Painkiller: Hell & Damnation

58%
Game Brain Score Based on 815 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • gameplay
Painkiller: Hell & Damnation Game Cover
Painkiller Hell & Damnation reboots with great graphics, more polish, and a lot of demons to purge.
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"Painkiller: Hell & Damnation" is a horror shooter game that offers various gameplay modes including single-player, co-op, and multi-player for up to 2 players. The game boasts spectacular gameplay with stellar graphics, masterful music, and plenty of humor, although it can be quite grinding with several bugs. As both a remake and sequel to the original Painkiller, players can expect a thrilling first-person shooter experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

58%
Audience ScoreBased on 815 reviews
graphics62 positive mentions
story27 negative mentions
  • Fast-paced, mindless shooting action reminiscent of classic FPS games like Doom and Serious Sam.
  • Variety of unique weapons and satisfying combat mechanics, including the ability to collect souls and enter 'Demon Mode'.
  • Visually appealing graphics and environments that enhance the overall experience.
  • Significantly shorter than the original Painkiller, with many levels cut and sold as DLC, leading to a feeling of incompleteness.
  • Poor AI and level design can lead to frustrating gameplay, with enemies getting stuck and making encounters tedious.
  • The story and voice acting are lackluster, detracting from the overall experience.
  • graphics178 mentions

    The graphics in "Painkiller: Hell & Damnation" have received notable upgrades compared to the original, showcasing improved lighting, textures, and overall visual fidelity, which many players appreciate. However, some reviews indicate that while the graphics are visually appealing, they do not significantly enhance the gameplay experience, and there are concerns about performance issues on certain systems. Overall, the game is seen as a visually polished version of its predecessor, but opinions vary on whether the graphical improvements justify the changes made to the game's content and mechanics.

    • “The enhanced graphics make the environments look amazing (I mean, Jesus Christ. Look at the remade oriental castle).”
    • “A modern 'old-school' shooter with amazing visuals, frantic gameplay, epic boss fights, and sweet weapons.”
    • “The graphics are a considerable upgrade from the original, which wasn't bad.”
    • “If you’re playing for nostalgia, it’s a nice trip back to memory lane but please don’t expect any groundbreaking graphics or anything like that.”
    • “The graphics have aged like wine, the gameplay is much more solid and you're getting the full experience for less money.”
  • story157 mentions

    The game's story is largely criticized for being minimalistic, poorly written, and often recycled from the original, with many reviewers noting that it lacks depth and coherence. While some appreciate the humor and campy elements, the overall narrative is seen as a weak point, overshadowed by the gameplay and action. Players looking for a compelling story may be disappointed, as the focus remains on fast-paced combat rather than narrative engagement.

    • “The game has a great sense of humor, with over-the-top weapons like the stakegun and a story that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
    • “The story is about a man called Daniel who dies in a car crash with his wife; his wife goes to heaven and he is stuck in purgatory, assigned to kill Satan’s generals, aided by a woman named Eve.”
    • “I really love the entire series; it has a good story to it plus it is fun to just go around with awesome weapons and have intense battles.”
    • “The story is even worse than the original and very short.”
    • “The actual plot makes no f*cking sense, so just ignore it at all costs.”
    • “The story is so poorly written and acted, I actually laughed out loud a couple of times.”
  • gameplay131 mentions

    The gameplay of "Painkiller: Hell & Damnation" retains much of the original's fast-paced, arena-style shooting mechanics, featuring a variety of weapons and enemy types that provide a fun and chaotic experience. However, many players note that the game suffers from repetitiveness, a lack of significant improvements over its predecessor, and issues with mechanics like soul collecting that disrupt the flow of combat. While the graphics and some new content, such as co-op modes and challenge maps, are appreciated, the overall gameplay experience is seen as a mixed bag, with some praising its nostalgic elements while others criticize its execution and pacing.

    • “The gameplay is a ton of fun, with awesome weapons, fantastic gore, and a simplicity in the mechanics that makes it very addictive.”
    • “There are tons of different enemies, fun boss fights, and interesting puzzles/mechanics to get through as you progress.”
    • “Painkiller Hell & Damnation is a remake of a classic retro first-person shooter and carries over the gameplay mechanics that we're used to from way back in the day when bunnyhopping and massacre were the recipes for success.”
    • “It has very few improvements: graphics are just slightly better, even though it's running in a different engine; mechanics are exactly the same, including the buggy tarot deck and the annoying soul collecting; only one new weapon has been added; levels are the same as in the original, only that half are in the campaign and half are paid DLC; the story is even worse than the original and very short.”
    • “The gameplay gets pretty boring and repetitive, and the game overall is scattered and really didn't keep me engaged at all.”
    • “The whole soul collecting mechanic is severely disrupting to the flow of the game as you have to wait a couple of seconds for the souls to pop up after you kill an enemy.”
  • music84 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the heavy metal soundtrack for enhancing the gameplay experience and creating an intense atmosphere. However, some players expressed disappointment over changes to the original tracks and noted that certain new additions felt lackluster or repetitive. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, opinions vary on its execution compared to previous installments.

    • “The game's soundtrack is awesome, featuring heavy metal tracks that will get you pumped up and ready to take on the forces of evil.”
    • “The music is one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a game; all of the music is rock that really fits the gameplay. The soundtrack is so good that there have been times where I have killed all of the enemies and wished that the music didn’t stop playing.”
    • “Not only that, but the chaos and destruction of the gameplay are accompanied by amazing pure metal music.”
    • “Oh and music, goddamn it's so terrible.”
    • “A massive disappointment is the soundtrack and music settings.”
    • “Some maps have had their music replaced with bland, generic guitar riffs.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The game is praised for its over-the-top humor, featuring absurd weapons and a lighthearted story that embraces a B-movie aesthetic. While some players find the humor hit-or-miss, many appreciate the comedic elements and entertaining cutscenes, making it a fun experience overall. Despite its flaws, the game's blend of humor and chaotic gameplay resonates well with those seeking a laugh while gaming.

    • “The game has a great sense of humor, with over-the-top weapons like the stakegun and a story that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
    • “If you like hilariously crafted and delivered B-movie shorts in the game for cutscenes, play this game.”
    • “The game is good, weird, funny, and bloody fun to play.”
  • optimization20 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over performance issues, including stuttering and crashes even on high-end systems. While some users report stable performance at high settings, the general consensus is that the game is poorly optimized compared to its predecessor, with a negligible graphical upgrade that comes at a significant performance cost.

    • “The only reason you would get this version is for the sake of performance.”
    • “Graphics are awesome, good optimization too, playing stable 60fps on 4k with everything maxed out, single GTX 980.”
    • “Performance is good.”
    • “I hate this game so much, it is unoptimized, unfinished, badly designed, and it is just so frustrating to have to deal with its myriad of issues.”
    • “Cash grabbing developers, with this stuttering, unoptimized mess of a reboot.”
    • “The worst part: the graphical upgrade is negligible, but comes with a heavy performance hit.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of glitches and bugs that significantly detract from the overall experience. Players note that despite some graphical improvements and nostalgic elements, the game is plagued by game-breaking issues and missing content, making it difficult to fully enjoy. Overall, while there are some redeeming qualities, the persistent instability overshadows the game's potential.

    • “Despite the added ease-of-use mechanics and some good ideas of presentation, this remake has multiple glitches, missing levels and bosses, and will not look as pretty in the long run.”
    • “The graphics may be fantastic and the nostalgia might be there for long-time Painkiller fans like me, but this game suffers primarily because it's a cesspool for glitches.”
    • “It feels good, but it's filled with bugs and glitches, even 0-day ones, almost behind every corner, and many of them are game-breaking.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and detrimental to pacing, particularly criticizing the manual collection of souls and repetitive boss fights. While some enjoy the combat mechanics, many feel that the grinding elements make the experience feel like a chore rather than engaging gameplay. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the fun.

    • “Collecting souls is tedious and ruins the pacing.”
    • “I think the game would be a lot more fun if souls were collected automatically when you kill something; now it's just tedious and feels like a chore.”
    • “It's just plain tedious and repetitive: do this, then do that, now the boss can receive damage, repeat.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability through multiple difficulty levels, hidden secrets, and various achievements to unlock, making it enjoyable to revisit. However, some players criticize the design, noting that exclusive levels tied to specific difficulties can limit overall replay value. Despite a lack of narrative incentive, the engaging gameplay ensures that levels remain fun even after multiple completions.

    • “The game has a ton of replay value, with multiple difficulty levels and hidden secrets to uncover.”
    • “Tons of replayability - playing through levels, beating your high score, getting all the tarot cards and more.”
    • “The achievements and unlocks add replayability, and the graphics are intense.”
    • “I would understand that playing on higher difficulty lets you play more levels, but each difficulty has one or two exclusive levels... this is a really bad design of replayability.”
    • “Besides, although story-wise there is no replay value in the campaign, gameplay-wise there is plenty, and a given level will not stop being fun just because you've done it once.”
    • “Decent replayability.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a "lazy cash grab," with many feeling that it offers only a fraction of the content upfront, requiring additional purchases for essential features and DLC. However, some fans argue that frequent sales and the updated experience may mitigate these concerns, suggesting that the overall value could justify the costs.

    • “You mean one where you don't just get half the game and have to buy the rest of it as microtransactions?”
    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel exploitative.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of content without forcing players to spend extra money.”
    • “You mean one where you don't just get like half the game and have to buy the rest of it as microtransactions?”
    • “Lazy cash grab, does no justice to the original, plus a bunch of DLC with original levels that you have to pay for.”
    • “Overall, it is a complete cash grab.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is praised for its immersive qualities, blending eerie ambient sounds with vibrant visuals and intense music, reminiscent of the original release. Reviewers highlight the combination of gothic elements and energetic action, creating a lively yet haunting experience that enhances gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a captivating mix of nostalgia and excitement, making it feel like an exhilarating amusement park.

    • “Nice remake; it captures the atmosphere of the original perfectly.”
    • “In the 2004 release, you had the option to disable the metal tracks and keep the ambient music enabled, which, in my opinion, makes the game and its eerie atmosphere more immersive.”
    • “The action is great, but it's the combination of eye-candy visuals, pulse-pounding music, and non-stop action that make this game feel like an amusement park with a party atmosphere, all wrapped in a gothic feel.”
    • “The action is great, but it's the combination of eye-candy visuals and colors, pulse-pounding music, and non-stop action that make this game feel like an amusement park with a party atmosphere, all with a gothic feel.”
    • “In 2004, Painkiller rocked the FPS world with its Serious Sam-esque action in a Doom-like atmosphere, complemented with face-melting metal music.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

59% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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