“The box. You opened it. We came.” – The Hell Priest
Since 1987 there have been few films before or even after that still send shivers down the spines of horror fans quite like Hellraiser. A story of lust, desire, sex and death. It is impossible to think of Hellraiser without those ingredients, and without the ethereal judges of pain and pleasure, the Cenobites.
The one thing that has always set Hellraiser apart, and of course, the source book The Hellbound Heart by the legendary Clive Barker is that most who dare to seek out and solve the Lament Configuration are not innocent. They foolishly think they know what they seek. They think they have reached full human understanding of pain, pleasure and sensation. But once they solve the puzzle, they all learn the hard way. Ascension comes at a cost. Flesh and soul are the payment, and the Cenobites will collect.
When Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games announced that they were co-developing a single player, narratively driven first person horror survival game set within the Hellraiser universe, we were all understandably skeptical. There’s one thing having Pinhead walk around Dead by Daylight murdering helpless people on multiplayer maps. To tell a story worthy of the source material is a tall ask. Almost as bad as solving the puzzle box itself.
But then they announced that Clive Barker would be intimately involved in the creative process. From concept, story, and even its visuals, Barker had some hand in it. Then we learned that Doug Bradley himself would reprise the role of The Hell Priest, and all the pieces started falling into place.
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR “HELLRAISER: REVIVAL” BELOW
Hellraiser: Revival is finally here. A phrase I once thought impossible. But now comes the delicate dissection of the sights it has shown me. Does Revival tell a story worthy of the Hellraiser name, or is this just another forgotten sequel destined for the bargain bin? Does the atmosphere create the dread and genuine sense of foreboding that being face to face with a Cenobite should convey? Is the gameplay fun and engaging, Do I WANT to play a game where solving its lore usually means submission of my soul? And lastly, do the graphics portray the world of Hellraiser, Leviathan, and the Labyrinth in a believable way? Walk with me in the dark recesses of our desires and let’s find out.
Story
As we mentioned when we played the demo. The story follows Aiden and his girlfriend Sunny engaging in the carnal pleasures the series is known for, when suddenly Sunny is seen holding the Genesis Configuration. She wants to use it to enhance the pleasure she feels, and Aiden is more than willing to grant her such pleasure. But in doing so, she unwittingly offers her blood with that desire and solves the puzzle. Opening the doors to the Labyrinth and inviting in the Cenobites. While under the throes of pure pleasure and pain, she willingly submits her flesh and soul to Leviathan.
Feeling that Sunny didn’t truly know what she signed up for, Aiden vows to save her from the abyss and bring her back from what must be an eternity of pain and anguish disguised as pleasure. But can he save her in time and with both their souls still intact?
First off, I need to emphasize this; The developers at Saber Interactive have done their homework. If wasn’t for all the chains, hooks, needles and soul tearing I’d probably join The Order of the Gash, or at least The Scarlet Church for the amount of deep diving I’ve done in Hellraiser’s lore. Outside of The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels, I have read all the comics, and of course, seen every film in the franchise. This is one of those series that ushered me into my love for horror and opened the gates for extreme horror.
Now that’s out of the way. I really like the story of this game. It utilizes all the lore and extra details to build a narrative that is dripping Hellraiser. This is what the sequels to the more inferior films should have been. From giving the cult leaders powers far beyond that of a human, to bridging the expanded lore across all media. The story takes the best parts of Hellraiser to construct a narrative as complex and repulsive as the source.
That’s not saying that all parts of the story work. For the most part both Aiden and Sunny are basic characters. Theres not too much depth to them as people, and they’re one dimensional. Even as you peel back the layers and find out more about Aiden and his obsession with Sunny, it’s all typical tropes you find within the lore. From substance abuse, violence and physical abuse, lust and sex addiction, to confusing lust with love. Hellraiser has done all this before.
The one good thing is, that means with a well-trodden foundation, they had room to expand in other areas. From Cenobites lore to the inclusion of The Scarlet Church. These facets add the much-needed depth to the almost 40-year-old franchise.
Once the full picture is in clear view by the end, I do say Aiden and Sunny do become much more interesting. Couple that with consistent and meaningful interactions with the Cenobites and I found myself genuinely loving the story and where it was going.
Atmosphere
Another massive win for Revival is that it FEELS like Hellraiser as much as it looks like it. This isn’t just some generic horror FPS game with a Hellraiser skin attached. We know this is Frank Cotton under that Larry skin suit. Which is exactly what we wanted.
The narrative will take you back and forth from the real world to The Labyrinth. Both feel fully constructed. In the real world, you’re mainly in the confines of the church. But this place is massive. From a sex club, sewers, torture rooms, etc. They all give themselves completely to story being told. Each area is either filled with small details of numerous toys for pleasure or pain. The sheer number of dead bodies and blood is truly sickening.
The Labyrinth, on the other hand, is a concrete prison of tight halls and constantly shifting walls. This is a place that reminds you of the world you stepped into. Anyone who’s seen Hellbound: Hellraiser II knows how the Labyrinth looks. This game expands that into areas with chains, hooks, spikes and walls that cut you off as you run from the more famous Cenobites.
Chatterer makes Nemesis feel like a lost puppy. Running from him as the walls shift and giant blades threaten your space as much as your life is truly stressful. In one instance, his impending chase genuinely gave me chills. The other Cenobites also make equally memorable moments, from Butterball reminding you and tempting you of your past obsessions to Deep Throat’s constant menacing tone and seductive sway. Then there’s The Hell Priest himself. Always the puppeteer toying with his victims. His regal visage is just as memorizing to stare at as it is terrifying.
No matter how powerful you become in this game, you never truly feel powerful. Which lends itself perfectly to the horror of it all. When you’re dealing with supernatural enemies and acquire abilities too many times you become too powerful that being beaten by lesser enemies in the last game feels cheap. That is not the case with Revival.
Gameplay
The gameplay is fun for the most part. The melee combat is a little wonky with its dodge mechanic and the 180-degree quick spin can become annoying when things get tense, but the gun play is decent. You have a variety of weapons at your disposal, all ranging from wooden planks and machetes to pistoles and machine guns. The game utilizes The Genesis Configuration both as a weapon and as a tool to solve puzzles. Which is where this game sets itself apart. Bing able to shift areas of the enjoyment, spit fire or even control the Hellchains yourself is just too damn satisfying. The box feeds off the pain and suffering you cause to power its abilities. It never gets old using a rusted sawblade to dismember a cult member.
There are also a good variety of enemies in the game. Along with cult members, you must contend with The Unworthy. A group of almost dead corpses like humans that were deemed unworthy of ascension by The Order. So, they just mindlessly shift and feed like zombies. You can banish them to gain health and replenish even more suffering to power the box.
My only complaint with the banishing mechanic is once The Unworthy are stunned, if you hit them again, they die instantly. And there’s no second chance to stun them again if they recover, they just fall over and die. In one area, I was forced to fight off waves of them in a confined space and in the chaos, it’s easy to mash the attack button when all you have left is your shiv. I ended up killing them more times and losing out on much needed health. Which became increasingly frustrating.
The only other issue that I had was near endgame. Where there was an increasing amount of armored enemies and a severe lack of resources. The difficulty spikes up a bit even playing on the normal setting. I found myself numerous times without any ammo and or health and having to scramble to survive the onslaught of enemies. Luckily, this didn’t kill the experience overall, but it does make me wonder how bad those sections are when playing on higher difficulties.
Graphics
My first thought upon gazing at the dark splendor that is Hellraiser: Revival was I feel bad for anyone planning on streaming this game. Me included, because I wanted this to be the first of many for Truly Disturbing. But with the visuals being as great as they are, the sheer amount of gore, sex and drugs on display would make that ill-advised.
Graphically, this game is gorgeous and repulsive in equal measure. Looking at this as a fan of the series, all the best parts on are on display. The Cenobites look just as they should, if not even better. The attention to detail is gasp inducing and sickening. Just as much as you’ll see naked bodies preparing themselves for the deepest pleasures, you also see the aftermath of those pleasures. Seeing a dismembered torso with BDSM straps attached paints a disturbing picture. And that’s a very tame description for other things waiting in the darkness. This game has sights to show you, and the sights don’t care if you don’t want to see them. They know you won’t look away.
Final Word
When Hellraiser: Revival was announced a year ago, I was more or less pessimistic about the outcome. But to my surprise, the team at Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games not only opened the box but learned to solve it as well. They did not hold back on any aspect of what makes this a true Hellraiser experience, and with the knowledge on display also proves this was more than just another game in their catalog. They fully understood the assignment, and I had a blast surrendering myself to the deepest pleasures, even if sometimes my suffering was less enjoyable and more infuriating.
I give Hellraiser: Revival 4 Configurations Out of 5
Steam Key Provided By Saber Interactive
Hellraiser: Revival Out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC