a recommended choice for fans of atmospheric horror. However, a few critiques mention that slow movement can detract from the experience, though it may also contribute to the game's unsettling ambiance.
- “The atmosphere is fantastic <3”
- “Wonderfully spooky, atmospheric, the kind of game where the air drips with a heaviness that can only be accomplished with a great story, voice acting, and sound design.”
- “Great short horror game with an absolutely amazing atmosphere and unique art style.”
- “I’ll say that it’s an effective horror atmosphere certainly, like it’s creepy as hell but it also was never really scary.”
- “My final thoughts on this game was that it succeeded in creating a creepy and haunting atmosphere with no combat but that it wasn’t necessarily 'scary', or at least it wasn’t as scary as I had wanted it to be.”
- “Neat atmosphere and idea but movement is too slow and it feels like a chore to get around.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
41%
13%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players finding the low-resolution, low-poly visuals to be subpar compared to modern standards, while others appreciate the unique top-down art style and atmospheric design. The use of dithering and monochromatic colors creates a distinct aesthetic that enhances the horror experience, though it can be visually straining at times. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as interesting and immersive, contributing to its eerie atmosphere despite some criticisms regarding clarity and quality.
- “The top-down art style is incredibly unique.”
- “Hellkind is a unique piece of art with very interesting design/aesthetic choices I have never seen before in a horror game, and I love it.”
- “The black and white visuals with all that fog create an amazing atmosphere.”
- “You wander around an old church and collect a few items to conduct a ritual with a top-down view of what's supposed to be a spooky horror environment, but it really just looks laughably bad to anyone who owns a modern 3D graphics card. The low resolution, low poly, mostly 2D views just look junk compared to contemporary video games.”
- “The graphics here are particularly awful, so bad that it actually stands out as one of the worst looking games on Steam.”
- “That's another thing, the main visuals are filled with static, and while it's great for a confusing and creepy atmosphere, sometimes it just hurts your eyes.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The gameplay of "hellkind" is characterized by a simple exploration loop focused on movement and object interaction, lacking combat mechanics. While the absence of complex gameplay elements may detract from the overall experience, the atmospheric audio and unique art direction create an immersive environment. Reviewers suggest that with improved level and puzzle design, the game could evolve into a more engaging experience.
- “Even though the gameplay boils down to simply moving the character and interacting with objects, it does not detract from the experience as a whole, as the idea is to immerse you into this god-abandoned place using audio effects and dithered monochromatic graphics, rendering the surroundings nearly indistinguishable yet allowing them to retain their basic shapes, allowing you to carefully navigate yourself around, thinking what every next step might bring.”
- “Loved the old-school gameplay of exploring the small space, with things discovered unlocking other things around the area.”
- “The gameplay for Hellkind is a rather simple loop, one that isn’t based around any sort of combat despite the ability to acquire and swing a hammer later on in the game.”
- “The gameplay is simple, with no combat or item management, but it all works extremely smoothly.”
- “I love the art direction that makes good use of dithering, which may be controversial, but apart from that, Hellkind is not incredibly effective at what it's doing either in terms of its horror or even just its basic mechanics.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The story is praised for its clever integration of hidden elements and effective use of minimalism, creating an engaging atmosphere filled with occult vibes. While the narrative is brief, it successfully evokes a sense of mystery and intrigue, leaving players wanting more. Overall, the combination of striking visuals, sound design, and storytelling contributes to a compelling horror experience.
- “The password was very cleverly hidden in plain sight [spoiler] in the broken telephone call [/spoiler] which unlocked a fun couple of text logs to add some backstory/context.”
- “A striking visual design, surprisingly good sound design, and a story that tells just barely as much as it needs to while leaving a lot to the player.”
- “Wonderfully spooky, atmospheric, the kind of game where the air drips with a heaviness that can only be accomplished with a great story, voice acting, and sound design.”
- “The plot on the Steam page reads as so (with a few details):”
- “I'd love to see more of these developers in the future on other projects, or maybe a longer story-driven game with Hellkind.”
- “A 15-minute horror story that's absolutely worth your time.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the absence of journal notes that complicate backtracking for hints. However, many acknowledge that the game's stylish presentation and free access somewhat mitigate these frustrations.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find myself spending hours on mindless tasks just to progress, which really takes away from the enjoyment.”
- “The lack of variety in grinding activities makes it feel like a chore rather than a fun part of the game.”