Helltaker | a Review
originally posted on 18/08/2020;
Hello everyone, I am the demonically incentivized G.E.M.Simov, a goon with a square jaw and tiny round shades, and today I’m taking on the mantle of Helltaker, by talking about it.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. Also, I am a gameplay designer and a writer so I got the credentials to talk shit.
Gameplay
Helltaker is a game. You may now applaud my incredible perception.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
In all seriousness, Helltaker is, indeed, a game, and it has the gameplay of a spectacular piece of art that is matched, in quality, by only a few games in existence. How come I am that wonderfully kind to this game, right off the bat, heaping incredible praise on top of it? Why, it is because the game deserves it.
Helltaker, when I was informed of its existence, was a game that seemed to be just another dating simulator. As a result of that, I did not feel much draw or interest in playing it. However, as time passed, I got into a conversation with a friend, about that game. And I was told it was a puzzle game.
And then I took a look at the game and saw that it was, indeed, a puzzle game. And I was intrigued by it, so I went ahead and played it. My expectations were quite overwhelmed and crushed completely by the delivery of what this game had to offer.
The puzzles in Helltaker are designed well, each offering a challenge for up to 20 minutes. They also have only one solution, on average, but there are some that have 2 solutions. The challenge is condensed in the fact that the player needs to navigate a field in a set number of moves, and there are a bunch of obstacles in their path.
There is a very real reward at the end of each puzzle that presents the player with a character that has a certain set of characteristics (which are incredibly well conveyed), and the player must figure out what to say to that character. Upon guessing correctly, the player may continue on to the next puzzle.
If Helltaker was exclusively a puzzle game, I would have said that it had passable gameplay. The puzzles were agreeable, but I found myself not feeling as if they were anything all that special. However, there are two other factors that kicked in after I came to that conclusion.
First, the controls of this game are so incredibly smooth it made me sick to my stomach, for I felt as if I was shoving bricks of butter in my mouth and gulping it down. Compared to many other games, the input of a command in Helltaker results in IMMEDIATE action. It’s, in fact, so smooth and responsive, that the player might accidentally input 2 commands instead of one, which might ruin their chances of clearing a puzzle, but makes the game that much more enjoyable to play.
As mentioned in previous reviews, movement is one of the most important things when it comes to the quality of gameplay. It is so important, in fact, that it is quite the defining factor. Movement in Helltaker elevated the gameplay from two thirds to a total of three thirds, because it was just that good.
BUT there is more. There is a segment that involves ACTION. Whatever could that mean? It means that there is a segment in this puzzle game that suddenly makes it become some type of rhythm game that incorporates dodging and attacking. And there are only a few stages of this, but it is done SO well it made me start leaking tears of joy.
How a game, made with the goal of putting up more demon girls on the internet’s radar so the 34th rule could manifest itself, could be that much better than most triple A games released in the last 20 years, is mindblowing. What is worse is that it was made by only 2 people.
These few action sequences are, as I said, incredible. The player needs to dodge out of the way of lines that deal damage to them, if they get hit, and then needs to wave attacks in between those lines. The incredible part is that the damage is fixed, meaning that they cannot instantly kill the player, and the damage the player does is also fixed, meaning that the player needs to be smart.
Best part? It escalates. At first there are lines which are only vertical, and they are reasonably speedy, not hard to dodge but, as the player’s first encounter with them, surprising, for due to the nature of the game up to them, the player probably did not expect something like this. Then horizontal lines are introduced. Then they start intertwining. And, at last, the two types of lines zoom through the field at incredible speeds and the player has just enough time to perceive them and issue up to two commands, if they are fast, or they get hit.
This is how difficulty must be designed in games. Helltaker must be taken, placed on a pedestal, framed, surrounded by pews, and observed by all who want to be game developers. Introduction of a mechanic, perfectly done, ramping up of the mechanic, difficulty CURVE, not spike, CURVE, and then a CRESCENDO… The end.
The fluidity of the movement allows for this section to simply thrive, making it one of the best action sequences in any game I have ever played. I found myself thinking of Undertale and its dodging based gameplay, and I found myself saying out loud that Helltaker was the Dark Souls of puzzle games. It’s just that good. 3/3
Presentation
Now for the reasons why I was under the impression this game was actually a dating simulator - the art and style. Initially, the only thing I had seen of this game were screenshots of the segments where the player talks to characters, and the screen that features the player talking to a character is identical to what I have seen in dating simulators.
In addition to that, the characters are drawn in a style that is heavily inspired by eastern illustration, particularly modern anime. That artstyle is also quite popular, prevalent and overall the only artstyle that I have seen in dating simulators. Thus I was left with the impression that the game was a dating simulator, because it looked like one from what I had seen. What does that mean?
Well, it means that the still artwork is pretty hecking good, ladies and gentlemen. Each character appears unique, yet similar enough to the others to facilitate their relationship (that they occupy similar positions in their workplace and are of the same species). Each character also has two appearances - the still artwork and an animated tiny version that is situated in the levels (being the destination in the puzzles).
These small versions, dubbed 'chibi' by yours truly, based on my exhaustive knowledge of the weeb ways, are a bit less distinct, but they manage to keep themselves appearing unique. If one places them each together, they do have differences that are easily observable.
Why am I getting so into the characters? Because they are the main draw of this game, when it comes to the visuals. The game is 2D, featuring a strange 2,5D perspective, having the characters be looked upon from above but not quite right above their heads. The levels are somewhat distinct, but merge into one big blob of *the setting*. There are a few exceptions. What matters is that each level looks good.
The music was fitting, and there were times where I found myself trying to listen to the soundtrack while also trying to go through the game. The sound effects of the game are spectacular, very adequate and always on point. There is no voice acting, but puzzle games and dating simulators are not known for having those two things.
Overall, I am satisfied with how the game looks, and I can’t really complain. Everything that the player needs to see is clearly pointed out, everything is highlighted, the visual language is concise and understandable. All in all, great work. 3/3
Story
The story of Helltaker is, as follows:
Goon wants harem. Goon goes to hell to get harem. Goon gets harem?
That is, literally, all there is to it, in the simplest of terms. Is that a good story? Perhaps, depends on how it is presented. How is it presented? Alongside a shining 3/3 Presentation score, but that doesn’t truly determine the quality of the story.
The story is very interesting, in the sense that it never truly begins and never truly ends. As soon as the player starts up the game, the first line of text that appears hints at the fact that the player, or the story, has come to a point that is right at the end of the game, which also coincides with the start of the game. The player plays through, as if being told the story by another, but then the story ends, along with the game.
But when the player starts the game, the story has ended, and yet the story is told again. There are situations where the player finds themselves pondering if they are not, themselves, the main character of the story, even though the main character, the titular Helltaker, is clearly defined as his own thing. The player sees images of him, sees him on the screen for at least 80% of the game.
But then the player is made to wonder. Somehow, this simple story about a man wanting to get his dick wet ended up posing a series of relatively serious questions. What is real? What is death? What are things, are they but concepts or are they actual, tangible objects? Is something bound to exist because it is perceived or does it exist even if it is not perceived?
Not only does the player get bombarded with these questions, albeit closer to the end of the game, but the player also has a set of characters to interact with. Each is as colorful as the next, and in just a few lines of text they are given CHARACTER, made unique in their own sense, provided with traits that make them their own persons.
Things that many triple A games fail to do even with hours of dialogue between characters. Ever heard of Fallout 4? Mass Effect: Andromeda? Middle-earth: Shadow of War? These pale in comparison to the characters shown to the player. These three games? They claim to be RPGs, all about character and story. This little game? It’s a puzzle game. Made by two people.
Story is spectacular and its pinky unable to be stepped on by most other games of the last decade. 3/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? Does this short, tiny little game, that’s about a dude going down to hell and getting a harem of demons, to which I have given, so far, a perfect score in every single category, about which I’ve made brave claims along the lines of “one of the best games in the last 20 years”, qualify for the legendary point?
Can I say this game touched me? Did it tickle my fancy? Did it flick my bean? Yes, it did. I liked this game. I said it and I’ll say it again - this game is well made, because it was made with passion and love. It was made not because some idiotic CEO decided he wants more money, but because some schmuckster decided they wanted to do something about an issue they perceived, and then they did. And, what happened then? Helltaker happened, and it is a damn sight to behold.
This game is more game than many other games I’ve played. Games that get millions of dollars pumped into them on a monthly basis, games that have millions of players on a monthly basis. This game is more game than games that have taken years to develop, that have cost hundreds of millions of dollars. This game is, in essence, what EVERY SINGLE GAME DEVELOPER SHOULD STRIVE TO CREATE!
It gets the legendary point. 1/1
Conclusion
10/10. Is Helltaker the Game of the Year? I mean, so far, I have not seen other contenders. Then again, Cyberpunk 2077 is coming out in a month’s time, so maybe it could try to dethrone. Until then, this game is a masterpiece. It’s such a refreshing, incredible bit of passion that it makes me want to put down my metaphorical pen and get down to making a game myself.
I recommend it to everybody, play this game! This is what gaming is - this is a good game - it’s about having fun, being challenged, but not so much that one must invest hours of their lives to get through said challenge, being posed questions that make one think and maybe change their world view, being introduced to memorable characters who stick with the player for a while or leave such an impression that the player wants more!
Helltaker is amazing.
I tuck it under my belt, another shining achievement that I proudly display. It blinds me and every other person in the vicinity - so much so that I caused a chain crash. There were 15 dead people, a truck turned over, twenty vehicles were smashed to bits - all because of how vibrant this game’s wonder is!