by Sirfalcon
The mix of 3rd person shooters with the added dose of supernatural powers has become a common oddity in games as of late. Metropolis studios and PlayLogic hop aboard the bandwagon with their latest title known as Infernal Hell’s Vengeance. Players assume the role of Ryan Lennox, who is recruited by Hell to help fight the Etherlight known as the heaven’s own secret agency. With the mix of guns and supernatural powers, Lennox feeds on defeated souls to gain the edge in combat.
Graphics. Considering that Infernal is a low-key title and all, I didn’t expect much from the intro. The main menu showed the creativity of black and white montages showcasing the main character, which was great. Many of the environments are barren and dry and don’t have much going for them. Besides the occasional reflective surfaces here and there, there isn’t much going on in the department of graphics. Many of the cutscenes look as if they were created for the original Xbox. The character models in Infernal are also an eyesore as well as the cinemas. The game fails to show certain objectives, which allows the player to progress throughout the game. An example of such is an encounter I had with an room comprised mainly of all glass. The game taught me how to crouch but didn’t show any notification that the glass in front of me needed to be broken when the whole room was clearly made out of glass. How was I supposed to know that I was supposed to break that specific pane of glass when they all look the same?
Control. The controls are just nerve-racking! Why would a reload button be mapped to the Left Bumper (LB), it’s just not logical. Many of the other controls are typical for a shooter but suffer from slow startup animations, which creates a hindrance on the player. Dodging has one of the worst controls I’ve seen in a game of this genre. By double tapping the left stick in any direction Ryan will dodge in the chosen direction. This can be problematic when in a firefight, because it’s not completely accurate. You might just tumble into some flames or off a cliff, which isn’t pretty to say the least. Wall cover suffers from the same problems. Taking cover is initiated by pressing the left analog stick in the direction of the wall, granting you access to wall cover. Mixing the dodge with the wall cover can be conflicting.
Sound. Infernal boasts a rocking soundtrack but it can get a little repetitive throughout the game. Hearing the same theme over and over for every gunfight loses its shine a couple hours into the game. Many of the voice actors are just plain boring and sometimes I feel if they aren’t even trying to act at all. Well, at least the main character sounds passable. Many of the sound effects are just your run of the mill noises that are typical for a shooter but nothing really stands out here.
Gameplay. Infernal is packed with a grand total of 5 levels, which will take around 10 hours or so to complete. Many of the levels just require you to find keycards to open doors and clear out enemies. The powers are cool at first, but after a while they start to feel like an encumbrance. If it wasn’t for the fact that you lose ammo way too quick and you need your powers to increase the effect of your attacks, your powers would probably never be used. Harnessing the powers from hell you’d expect them to be top-notch, mind blowing powers. Nope! Instead you’re meant to suffer with small powers such as charge shots, teleportation, and telekinesis.
The gunplay isn’t bad but when it comes to the targeting reticule, Infernal is in a world of hurt. The crosshair is just too small and doesn’t even show any type of color notification when targeting enemies. Sometimes you may be shooting over an enemy’s shoulder without realizing it, and then all of a sudden you’re out of ammo. All right! Time to get some ammo! Oh, and maybe some health too while I am at it. Ryan has the ability to absorb health and take ammo from fallen enemies. Again, that crosshair creates a problem because of its size. The crosshair literally has to be on top of the target or else you’re not given the option to use it. This involves absorbing souls, using computer consoles, and using release valves in the game.
Overall. Infernal Hell’s Vengeance is a long and tedious game. If you can bear playing through the game, there is nothing to gain from it except achievements. In the long run, Infernal suffers from poor game design, mediocre acting, and long repetitive levels. If this is an example of Hell’s bidding, I wouldn’t be caught doing his deeds.
