Key information
Boss Team Games and publisher Saber Interactive have released Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, a title that captures the franchise's focus on the thin line between pleasure and pain. The game follows Aidan Lynch, who enters the Labyrinth to rescue his girlfriend, Sunny, after they encounter a mysterious box. The reviewer notes that the game avoids traditional jump scares, instead forcing players to confront disturbing themes and gore.
The gameplay features a unique suffering-based combat system where players are rewarded for keeping enemies alive to extract resources, rather than killing them efficiently. Combat is described as heavy and personal, similar to Condemned: Criminal Origins. While the game utilizes Unreal Engine 5 for impressive, detailed visuals, the reviewer found the stealth mechanics to be underutilized.
The reviewer praises the sound design as nauseatingly effective and highlights Doug Bradley’s return as Pinhead as a major highlight. However, the experience is marred by frequent crashes during the final third of the game, despite being tested on high-end hardware. The reviewer warns that the extreme content, including sexual sadism, may be too intense for some players.
Ultimately, the reviewer considers the game an excellent entry in the horror genre that successfully translates the source material's unsettling nature into an interactive format. It is recommended for horror fans who can handle its graphic, unfiltered content.
