Dark Souls has inspired an entire generation of games, and Hellpoint emphatically wears that influence on its sleeve. From its deliberate, stamina-focused combat, bonfire-like save points, and, of course, an emphasis on difficulty, the upcoming action game bleeds FromSoftware through and through. Hellpoint differentiates itself, though, with a sci-fi meets cosmic horror aesthetic and unique shake-ups to classic Souls conventions.
Hellpoint begins with players awakening as a robotic-esque, 3D printed humanoid called the Spawn. At the behest of the Author, an enigmatic voice, they’ll embark on an arduous quest through Irid Novo, a monster-ridden space station orbiting a hellish black hole. That massive void isn’t just cool scenery; it acts as the center of Hellpoint’s gameplay. The station orbits the black hole in real-time. Depending on its position, the game morphs in significant ways. Enemies can become more abundant and more powerful foes may appear. Additionally, areas previously inaccessible open up to the player.
A dial in the UI indicates the ship’s current position, glowing an ominous orange when the world starts to shift. Thus, keeping an eye on it becomes key. Some areas may be safer to traverse than others at certain times. Players could also take advantage of periods with extra enemies by farming them for more Axiom, Hellpoint’s currency/experience points. The black hole mechanic is a fascinating idea that makes the constant backtracking these games require a more dynamic experience.
In a departure from the norm, activating save points, called Breaches, does not resurrect enemies. Instead, most enemies automatically respawn after a certain amount of time. The exact length of time it takes for this to occur is unknown, as is whether or not all enemies work under the same timer. Playing the demo, the timer feels like it clocks in roughly between 10 to 20 mins. Regardless, the idea creates a new sense of urgency. It’s not until playing Hellpoint that Souls players will truly appreciate the comfort of knowing enemies stay dead until they intentionally bring them back. Furthermore, since the game can’t be paused, going AFK for too long near slain bodies becomes a potentially fatal proposition–be sure to take breaks in truly empty rooms. The idea may seem brutal, but the trade-off of having consequence-free checkpoint usage offers a nice counterpoint to balance the scales.
Any experienced Souls player shouldn’t have too much trouble mowing down Irid Novo’s abominations. Now, they’re not total push-overs, and will murder careless players, but they’re also quite predictable and easier to take down than most basic grunts in FromSoftware games. Stunning foes with a heavy attack, then finishing them off with a quick strike works as a fool-proof strategy in most encounters. Since players can freely jump, another departure from traditional Souls-likes, leaping attacks can be effective maneuvers as well. Combat in general feels adequate, possessing the familiar rhythm of striking, blocking, and dodging fans of the sub-genre have grown to love.
Enemy variety may potentially be an issue, however. During the 2-3 hour demo (representing the opening chunk of the game), 90% of the opposing force consists of the same, zombie-like drones. Beyond them players will confront imposing, scythe-wielding demons and powerful angelic sentries. Hopefully, the rank and file adversaries continue to grow more diverse sooner than later. One of Hellpoint's deadliest foes comes in the form of a ghost version of the player that spawns upon death. This entity independently roams the general area of where players last died and viciously attacks on sight.
Weapons and armor can be found or crafted from scratch using collected blueprints and materials. Swords, axes, railguns, and more can be further enhanced by attaching parts to increase attributes such as Strength and Reflex. Weapons organically gain new abilities, such as powerful special attacks, the more they’re used, so players with a preference can look forward to having their favorite arms improve over time. Besides providing even more options for players to craft the fighter of their choosing, it also creates incentive to thoroughly scour the world for valuable components.
Despite all the tools at player’s disposal, difficulty overall feels a step below most Souls-likes. Most of Hellpoint’s toughest moments came from dealing with crowds of enemies rather than individual fights. Players can also just sprint past anything they don’t feel like dealing with. The three boss battles present in the demo ratchet things up further but still won’t take more than a handful of attempts to put down. Other than the shenanigans triggered by the black hole, difficulty feels more than manageable. All of this isn’t necessarily bad. It’s strange to call Hellpoint a “relaxed experience”, but it almost feels like fun comfort food for aficionados and perhaps even a good entry point for newcomers. That could all change in the later game, of course. For now, though, Hellpoint feels like it has enough bite to keep players engaged and on their toes without going too overboard.
In a cool feature for this genre, another player can plug in a controller and join a friend in local splitscreen co-op. The specifics on how this works isn’t entirely clear, but it requires both players to load their own save files on one PC/console. That means any experience/loot gained while playing with a buddy carries over to players’ individual games. Like Dark Souls, online multiplayer takes the form of player-written messages and PvP invasions. Local co-op partners can even invade other co-op sessions for 2-on-2 fights.
Right now polish stands Hellpoint’s biggest threat to success. To be fair, the game is still in development and was recently delayed from its original April release to later this year. Bugs are to be expected. Still, the number of rough edges became a source of concern. Enemy A.I. can be spotty; sometimes baddies won’t react to players even when they’re standing right beside them. Upon death, the player character spazzes out in insane ragdoll seizures to end all insane ragdoll seizures. Attacks sometimes lack feedback. Graphical fidelity overall could use a big facelift. Developer Cradle Games because at its core, Hellpoint at the very least offers a competent and entertaining time.
Hellpoint offers a promising blend of inventive new ideas and competent execution of a well-worn formula. Souls fans should find a base level of enjoyment–especially if they’re pining for something akin to “classic” FromSoftware as opposed to departures like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. If Cradle Games can tighten up the framework and presentation, Hellpoint has a chance to stand out among the always-expanding sea of Souls-like experiences.
Hellpoint will release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in Q2 of 2020.