How far would you go for love? I thought I knew the answer until I played Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival. What do I mean by that? Trust me, we will get to it, but first, I want to talk about classic horror movies and how rarely we see quality video game adaptations of them.
Yes, we get asymmetrical 1-vs-4 horror games featuring one killer and a group of survivors running for their lives—I'm looking at you, IllFonic. Those projects can be fun for an evening or a week with a group of friends (assuming you can convince them to shell out $40 or $50), but while they offer solid multiplayer entertainment, narrative is rarely the focus; the cooperative experience takes center stage. You could argue that most horror film franchises don't put narrative front and center anyway, and you would probably be right. However, when they do prioritize storytelling, they become some of my favorite media to consume. Horror can serve as one of the most creative outlets for storytellers, and Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is a prime example of that potential.
Hellraiser: Revival proved to me that a AA game developed and published by Saber Interactive can breathe new life into a iconic horror franchise, delivering compelling narrative depth alongside engaging gameplay.
The Story:
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival's story is probably the least interesting component of the project. That isn't to say it's bad—it's just not particularly gripping, though it does have its moments. You play as Aiden Lynch, quite possibly the most average-looking man you've ever seen, as he searches for his missing girlfriend, Sunny. She is taken by the Cenobites (extra-dimensional beings) within the first ten minutes of the game.
Those opening ten minutes are also among the most gruesome and violent sequences I have ever seen in a video game. It's so visceral that it turned my stomach in the best way possible, leaving me wondering, "How in the hell did this get past the ESRB?" However, I'm glad the game doesn't pull its punches—Hellraiser is inherently violent and gross. You can tell that Saber Interactive truly did their homework on what this franchise represents.
You are inevitably drawn to a cult due to your involvement with the Lament Configuration—yes, the iconic, terrifying puzzle box you likely remember seeing growing up. From there, you get wrapped up in the cult's dealings, attempt to escape, and encounter several intriguing and mysterious characters along the way. While some of these figures feel one-dimensional initially, they truly come to life through scatterings of audio logs, much like in BioShock. In fact, I even felt a deep connection to one of the bosses simply because I took the time to read the notes and listen to the logs prior to our battle, making the fight far more impactful.
Aiden's journey remains engaging primarily because of the extreme lengths he goes to for Sunny, which left me reflecting on a central question: "Would I go this far for love?" However, that question might have hit harder if their relationship felt a bit more authentic and if we were given time with the couple in a mundane, everyday setting before everything fell apart. Just a simple five-minute scene between the two—pure dialogue—would have gone a long way toward establishing how deeply they care for one another.
The Gameplay:
Gameplay is what fascinated me most about Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival. This is a survival horror game through and through, with plenty of action mixed in. It is most comparable to one of my favorite games, Resident Evil 4, with even a dash of BioShock. You have to scavenge for weapons, conserve ammo, craft items, upgrade your arsenal, and, most importantly, survive.
What truly sets the formula apart, however, is the introduction of the Lament Configuration. The box grants you powers like telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and the iconic Hell Chains. Tearing through cultists with those chains is immensely satisfying because of how absurdly powerful they feel. These abilities elevate combat, making encounters feel dynamic and interactive as you scan the environment for objects to hurl with telekinesis while lining up headshots with your revolver.
There are also puzzles within the Labyrinth to break up gameplay that were actually somewhat fun. None of the puzzles pushed me too much, but it was fun moving staircases like I was in Hogwarts. The puzzles typically led you to discover the Pain Pillars, which increase Aidan's maximum health. And I always want as much health as I can get because, let's be honest, I get hit a lot in video games. The one thing that really pulled these segments down was the decision not to include a jump.
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