Superb bullet hell shooter
If you like your action fast, furious and gritty, then you'll love this bullet hell shooter that mixes a horror-themed narrative with some serious blasting to create an old-school experience that provides one hell of a ride. Players take on the role of Daniel Garner, an ordinary guy with a slightly shady past who gets killed in a car crash along with his somewhat purer wife. She gets into Heaven but thanks to his history, Daniel winds up in Purgatory where he gets recruited as a 'caseworker', which basically involves hunting down the minions of Hell and making sure they stay there. Lucifer is planning on busting out of his domain so it's up to Daniel to bring an end to his plans for domination and keep him in his rightful place. Painkiller is very much an old-school shooter, along the lines of Duke Nukem, Quake and Wolfenstein. There's no real pretence at depth or complexity and there are no puzzles to trouble your brain here but what the game does have is action and lots of it. as with any good shooter, you have an arsenal of weapons to help take down Hell's minions and while it may be a little limited for some, what is on display here is impressive and immensely satisfying to use, with the likes of rocket gatlings and stake guns proving a lot of fun. The game also delivers in the visuals department, with some seriously spooky and atmospheric environments to explore and which are backed up by a great soundtrack. If complaints are to be made, Painkiller does get a tad repetitive at times while the high difficulty level may put some off. However, apart from this, it remains a top notch shooter that provides heaps of violent action and thrills.
