HellSign
- February 24, 2021
- Ballistic Interactive
- 8h median play time
A tense, atmospheric game tangled in the tendrils of poor pacing and grind.
Get on Steam"HellSign" is a single-player Horror Role Playing Game with a good plot and ingenious atmosphere. As you hunt and grind your way through dangerous creatures, you'll uncover a mysterious conspiracy and experience fabulous gameplay, great visuals, and a fitting soundtrack. However, beware of bugs and optimization issues. In the game, you play as a Hunter, using your wits, experience, and tools to rid the world of supernatural threats, following the trail of strange sightings to uncover the mystery behind a fresh brand upon your skin.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Unique gameplay that combines investigation and combat against supernatural entities.
- Atmospheric and immersive experience that keeps players on edge.
- Solid progression system with a variety of weapons and tools to customize gameplay.
- Game feels unfinished with limited content and only a few maps.
- Repetitive gameplay loop that can become tedious over time.
- Developers have abandoned the game, leaving it in a state that lacks promised features and updates.
- story659 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as underdeveloped and lacking depth, with many players expressing disappointment over its abrupt ending and limited content. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and comic-style storytelling, the narrative feels incomplete, leaving players with a sense of unfulfillment and a desire for more substantial plot development. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling focus, leading to mixed feelings about its execution.
“The story is driven by text dialogue and comic panels in a dark, grim style (the comics remind me of Constantine).”
“The story overall is somewhat interesting so far, enough that I am keen to find out more, though once again I hope they do add more depth overall.”
“Hellsign captures a very unique experience, even if it has shortcomings (short story, lopsided content curve, abrupt ending), I wish the devs would continue to develop content for the game; I would buy DLC in a heartbeat, but as-is, it's an interesting little game.”
“The story just ends abruptly and it feels barely explained as a mystery because it lost so much steam that it's basically unfinished.”
“The story is very short and ends very abruptly, making it feel like an incomplete game.”
“The story isn't going anywhere after the 'first act', there are no more promises of different towns, different locations, and something else to fill the blanks.”
- gameplay367 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Hellsign is characterized by a compelling core loop of investigation, combat, and monster summoning, which many players find engaging and fun, especially in the early hours. However, it suffers from repetitiveness due to limited mission variety and environments, leading to a grindy experience as players often repeat similar tasks to progress. While the mechanics and atmosphere are praised, the game is seen as unfinished, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of promised content and polish, resulting in a mixed reception overall.
“The gameplay loop is fun and engaging.”
“The game offers a nice atmosphere and unique combat mechanics that can provide a nice experience for horror fans.”
“The core gameplay loop is 'go to location > search for clues/kill monsters > deduce what the big monster is > summon and kill the big monster' which is, on paper, pretty fun.”
“The gameplay gets repetitive extremely fast; you keep doing the same mission over and over to gain levels and new weapons and armor.”
“This game has an awesome premise, but unfortunately is one of those games where the mechanics kill you more than the enemies in the game do. This game is buggy, the mechanics are trash, and it likewise plays like trash.”
“The core gameplay loop is 'go to location > search for clues/kill monsters > deduce what the big monster is > summon and kill the big monster,' which is, on paper, pretty fun. However, it quickly descends into drudgery.”
- atmosphere196 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively creating a tense and spooky environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the combination of sound design, visual aesthetics, and thematic elements that contribute to a sense of dread and excitement, making it particularly appealing to horror fans. However, some critiques mention that while the atmosphere is strong, it can occasionally feel repetitive or overly edgy, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
“The game has a great atmosphere, which gives a nice eerie mood.”
“The atmosphere is done really well and keeps being eerie and spooky even after clocking in dozens of missions already.”
“The atmosphere is dark and haunting, the hunter underworld is gritty, and you'll test your nerves trying to finish a hunt.”
“My one problem with the game is that its atmosphere is overly edgy; sure, they present a hardcore Australian supernatural hunter vibe, but they go too far with it to the point it feels cartoonish.”
“However, I cannot give a thumbs up due to the atmosphere ruining the background story, setting, context (writing), and the character's interpersonal dialogue.”
“The atmosphere created by the music, the old school graphics, and the hilarious bogan dialogues make it fun.”
- graphics97 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and atmospheric visuals, while others criticize performance issues, flat textures, and a lack of polish in certain areas. Many players appreciate the comic-style cutscenes and the overall aesthetic, but note that optimization problems can lead to frame rate drops. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good enough to support the game's atmosphere, there is a consensus that improvements could enhance the experience significantly.
“The graphics are clear, clean, and nice to look at; the lighting effects are good, the demons are scary, and the sound effects and audio are well done.”
“The comic style cutscenes are absolutely amazing; the graphic and disturbing visuals are beautiful, and I seriously can't wait to see more.”
“The art style of locations such as the bar, safehouse, and shop is also completely different from the style used in the missions.”
“The graphics are colorless and flat.”
“You cannot rotate the camera and movement feels choppy with constant frame rate drops no matter what you select from the very few graphic options.”
“The game graphics and game performances are very unstable, below 40 fps at times (on low settings...)”
- grinding91 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- -1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, especially in the early stages where players must farm for resources and upgrades. While some players find enjoyment in the grind and appreciate the progression it offers, many feel that it detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a sense of stagnation. Overall, the game may appeal to those who enjoy grinding, but it is likely to deter casual gamers or those seeking a more streamlined experience.
“Grinding can be a rewarding experience if done right.”
“The grind in this game feels satisfying and keeps me engaged.”
“I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are balanced, making progress feel meaningful.”
“The game is too grindy just to be capable of doing missions to completion because you're only making like 5 bucks for 20 minutes of real time, which defeats the purpose of playing any game; after all, don't we all have real jobs?”
“Grinding sucks when you can't even kill anything for XP or gain any signs to sell for money before you have to run away or get sucked into the shadow realm, meaning you've just wasted your time completely on a mission.”
“The lack of missions and the amount of grinding you need to do makes the game very stale very quickly.”
- optimization52 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frequent frame rate drops and stuttering, even on high-end systems. Reviewers suggest that the game feels unfinished and poorly polished, indicating that it may require further development and optimization to enhance the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment in the core gameplay, the lack of optimization detracts from the overall enjoyment and playability.
“If the devs make another game, or come back to this one, my advice to them would be to focus on optimization and maybe shrink the scope of the game unless they have more funding.”
“The game lacks polishing (animation, optimization) but still is really enjoyable.”
“There's also a lot of room for optimization but the game looks absolutely stunning.”
“I found this game to be a very poorly optimized and boring isometric detective game where most of the gameplay is crouching down searching for clues and then using a confusing multi-tab journal to analyze and decipher those clues.”
“It's so badly optimized that it's nearly unplayable with certain bosses.”
“The optimization for faster or slower computers is in shambles, the combat is clunky and severely broken, the bugs glitch out, and the glitches bug in, and the houses layout is always the same rooms, plastered in different positions and angles.”
- music44 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received praise for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly during boss fights, where it shifts to epic and dramatic themes that elevate the tension and excitement. While many players appreciate the ambient sounds and the overall sound design, some have noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive and occasionally feels out of place. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's immersive experience, though there are calls for a more diverse and higher-quality soundtrack.
“Every time you summon the boss, epic music kicks in, health bar appears... it's surprisingly good and quite a contrast to the slow-paced gameplay and little skirmishes.”
“Excellent music and sounds from multiple sources to absorb you into the atmosphere.”
“The audio, on the other hand, is fantastic and the music and sound in the game not only aided in maintaining the atmosphere but genuinely added to the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“With a bigger budget and a soundtrack that isn't full of stock music plus some online co-op, this could be one of my favorite games easily.”
“The soundtrack is loud and most of the time out of place.”
“- general audio issues: music is loud, gun sounds are very flat.”
- stability17 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with players reporting frequent bugs, freezes, and soft-locks that severely hinder gameplay. Many users experience significant performance issues, including stuttering and unresponsive mechanics, leading to frustration and the need to restart or create new saves. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the overwhelming consensus is that it feels unpolished and plagued by technical problems that detract from the overall experience.
“Now the problem of the game for my PC is that I seem to stutter every now and then, and the game even freezes sometimes, but it always comes back and I've never had to close the game once.”
“These aren't small bugs you can ignore; rather, my whole game freezes and I have to force close the game.”
“The game might be fun, but I have no idea why the game does not want to work for me. Whenever I play cards, I get soft-locked and have to restart, but when I try to continue, the game never loads, so I need to create a new save. The worst part is in the tutorial when I go to buy the mysterious box; it says I bought it, but it never gives it to me, so I can never get past the tutorial. I really would like this game if it was not a buggy mess.”
- replayability15 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as moderate, with some players appreciating the different character classes and gameplay variations, while others feel that the lack of new content and repetitive elements diminish its long-term appeal. Many reviewers suggest that adding more procedural generation and unique challenges could enhance replay value, especially given the current short story length. While some find replaying enjoyable, others express a desire for more substantial updates to keep the experience fresh.
“Originally this game had a lot of appeal and replay value because character building was a thing: you couldn't be great at everything.”
“Also it is highly replayable because depending on the class your walkthrough will be different.”
“Can see this game having massive replay value even once you beat the story as it uses the mission screen Payday 2 uses (missions with a difficulty ranked in stars pop up and fade on a city map in real time).”
“The game has no replay value apart from a mildly harder difficulty that just slows down progression.”
“My only real big complaint is that replayability is just starting over; there is nothing new, just how you start over.”
“I think adding more procedural generation to the levels will really improve the replayability of the game.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a mix of humor that ranges from amusing character dialogues and quirky animations to unsettling sound effects, creating a unique comedic atmosphere. While many players appreciate the funny moments and engaging interactions, some feel that the humor could be better balanced with the game's horror and investigative elements. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, enhancing the experience despite some areas needing refinement.
“Some enemies (ghouls come to mind) have hilariously bad animations, and many of the bosses have wibbly-wobbly effects on the camera and are little more than shaped clouds or shadows.”
“The atmosphere created by the music, the old school graphics, and the hilarious bogan dialogues make it fun.”
“+ the frank nature of the character interactions is honestly hilarious to me at times - I hope they do some proofreading, but I also hope they keep the spirit of the characters intact.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the depth and graphic novel-style storytelling that enhances character engagement, others criticize the slow progression and incomplete skill trees, leading to a lack of meaningful upgrades. Additionally, there are concerns about unfinished character designs and animations, suggesting that further refinement is needed to fully realize the potential of character development.
“Character development is in-depth, but not so far that it's confusing.”
“Of note are also the character designs and graphic novel-esque scenes that help move the story along; they add quite a bit of character to the game.”
“Tl;dr good game, just needs refinement in character development/establishment and possible mechanic reworks.”
“As for the grind, I have very few complaints or suggestions to improve the equipment, but where the real issue here comes in is the character development; the skill trees are incomplete.”
“Character development is slow, so you don't get to feel too much of an upgrade from one mission to another.”
“Hopefully, the character design and animations are unfinished.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players feeling that the lack of updates and promotion led to its decline, while others argue that it is not a cash grab despite initial impressions. Players express frustration over the game's accessibility issues and the developers' silence post-launch, which contributed to a perception of neglect. Overall, the game's monetization strategy appears to be a point of contention, with some appreciating its value and others feeling misled.
“So few updates in between long periods of silence with so little popularity and advertisement that it basically faded into obscurity and wasn't turning a dollar for the devs who just eventually gave up and 'officially released' it.”
“Every time I see an early access game that looks fun, unique, and definitely worth the investment, they pull this cash grab tactic.”
“- first of all, it's definitely not a cash grab.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the tutorial's unclear instructions, which detracted from their emotional engagement with the game. The confusion caused by the tutorial's wording led to a significant waste of time, impacting the overall experience.
