Can Boss Team Games and Saber Interactive do the Hell Priest Pinhead and his merry crew of Cinobites justice in this cult classic franchise’s first-ever video game, Hellraiser: Revival
What is Hellraiser
To understand the monumental task ahead of Boss Team Games and Saber Interactive, we first need to understand Hellraiser itself.
Created by horror writer and filmmaker Clive Barker, the first Hellraiser movie was released in 1987, and there are currently 11 main instalments in the franchise
Hellraiser was hit with instant backlash because of its “brutal, graphic violence with bloodletting throughout, horror, degradation, sexual violence and torture,” leading quite a few countries, including Canada, America, Australia and Germany, to either outright ban it or make severe cuts that would later be reinstated in VHS releases.
The core ideals are that there is a plane of existence called the Labyrinth, where pain and pleasure are an inseparable continuum.
A toymaker upon Earth creates a puzzle box that, when solved, will summon the priests of the Labyrinth, often called Cenobites. These priests are extra-dimensional beings of extreme sadomasochism, who come to earth to find humans who are on a relentless pursuit of ultimate physical and sensory experiences.
The most famous of the priests is the Lead Cenobite, which fans have nicknamed “Pinhead”. A pale gentleman, clad head to toe in a flowing black leather corset adorned with a crown of 9-inch nails evenly hammered into his face and head. Unlike other demons, the priests are not purely evil, but rather neutral, supernatural entities governed by strict cosmic rules.
Hellraiser: Revival
When Hellraiser: Revival was first revealed, I was instantly excited and cautious. Movie games almost never hit, and no one had ever tried to make a game out of this franchise. How would it even work? Would we play as Pinhead? My head was spinning.
Thankfully, Boss Team Games and Saber Interactive were on the job. With a slew of horror hits over the past few years, we were in good hands.
Saber Interactive has gone with an original story. You play as Aidan, a man driven by excess. Sex, drugs, crime, violence, anything that will make him feel. When your girlfriend Sunny disappears in a cloud of mist, you must hunt down members of a sadistic cult and save Sunny from a hellish abyss.
“We have such sights to show you”
From the very first second, Saber Interactive turns it up to 11. Hellraiser: Revival is rated 18+ here in Australia, and I can see why. If you are squeamish, Hellraiser: Revival is not for you. BDSM-inspired sexual themes, full frontal nudity, drugs, intense psychological themes, violence, blood, gore, and graphic torture scenes are just some of what happened in the first 10 minutes, and I am here for every second of the 8-to-10-hour story.
Ultra Violence
We spend most of our time in a Gentleman’s club, which is a front for a cult that is trying to create Cenobites on Earth. The front of the club is all fun and games.
While the VIP area and beyond is full of horrors you can’t even imagine.
You will fight against two very different enemies. The cultists are kitted out in BDSM gear and have some hilarious things to say. They are quite aggressive in melee but will often try to flank or take cover with ranged weapons.
Then there are the Unworthy. These poor souls are the failed experiments of the Scarlet Church in pursuit of godhood. These are super aggressive husks that will stop at nothing to destroy you in the hopes that it will bring salvation. These Unworthy can be banished through a graphic execution to consume their suffering.
Like every good survival horror, Aiden must use cunning and violence to achieve his goal.
The combat is both melee and ranged. Use everything from planks of wood to bats and machetes to eviscerate your foes. The melee combat is very fluid, and movement feels good with a small dodge and no block. All melee weapons have durability, which is easily kept track of by the HUD. No weapons seem to do any more or less damage, but later some of them have more durability. Weapons can be repaired by repair kits and upgrade kits, but it’s not necessary.
The combat is graphic, with gashes and cuts appearing on enemies until the final blow can dismember or decapitate. If your opponent is wearing armour, your blades do nothing, so you must bludgeon.
Stealth is an option, with stealth takedowns, but where is the fun in that? I played on normal, and it was a challenge at parts; I’m sure on harder difficulties stealth will be a must.
Ranged combat is just as fun. The guns feel powerful and will disintegrate enemies with direct hits. Your core weapons are there: handguns, automatic rifles, and my personal favourite, the shotgun.
Eventually you will enter the Labyrinth, and it lives up to its name. Endless corridors of never-ending torture and misery that feel alive. It reminds me of “Relativity” a painting by M.C. Escher which depicts an impossible world of interconnected staircases that defy the laws of physics.
“The box. You opened it. We came.”
Surprise surprise, a survival horror game has puzzles. Hellraiser: Revival has an array of puzzles to open doors, find keys, and progress through the story. There is no puzzle difficulty or hint system, but they are pretty straightforward, with only one optional lock box code giving me a bit of grief.
You also have to battle inventory management. At the start, it’s limiting, but as you progress, you will find inventory slot upgrades.
There are collectables and notes to find to expand on the story. You can sell the collectables at a mysterious vendor… who will have items to help you on your journey.
“We’ll tear your soul apart!”
The audio design of Hellraiser: Revival is superb. There is constant screaming and howling of victims that is jarring at the start. Then it becomes white noise, and upon entering the Labyrinth, the silence is deafening.
The heavy electronic soundtrack is perfect. There is one scene in a sex club with Peaches thumbing over the sound system that was utter perfection. With the ability to toggle licensed music for your streaming needs. Though honestly, I’m not sure this is a streaming game.
The script is fun, full of exactly the over-the-top nonsense you would expect from a Hellraiser. Xalavier Nelson Jr., who you might know from developing El Paso, Elsewhere, voices Aidan, and he does a great job. What would a Hellraiser be without Doug Bradley? Doug has played Pinhead in 8 of the 11 Hellraiser films, so it wouldn’t feel right without him.
Performance.
I played Hellraiser: Revival on the Xbox Series X, and it ran flawlessly. I did not have a single crash, and even during the big action pieces there were no noticeable frame drops.
Verdict.
Hellraiser: Revival is stunning. Saber Interactive has nailed an original story worthy of the name Hellraiser, which should solidify it as entry number 12 in the Hellraiser franchise.
As a survival horror game, it’s brilliant, with fluid melee combat and brutal executions; Hellraiser: Revival will push you to the limits of pleasure and pain.
Just remember, no tears, please. It’s a waste of good suffering.
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival was reviewed on Xbox Series X. Gamer Social Club would like to thank the devs and the publisher for the code.
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