Hellraiser Revival is both a loving tribute to the films and a solid horror game, but what’s most interesting is how it made me feel.
Hellraiser Revival thrusts you into a world that's both familiar yet foreign, forcing you to tackle its themes head-on, and giving you a variety of fun tools to do so. Its characters are intriguing, its narrative is cohesive, and, most importantly, it's a perfect tribute to the source material. You'll need to spank a few gimps to save Sunny, but beyond its risqué themes, there's a solid horror experience there that's a must for fans of the franchise, and anyone who loves a good scare.
There's a moment in Hellraiser Revival where you're trapped in a tight, cubic room with no doors. The eerie sound of footsteps reverberates off the walls; it's deafening in this tight little box, and it's getting consistently louder. Yet, for barely a few seconds, the footsteps stop; for me, it seems like a lifetime. I feel myself clutching my mouse for some sort of moral support; I know something is coming, but I can't look away. The silence is crushing: there's just the ragged whispers of my breath, and the sound of my mind playing tricks on me. This moment - short as it is - encapsulates everything that Hellraiser Revival does well: it toys with you like a lion with a mouse, and it knows that, secretly, you like it.
Hellraiser Revival casts you as Aidan, whose girlfriend, Sunny, has been inducted into the Cenobites' beastly Labyrinth after a particularly raucous evening that involves myriad needles, chains, and the Genesis Configuration (colloquially known as 'The Box'). After being abducted by the Cult of the Scarlet Church - an order dedicated to worshipping the Cenobites - Aidan hears Sunny calling to him from The Labyrinth, and chooses to wade knee-deep into the fray to try and bring her back. A mysterious deal with Pinhead later, the bargain is set: the Cenobites will return Sunny to Aidan, but at the cost of his own flesh. What that means is relatively unclear, but it probably isn't anything good.
I'm going to take a pause here to warn you that Hellraiser Revival isn't for the faint of heart. It deals with serious, real-life themes including sadomasochism and BDSM, abuse, substance abuse, and extreme violence. Some of the relationships in the game are deeply unhealthy, including Aidan and Sunny's. If these are themes that distress you, that's entirely okay. But it may mean that Hellraiser Revival - and this review by proxy - aren't quite for you. Reader discretion is advised.
Let's start at the very beginning. This is a Hellraiser story, and as such, it has to fit with the overarching feel of the movies and Clive Barker's 1986 novella, The Hellbound Heart. That, in itself, is no easy task; there's deep, well-established lore here, and a passionate fandom that'll be quick to spot any errors. Thankfully, Saber has done an outstanding job of bringing the world and its characters to vivid, unchained life.
The cinematics are absolutely gorgeous. In many ways, Hellraiser Revival feels like a playable movie; I'd happily sit back with some popcorn and watch Aidan and Sunny's tale of woe unfold (literally) in front of my eyes for an evening. I don't know what Cenobite tech Saber has implemented here, but its models look amazing, and the toggleable '80s movie filter is a nice touch.
That, of course, extends to the Cenobites themselves. Anytime Pinhead is on-screen, he dominates. I found myself unable to take my eyes off of him; the way that he talks; his stiffened stature and almost ethereal, angelic feel. He perfectly encapsulates the phrase 'demons to some, angels to others;' he's an odd juxtaposition of foul and regal that leaves you both unsettled and intrigued. Even when the focus is Sunny or Aidan, or any of the other Cenobites for that matter, your eyes are on Pinhead - as, in many ways, they should be.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pcgamesn.com/hellraiser-revival/review
