Hellbound Review
Release date: August 4th, 2020
Developer: Saibot Studios
Platforms: Steam (Reviewed)
Price: $14.99
Demons and explosions rock this world! Gamers are ready to take their demon blasting to the next level. Hellbound should remind gamers of the frantic pace of Serious Sam and Doom 2016. The Gamers Lounge has spent some time with this fast paced FPS and we want more.
Any game that lets me use giant weapons to blast monsters endlessly is a good idea. The game has a great warning at the beginning about this game being made like it was from the 90s. Enemies can get you in one hit and there isn't a refilling health meter. Checkpoints are also few and far between. Gamers are familiar with this type of game, grab a gun and go. The weapons are sparse and the melee weapons really don't serve a purpose. Just use the shotgun a lot but the controls are decent and the feel of the weapons is good.
The environments are not much to look at. This doesn't look like Doom 2016 where I stopped a few times to take in what the level’s looked like. Most of the levels in Hellbound aren't anything you may remember. Overall the story doesn't have much to offer and the game is a little on the short side.There is a survival mode as well as the single player campaign.
So this game is chasing the greats players including myself enjoyed in the 90s, Doom, Quake 1 and 2, Duke Nukem 3D, heck even Rise of the Triad. All of these were games that players like myself at a younger age were blown away by because each of them got better than the last title. While I appreciate what Hellbound is trying to recreate it seems to be missing a few things.
Now if players are looking for a great retro style FPS to capture that intensity, as I mentioned in my Postal 4 Preview, go play Ion Fury or Wrath: Aeon of Ruin. I got a chance to review both games and they are great. Read more here and here. They are $24 vs. $15 for Hellbound but I guarantee both those games will more enjoyable and have more to offer. Thanks to the publisher for letting us review Hellbound.
Final Score
Pros:
Fast paced
Hard like 90s FPS
Cons:
Short story
Doesnt offer anything new
Needs more weapons