Hellscreen

About

In "Hellscreen," after ancient gods construct a soul-sorting machine for eternal life relief, a malfunction displaces the player from the real world at death into the Hellscreen realm, instead of a peaceful afterlife. As a deposited soul in this machine's realm, the player must navigate the glitchy and dark world to find a way back to the real world or accept their new eternal fate. This game offers a unique and eerie take on afterlife exploration and machine-induced realities.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Hellscreen features a unique rear-view mirror mechanic that enhances gameplay and exploration, adding depth to combat and secrets.
The game boasts a striking retro aesthetic and satisfying gunplay, reminiscent of classic FPS titles, which many players find engaging.
The developer shows promise with a solid foundation and responsiveness to player feedback, indicating potential for future improvements and updates.

The game suffers from poor optimization and lacks graphical options, leading to performance issues even on capable hardware.
Some players find the gameplay mechanics and objectives confusing, making it difficult to progress and fully enjoy the experience.
There are concerns about the current lack of variety in music, weapons, and enemy types, which could detract from long-term engagement.

graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising its unique art style and retro aesthetic that complements the gameplay, while others criticize the poor optimization and lack of graphical options, leading to performance issues. Despite the appealing visuals and fluid gameplay, the game's technical shortcomings detract from the overall experience for some users. Overall, the artistic design is appreciated, but concerns about optimization and performance persist.
- “Awesome retro aesthetic and a banging score.”
- “Love the high contrast graphic style.”
- “Hellscreen manages to combine fast, fluid combat with an art-style and tone that drips with a truly nightmarish psychological horror.”
- “This game hurt my eyes so much and somehow performs worse than Doom Eternal despite its simplistic graphics.”
- “I never believed in 'badly optimized' games because maybe there were just bugs in the code that could cause this or a lot of unnecessary things to be processed, but this game really made me believe in that. I really feel that it is very poorly optimized; besides that, it has no graphical options to at least mitigate this.”
- “The graphics are low key, but they fit with this style of game.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
44%
19%
The gameplay of this retro FPS is highlighted by the innovative rear-view mirror mechanic, which enhances exploration and adds depth without feeling gimmicky. Players appreciate the blend of fast-paced action, engaging level design, and unique mechanics, although some express concerns about overall gameplay engagement and technical issues in early access. Overall, the game offers a refreshing experience with its compelling visuals and intriguing puzzles.
- “The rear-view mirror is great, and used not as a gimmick, but as a proper gameplay feature (it also helps with exploration, by hinting at secrets).”
- “Not only does the art style stand out, but the fast and fluid gameplay is just as compelling.”
- “The rear view mirror is also no gimmick, it's a mechanically viable feature and one that brings an extra unique layer of mastery to the game.”
- “It seems retro FPS games, as of recent, have been overly focusing on difficulty (to increase play length) and dumping in text logs/cutscenes as a reward rather than using gameplay as a reward.”
- “I went into this game very excited and I was having fun to begin with because I really enjoy the visual and audio design, but the gameplay engagement just isn't there for me.”
- “The game has some early-access weirdness (I just can't get it to work above 60 fps during gameplay on RTX 3060), but that's expected and not at all ruins the experience.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, with many players enjoying the soundtrack's balance between action and challenge. However, some users feel that there could be more variety in the music to further enrich the experience. Overall, the sound design contributes positively to the retro-style FPS vibe, making it appealing to enthusiasts of the genre.
- “I love the atmosphere; the music has given me the perfect balance of gameplay, shooting stuff all over the place, and the challenge of figuring out the next step.”
- “Gives me mad vibes of 'Hyper Demon'; I adore the music and the graphical style is wicked cool!”
- “Could have a bit more music variety.”
- “Could have more music variety.”
- “Using a limited palette to weave masterful and abstract level design, wrapping it up in delicious sound and music with a symphony of bullets, this game is sure to please any retro-style FPS enthusiast!”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Hellscreen's atmosphere is characterized by its gritty, retro-inspired visuals and a high-paced, haunting ambiance reminiscent of old-school FPS games. The alien designs, influenced by H.R. Giger's art, enhance the eerie feel, while the music complements the gameplay, creating a balanced and immersive experience.
- “The gritty retro-inspired look is something different from other games in the genre, lending Hellscreen a unique atmosphere.”
- “Hellscreen is wonderfully reminiscent of old school FPS games, with an extremely high pace and a creepy and haunting atmosphere, further emphasized by the alien design clearly inspired by Giger's art.”
- “I love the atmosphere; the music has given me the perfect balance of gameplay, shooting stuff all over the place, and the challenge of figuring out the next step.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected from a game of this genre.”
- “While the game attempts to create a spooky environment, it ultimately falls short, leaving me feeling disconnected and unengaged.”
- “The ambiance is overshadowed by repetitive sound design, making it hard to feel any real tension or excitement.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with players noting significant performance issues and a lack of graphical options to alleviate these problems. This has led to a strong belief among users that the game's optimization is fundamentally flawed.
- “I never believed in 'badly optimized' games because I thought there were just bugs in the code or unnecessary processes causing issues, but this game really made me believe in that. I truly feel it is very poorly optimized, and it lacks graphical options to at least mitigate this.”
- “The performance issues in this game are frustrating. It feels like it was rushed out without proper optimization, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “Despite having a decent setup, I experience constant lag and long loading times. The optimization is clearly lacking, making the gameplay experience less enjoyable.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game currently suffers from numerous glitches and flaws, indicating a need for further refinement; however, the developers are actively addressing these stability issues.
- “In its current state, there are a lot of glitches and flaws that need ironing out, which the developer is clearly hard at work on.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I've encountered numerous bugs that disrupt the gameplay experience and hinder progress.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is described as vague and enigmatic, evoking a sense of cosmic horror that resonates with players, reminiscent of the dread experienced in the game "Scorn."
- “While the story is opaque at best, it hints at something cosmic and horrifying, a dread I haven't felt since Scorn.”