Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is Resident Evil dressed in leather

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In my experience with Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, I anticipated a game similar to Outlast, characterized by first-person horror and lots of running and hiding. However, it offered more than just that; it was essentially Resident Evil dressed up in a gimp suit.

During my Gamescom play session, assistant game director Aleksandra Pelivanovic shared that Resident Evil 7, 8, and 4 served as significant inspirations and references for their project. After playing, I can confirm this seems accurate, yet the game still maintains a distinct atmosphere reminiscent of Hellraiser.

Prior to starting, I received a content advisory indicating graphic sexual content and intense violence, essentially preparing me for Hellraiser. The gaming station was equipped with a barf bag for sensitive reporters.

Assistant Game Director, Srdan Nedic explained to me that they pushed their limits to ensure a fair representation of the franchise.

Pelivanovic emphasizes that while they don’t include graphic violence or gore indiscriminately, such elements are integral to the story and the franchise. He explains that there’s a profound message embedded within it, but one that can only be fully grasped by playing the game itself. During his research on the franchise, he discovered its depth and significance in exploring themes such as emptiness, fulfilling those voids, and personal desires.

The story begins with an intense S&M scene involving pain and pleasure, depicted graphically as needles pierce through nipples. A man and a woman engage in this act while interacting with a strange, electrically charged cube that connects their bodies, causing them to express intense pleasure. However, unexpectedly, a gateway to Hell appears, and they decide to explore it momentarily. This transitional area, characterized by its chilliness and brutalist architecture, allures them with incomprehensible carnal delights. The woman then ventures off, leaving you, the character you control, feeling betrayed as she disappears down a corridor.

This chain labyrinth of meat hooks and spikes, reminiscent for ’80s kids whose parents considered movie ratings as a limit, is a chilling reminder of Pinhead’s presence, along with the Chatterer. The haunting memories of your childhood horrors lurk in the depths of your subconscious, hidden within this grim, concrete fortress teeming with monstrous beings sporting an unsettling number of limbs – a grotesque blend of spiders and human jigsaw puzzles.

In this game, you take on the role of Aidan Lynch, a fearless yet intellectually unsophisticated member of a biker gang, who finds himself stark naked for the initial 30 minutes of gameplay. After managing to break free from another realm, Aidan’s predicament doesn’t improve significantly, as he is seized and subjected to drugs by adherents of the Scarlet Church, an organization known for their twisted combination of pleasure and pain. Remarkably, Aidan remains in his natural state throughout this ordeal.

The developers explain that the game features a balance of 60% real-world elements and 40% labyrinth scenes for pacing considerations. Similarly, the demo showcases 60% non-nudity and 40% nude content, with a focus on the nude elements.

Upon awakening, I find myself painfully and stark naked, suspended in a chair by gruesome means – meat hooks, stitches, and nails. These agonizing devices are my only companions until solitude grants me the opportunity to remove them, leaving me face-to-face with my own bloodied slug-like entity. If there’s an award for the longest moments of discomfort in a game introduction, Hellraiser: Revival undoubtedly takes the crown.

Once you liberate yourself and your person from the confines of the chair, you’re swiftly transported back to that other realm, where you find yourself pursued relentlessly by the Chatterer. This experience mirrors my initial expectations for the entire game. Here, you’re unarmed and disoriented, compelled to flee, altering your course when it appears in front of you. If it catches up, a gruesome demise awaits. However, what follows took me completely aback. You receive attire! It might sound unusual, but let me explain…

In this context, “willy” refers to the male genitalia, and “chase” implies being pursued. The phrase “you get clothes!” is a metaphorical way of saying that something unexpected happens in the game, which is explained later on.

Hellraiser: Revival offers a gritty, first-person combat experience that shares similarities with Condemned: Criminal Origins. Instead of sophisticated weapons, you wield crude tools such as pipes and bats against armor, and sharp implements like knives against flesh. Stealth is an option, enabling you to evade enemies undetected or catch them off guard for a surprise attack, often involving a well-placed neck strike. Guns are available, although ammo is scarce, which gives it a strong survival horror feel and differs from my initial expectations. Additionally, you can discover currency that can be used to purchase items and upgrades.

Nedic explains, “You acquire various firearms and weapons, along with the cube’s abilities. These abilities give players considerable power. They can control sharp items, chains, and other forces. The gameplay offers a great deal of player freedom – they can sneak, use powers, engage in melee combat, or employ ranged tactics.

Although I can’t predict success just yet because I haven’t seen all the mechanics in action throughout the game, I must admit that it has caught my interest and I’m eager to discover more about it.

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2025-08-28 13:47