Painkiller Review

Painfully Mediocre

HIGH Guns, but not lots of guns!

LOW Mediocre on every level.

WTF Who makes jokes while covered in demon blood, fighting for his soul!?

Painkiller is one of those series that, despite having a bumpy ride and meeting little acclaim, somehow managed to remain active in the game industry. Anshar Studios’ attempt to revive the series and revamp it as a co-op arena shooter was a bold decision that, unfortunately, brings no relief from demonic curse hanging over the franchise.

The original Painkiller was a dark, gothic version of DOOM in an era when ID Software was already trying new ideas with DOOM 3. Call of Duty was becoming the next Medal of Honor‌, and the age of fast-paced arena shooters was nearly over. Then came Painkiller with its ‘man caught in the war between heaven and hell’ theme, fast-paced, gory action, sick enemies and slick weapons. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but it held some promise. Unfortunately, the stand-alone expansions that were released for it over the next eight years failed to grow the original’s minor success.

A reboot of the series is a great idea, but not as a co-op shooter. Though this new iteration of Painkiller has a story that follows the same general ‘people caught in the war between heaven and hell” and features four playable characters to choose from, I honestly can’t remember anything about the story being narrated via dialogue between characters during intense bouts of frantic arena shooting! Of course, the story is just an excuse for the gameplay to happen when it comes to online co-op shooters like this, but even with such a low bar, Painkiller’s story — what I can recall of it, anyway — is just a bad excuse for corny comic relief.

There are two modes to choose from, and both can be played with up to two other players or AI bots. The first is Raids, where players need to complete a total of nine missions in three biomes — basically, the main focus of Painkiller and its story. The second is a roguelike mode in which players start with random weapons and gradually upgrade them through the run by completing various arenas.

There are six different weapons in Painkiller, including the usual suspects — SMG, shotgun, rocket launcher and so on, plus the series’ iconic Stake Gun and a shuriken shooter called the Electrodriver. Each weapon has two secondary modes that inflict elemental or splash damage at the cost of using energy that can be replenished gradually or through takedowns. Though the gun variety isn’t anything too exciting, the secondary modes encourage experimentation and and the drive to unlock and upgrade them adds a fair amount of replay to missions.

Unfortunately, like the straightforward weapon array, Painkiller also lacks mission and enemy variety.

There are three different enemy types — hordes of generic melee fighters, specialists such as snipers or shield bearers, and five mini-bosses. Though the aesthetics of the enemies change in each biome, their combat style remains the same, especially for the mini bosses that are just recurring damage sponges.

There’s just no strategic thinking required to face them, and no need to prioritize between them other than focusing on a mini-boss if there’s one in the area, as hordes keep coming as long as the boss is alive. Unlike the original Painkiller, enemies here have no thematic connections or bond to the narrative and biomes they’re found in — which is appropriate, I guess, as the biomes don’t have much identity either. Every area looks like the same generic tormented and hellish landscapes — it’s almost like someone asked an AI ti give them a few variations on what purgatory looks like.

The mission design of the game is no better. It’s mostly “kill three waves of demons” or “fill the tank with demon blood”. Though there are some unique escort missions and boss fights throughout the nine levels, they are few and far between. Players earn rewards by completing missions, which allows them to upgrade their weapons or unlock new ones, as well as getting random passive buffs such as increased health or damage through buying and equipping tarot cards. Once again, generic missions played with generic power-ups and fighting generic enemies is all that can be said about the gameplay loop of Painkiller.

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of Painkiller is the forced co-op. Players have three lives, and there’s no option to go through the campaign solo. Dying during a mission and being revived by a teammate will cost one life, but if the player’s teammates are dead (with lives remaining) and waiting for revival, the player’s death ends the mission! This might be fine when playing with two friends, but the scenario is a recipe for fail when playing with two bots.

While Painkiller’s attempt to reboot is a worthy goal, but the reality is that it just doesn’t get the franchise where it needs to go, as it’s not something easily recommended to a friend thanks to its mediocre nature, nor is it a a true single-player experience for those old-school Painkiller fans out there. Just like its protagonists, the game is caught in a purgatory between the modern online gaming landscape and its classic arena shooter legacy, fighting for a redemption that isn’t looking likely to come.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is published by 3D Realms and developed by Anshar Studios. It is available on PC, PS5, and XBO/X/S. This copy was obtained via publisher and was reviewed on PC. Approximately 5 hours were spent in coop and the game was not completed.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M for Blood, Language and Violence. The site reads: Painkiller is rated M for Mature 17+ by the ESRB with Blood and Gore, Language, and Violence. This is a first-person shooter in which players battle their way through Purgatory as they try to stop a villainous angel Azazael from harming Earth. Players use guns, crossbows, and elemental attacks to kill demons and monsters in frenetic combat. Fighting is highlighted by frequent gunfire, cries of pain, and large blood-splatter effects. Several attacks/weapons cause enemies’ heads to explode, and some environments depict heads/skulls on spikes. The word “sh*t” appears in the game.

Colorblind Modes: Colorblind modes are present in the options menu.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Gamers: There are subtitles and visual options available in the game, all of which can be adjusted. There were no audio cues of note. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: The controls can be remapped.

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