HELLSEED
- November 30, 2022
- Profenix Studio SRLS
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"HELLSEED is a Horror Action game, offering approximately 7 hours of single-player playtime. Players take on the role of a detective investigating a missing doctor at a psychiatric hospital in 1980s Italy. The game is powered by the S2ENGINE HD and is currently available for Early Access with free updates for those who purchase it."
Reviews
- The game offers a terrifying atmosphere and is comparable to classic horror experiences like P.T., making it a must-play for horror fans.
- Despite some bugs, the game has a compelling story and engaging gameplay that keeps players on edge, with many praising its graphics and sound design.
- The developers are actively working on updates and improvements, showing commitment to enhancing the game experience over time.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and save problems, which can significantly hinder gameplay.
- Many players find the lack of direction and confusing puzzles frustrating, leading to moments of aimless wandering and difficulty progressing.
- The game is not well-optimized, with reports of poor performance even on decent hardware, causing stuttering and other technical issues.
- story17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's story, set in 1980s Turin, is described as a captivating horror experience with a mix of intriguing clues about the disappearance of Dr. De Santis, though it suffers from significant bugs that hinder progression. While the first part is particularly terrifying and engaging, some players find the narrative length excessive and the connections between the monsters and the story unclear. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some enjoying the plot and atmosphere, while others feel the story is incomplete and marred by technical issues.
“The story is set in the '80s in Turin, one of the main cities in Italy.”
“The first part is the most terrifying for sure; however, the second part is still enjoyable, especially because you discover a lot of clues about the real story behind the disappearance of Dr. De Santis, but still not the whole truth...”
“This game is awesome! I’ve liked the plot of the story, the graphics, and the playability; I recommend it a lot!”
“Hit a spot that is completely broken and can't move forward with the storyline.”
“Restarted the story twice - hit major critical bugs both times.”
“The fact that it's only 'part one' means I cannot give its entire story an honest review.”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, enhanced by detailed graphics and sound design that evoke a nostalgic '80s charm. Reviewers appreciate the focus on artistic direction over jump scares, creating a thick, eerie ambiance that effectively builds tension. However, some noted issues with sound placement and bugs that detract from the overall experience.
“Developers scanned real apartments and furniture from the '80s, creating a charming atmosphere that immerses players in the past.”
“The thick atmosphere is not based on jump scares but on wise artistic direction and a good sense of narration; there are very few jump scares throughout the whole experience, which is greatly appreciated.”
“Hellseed is a masterfully crafted indie horror game that stands toe-to-toe with AAA titles, featuring 6-9 hours of enthralling gameplay, breathtaking atmosphere, and a meticulously polished experience that captivates players from start to finish.”
“The thick atmosphere is not based on jump scares but on wise artistic direction and good sense of narration; there are very few jump scares throughout the whole experience, and that's very appreciated.”
“Scary atmosphere, feeling of abandonment, something demonic lurking.”
“This game is really realistic, with the echo of the ghost's voice making the atmosphere creepier.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its captivating atmosphere and polished mechanics, while others criticize performance issues like low frame rates and freezing. Players appreciate the variety and depth of gameplay, noting it offers a satisfying amount of scares, but some find certain mechanics janky and potentially frustrating. Overall, it presents a compelling experience, especially for an indie title, despite its flaws.
“It's priced right, you get a lot of gameplay for it, there's enough scares and scary situations to satisfy your need to be frightened.”
“[b]hellseed[/b] is a masterfully crafted indie horror game that stands toe-to-toe with AAA titles, featuring 6-9 hours of enthralling gameplay, breathtaking atmosphere and a meticulously polished experience that captivates players from start to finish.”
“◦ richly varied and sophisticated gameplay mechanics”
“Still a good looking game, but I experience about 30-40 FPS with occasional freezes lasting up to 5 seconds during gameplay.”
“The game mechanics are a bit janky at times.”
“This flawed mechanic could cause a lot of deaths if you were hypothetically being chased and had to duck and turn through a vent; there is inertia that you can't turn off.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their quality and atmosphere, showcasing impressive realism developed using the s2engine HD. However, players have reported performance issues, including stuttering and graphical glitches, even on high-end systems, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these technical challenges, many users find the visuals to be awe-inspiring and a standout feature of the game.
“Love the graphics and atmosphere here.”
“They are very good developers; they developed their own S2Engine HD capable of very realistic graphics. Plus, Hellseed won several indie awards before the release and was even selected by Red Bull Indie Forge.”
“Graphics are very well done and original, which is impressive for a smaller dev team.”
“Even with the lowest settings selected, it doesn't work (which also gave a red screen that was only fixable by going up one graphic setting).”
“The graphics stutter a lot (I am running a 3080 and Ryzen 5900, no reason for my PC to stutter anything).”
“I have one very important question: watching walkthroughs on YouTube, I see that my graphic settings are not the best. I tried to turn on triple buffering only for this game, waited for the retrace checked option, and set every setting to the best option (3070 graphic card) and gave it 3840x2160 resolution for windowed option, but still I see a sort of film grain that ruins the graphic detail.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a significant concern, with many users reporting persistent bugs, performance issues, and crashes, particularly on lower-end PCs. While some improvements have been noted, especially for those with decent hardware, the game remains poorly optimized and frustrating to play, leading many to await further updates before fully engaging.
“Most of the bugs and performance issues are resolved as long as you have a decent PC.”
“With the graphics as good as they are, the performance is well acceptable at times.”
“I assume that it's because the game is a work in progress and performance will be addressed.”
“Although the game is well written and could be enjoyable, it is definitely not optimized, even in 2024 for PC.”
“I'm probably not the first to note this, but the poor optimization makes this a big no for me. I'm not even going to try to finish it until the work is done. I get it, the game is in early access, hoping to see some improvement.”
“Poorly optimized and full of bugs that require restarts, sometimes not even autosaving, which leads to dying and having to replay the last 30 minutes.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant frame rate drops, freezes, and various bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some users have experienced smoother gameplay, the consensus suggests that the game requires further optimization and patches to address these issues.
“Still a good looking game, but I experience about 30-40 FPS with occasional freezes lasting up to 5 seconds during gameplay.”
“Atmosphere is cool and the story is interesting, but the game is currently quite buggy on PC, and the 'monsters' in the game don't have clear ties back to the story, other than they are part of 'the evil.'”
“I do think the game needs a few more patches and work; the frame rate seemed low at times, the audio for characters seemed a bit broken, and the game was a bit buggy at times too.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music and sound design effectively enhance the game's spooky atmosphere, with a terrifying soundtrack and well-placed audio elements that contribute to a sense of dread. However, some users noted that the directional sound placement could be improved, as noises often feel disoriented rather than localized. Overall, the combination of music and sound effects creates a top-tier immersive experience, though it may be too intense for some players.
“The house feels alive and possessed by demonic forces; I must advise that the experience is not for the faint of heart, especially due to the excellent light and sound effects and the terrifying soundtrack.”
“Atmosphere is top tier, with music placed perfectly, creating a fairly quiet yet creepy, dark, and dreadful ambiance. However, the directional sound placement could be improved, as banging and noises often sound like they are coming from everywhere when they should be localized.”
“Music and spooky elements were great.”
“The house feels alive and possessed by demonic forces; I advise you that the experience is not for the faint of heart, especially due to the impressive light and sound effects and the terrifying soundtrack.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during gameplay.”
“The soundtrack feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
