Making sequels is hard. Not only do you have to match the quality of the predecessor, but you also have to improve and expand on it. Then there are the sequels that barely have anything to do with the original. Video games and movies are chock-full of such sequels. Some manage to evade the ire of the fans by calling themselves a reboot, a reimagining, a remake. Some do not have that luxury. Not all games can be Quake 2. The Painkiller IP is cursed with such “quasi” sequels. The first Painkiller and its expansion, Battle Out of Hell, carved a nice little niche spot among FPS fans and is fondly remembered. What followed was a slew of “okay” to downright “awful” spinoffs and reboots. The only reason I even remember some of them is because I bought the Painkiller bundle on Steam.
The latest one to join the list is Anshar Studio’s Painkiller (just Painkiller). I did like Anshar’s previous game, Gamedec, but didn’t know what to expect from Painkiller. It’s touted as a “reimagining,” but completely ditching the linear, story-driven arena shooter model in favor of a co-op-focused horde shooter was a hard pill to swallow, and it’s even painful when you play it. It’s not a terrible game by any means, but it’s not Painkiller. Of course, one can try to apply the tried and tired “it’s not an X game but a good game in its own right” argument, but even then, Painkiller comes up short.
Afterlife
The storytelling was never Painkiller’s strongest suit, but what was there served its purpose, whether you were playing as Daniel or Belial. If it wasn’t for the opening cinematic, I’d have forgotten that Painkiller 2025 even has a story. The gist of the matter is that the fallen angel Azazel is gearing up to unleash his demonic forces of hell. You play as one of four souls doomed to purgatory. The Creator gives you a chance for redemption- kill Azazel’s children and piss on his invasion plan. It’s a callback to the plot of the original, but there’s nothing memorable this time around. There are no cool cutscenes, nor any interesting characters. The four playable characters are as charismatic as a wet towel. Painkiller 2025 is a purely gameplay-driven experience, and that too comes up short.
Putting the Pain in Painkiller
Painkiller’s gameplay is fine. That’s the best compliment I can give it. It’s a pretty standard horde shooter where the gameplay is broken down into completing set tasks across different arenas per level. The movement is great (with one of the best sliding mechanics ever), and the shooting is generally serviceable. There is an extensive weapon customization system available for each of its seven weapons, and they all feel fun to use. Weapon upgrades can be unlocked by completing challenges and earning currency, both of which don’t require much grinding. The classic Painkiller melee weapon, the Stakegun, and the beloved Boomstick make a return. Accompanying them are your standard Rocket Launcher, SMG, and a sick Handcannon and a Shuriken Launcher. By far, the best aspects of the game are its movement and gunplay.
Unfortunately, the core gameplay loop is very uninspired. If you’ve played any horde shooter since L4D, then there’ll be no surprises here. The most “unique” aspect of Painkiller is its returning Tarot Cards, which are just glorified level modifiers. There are only 9 maps in total, 3 for each biome. Each biome culminates in a boss, and you move on to the next one. The whole game can be completed in under 10 hours (even on the highest difficulty), and there’s not much incentive to grind levels. There is an optional Roguelite mode, and that’s that.
Namesake
I’m a huge sucker for co-op games. So much so that I have over a thousand hours in Vermintide 2. I would be lying if I didn’t have fun with Painkiller. But that can be broken down into so many factors, the biggest of which is my squad of 7 years. We can watch paint dry together and have some fun out of it. Painkiller 2025 is a strictly co-op game. Even if you decide to play it solo, you’ll have to play with BOTS, and we all know how everyone loves playing with brain-dead BOTS. While we did have fun, I don’t think we’ll return to the game with the currently available content. There are so many exceptional horde shooters out there, and you have to do something refreshing to stand out.
Before wrapping up this review, shoutout to the team’s decision to ditch Unreal Engine 5 in favor of UE4. The game runs like butter on even 10-year-old systems. My squadmate, who’s still proudly rocking an i7 4790k, had no problem running the game smoothly. Plus, it also looks pretty decent with pretty environments (as pretty as hell can get) and lots of things happening on screen at once. +1 for the optimization.
Real Talk
Painkiller is a hard game to recommend. It’s certainly not made with the loyal fans in mind and does little to appeal to the new crowd. Even if you’re dead-set on getting on sale, I recommend buying your best mates extra copies because the real painkillers are the friends we made along the way.
FINAL SCORE: 60/100