Preview: Hellraiser: Revival — a faithful, brutal adaptation that makes the puzzle box matter

The useful part

Revival Preview – This is not Hellraiser-lite | TheSixthAxis There are some horror franchises where you can make a reasonably safe prediction about what their video game adaptation will look like. Clive Barker's creation has always been about more than monsters and gore, blurring the lines between pain, pleasure and obsession. Revival is a first-person action horror game following Aidan Lynch, who finds himself drawn into the Labyrinth while trying to rescue his girlfriend, Sunny.

How it works

• At the centre of the experience is the Genesis Configuration, a mysterious puzzle box that gives Aidan abilities that are considerably more useful than simply summoning Cenobites.
• Our demo started in a more grounded environment, with Aidan exploring and attempting to find his way through a series of rooms.
• There's combat, but this isn't a game that encourages you to simply charge into every encounter with guns blazing.
• In fact, I quickly found myself getting overwhelmed when I tried to do exactly that.
• Enemies are aggressive, ammunition is limited and there are environmental hazards, like bear traps, to contend with.

What to take from it

These moments are important because they demonstrate that Revival isn't relying solely on the Hellraiser name to create its horror. It creates a nice balance between action and survival horror, and after playing it, I think that might be Revival's biggest strength. A stealthier, more tactical approach feels like the better option, particularly when you don't know what might be waiting around the next corner.

Example or evidence

• There's a survival-horror structure, limited resources, exploration, environmental puzzles and even a menu system that immediately reminded me of Resident Evil 4.
• There's an attempt here to build tension and psychological discomfort alongside the physical brutality.
• It's a fantastic way of making the central Hellraiser concept relevant to the actual gameplay.
• As Aidan ventures into the Hellraiser equivalent of the Otherworld, the rules of reality become considerably less reliable.

Details worth keeping

The real star of the combat, of course, is the Genesis Configuration. It gets considerably stranger once you enter the Labyrinth. Here, the Genesis Configuration becomes a puzzle-solving tool as well as a weapon.

Related coverage

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