Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival Review

The (now) cult classic Hellraiser first hit theaters in 1987, with its sequel hitting in 1988 – something seemingly completely alien in today’s entertainment industry!

The franchise now spans eleven movies in total, with the most recent being 2022’s Hellraiser.

While now may seem odd for a debut Hellraiser game (complete anyway), the horror genre has never been more ready for Saber Interactive‘s Hellraiser: Revival.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival Review

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Following the story of Aidan Lynch and his girlfriend Sunny, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival kicks off with the duo accidentally summoning the Cenobites in Hellraiser’s traditionally lusty way.

With Sunny pulled into the Labyrinth, Aidan tries to track her down after escaping the Scarlet Church – a deeply disturbing group of cult worshipers of the Cenobites.

Hellraiser: Revival’s draws clear inspiration from the Resident Evil series regarding its approach to navigation, puzzles, and combat. It will instantly feel familiar to fans of the older releases in Capcom’s iconic horror franchise – for better or worse.

Although perfectly paced, splitting Aidan between the puzzle and horror-fueled world of the Labyrinth and the often more disturbing and combat-focused reality of the Scarlet Church group leaves some gameplay elements feeling forced.

Combat in Hellraiser: Revival provides a mix of melee, gunplay, and supernatural-like powers fueled by the cube. While each is simplistic in design, combined they keep combat fresh and varied throughout.

Melee combat in Hellraiser: Revival consists of a simple mix of dodging and swinging. While gunplay is satisfying, it benefits from such a degree of auto-aim it’s nearly impossible to miss something – even if you actively try.

Supernatural-like abilities granted by the cube require Suffering (a mana system of sorts) to power, but in turn give Aidan access to telekinetic abilities.

All of these elements feel a bit strange, similar to gathering coins to pay merchants for equipment, gun upgrades, and medical supplies. A crafting system encourages exploration to find resources and materials to create vital items, which somewhat works.

While fitting for a modern horror title, it feels out of place in a Hellraiser experience. Thankfully, the story and Labyrinth sections feel about as Hellraiser as they can be outside a movie theater.

Chase scenes are scattered throughout Hellraiser: Revival, with Aidan (trying to) avoid genuinely grotesque and terrifying creatures. These brief but cinematic sequences provide some of the most intense and pulse-pounding gameplay Hellraiser: Revival has to offer, but some do fall victim to horror’s biggest weakness: Repetition.

Many chase scenes require the player to utilize the quick turn-around feature, which involves holding down on the left thumbstick while simultaneously pressing L3. While not a complete mess, it doesn’t feel very intuitive and will likely to result in the occasional fail.

Hellraiser: Revival’s chase scenes provide a terrifying experience on their first attempt, but those that take the wrong route, don’t turn quickly enough, or fail to solve a poorly placed puzzle in the right amount of time will repeat the entire chase scene once more.

This title features a technically flawless presentation without any serious performance issues.

As a complete package, Hellraiser: Revival is a visual nightmare. From strung-up bodies leaking entrails to the never-ending maze corridors of the Labyrinth, Hellraiser: Revival is a great looking game.

Its excellent visual package is only overshadowed by Hellraiser: Revival’s excellent audio design that will make your skin crawl in certain places.

You will struggle to find a game that captures the essence of its source material as accurately as Hellraiser: Revival does. It manages to be grotesque and disturbing, while also being fascinating and engrossing.

Hellraiser: Revival is the complete horror package, although it would benefit from a greater gameplay focus on the source material in lieu of modern gaming trend tropes.

Hellraiser: Revival is at its best when its horror gamification takes a back seat, providing a world that is equal parts depraved and disturbing, scary and thrilling.

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