Painkiller: Hell and Damnation is showing its age. Since the original Painkiller released eight years ago, game design has drastically changed. Before the ubiquity of the military-FPS, regenerating health, and being limited to two weapons…there was Painkiller and its ilk. These days, bunny-hopping around an arena-style map isn’t just novel; it’s nostalgic.
Painkiller: Hell and Damnation casts the player as Daniel Garner: a man dead from the beginning and trying to ascend to heaven…or bring his wife back from the dead. It’s never really clear which, and it doesn’t need to be. That’s the beauty of Painkiller; the writing, the acting, and the narrative blend the stupid and the insane like bananas and chocolate. The story exists solely to drive fantastical scenarios with interesting enemies. Why does Death want you to collect 7000 souls? Because killing 7000 monsters is fun. Why is Eve, a scantily clad woman, hanging out with Daniel? She doesn’t add much to the story, but it’s through her you get an excuse to kill Death. Every narrative element exists for the sake of framing increasingly impossible situations. If the game weren’t so much fun, I could fault the story.
Wacky story aside, Painkiller’s main draw is gibbing monsters. Each weapon feels unique and has a devious twist. Since shotguns are too normal, they have a secondary fire that can freeze enemies. Already insane weapons become crazier; a gun that fires massive, wooden stakes also fires a grenade; a gun that shoots five bolts of rebar also launches a dozen or so bouncing explosives. The shooting and general gameplay is a welcome departure from the military-FPS landscape. Sadly, most of the weapons feel like plastic props without any real weight or punch. Most of them slay in a single hit, but don’t feel powerful. Killing dozens should always be fun, but when you’re shooting confetti from a paper-mache gun it can only end in disappointment. It was only after hours of slaughter that the weapons started to feel like they’re made of foam. Regardless, murder should never be boring.
But, at some point, you get numb. For the first couple hours, nailing witches to walls and blowing up insane monks to the tune of screaming guitars is unique. After two or three hours of murder to metal though, slaying starts to feel like a chore. Compounding the fatigue is Painkiller’s AI, which normally wouldn’t be a concern. After all, the fun comes from killing hordes and staying mobile, not from dealing with complicated attack patterns. The AI is so basic that enemies may as well kill themselves. Enemies charge mindlessly at you. Those with ranged weapons stand in place waiting for a swift death. Evading melee attacks is as easy as hopping on anything elevated. Enemies feel like even less than fodder instead of being a focal point for your murderous creativity.
Which is a real shame. When the game works as it does for the first few hours, it works well. This is the general problem with Painkiller; it wears off quick. For example, the level design is straight out of Doom, complete with intricate-yet-open levels riddled with secret items and areas. For an hour or so, it’s great to find goodies and money that unlock more Tarot Cards, which alter how the game plays with things like bullet time, or higher damage resistance. However, after getting just a few powerful cards I stopped caring about secrets. Tarot Cards and personal achievement are really the only reasons to replay a level. Beating a level under a certain time or using a certain weapon unlocks more cards. I was content with just four.
If you don’t care about beating high scores or speed-runs, you won’t find much to Painkiller’s replayability. I’m sure some people find their blood excited at the prospect of secret areas and racing to the finish, but it’s not something I find compelling. After beating the campaign once, I don’t feel like the need to replay it. Considering I beat the campaign in less than four hours, this is something to keep in mind when thinking about your purchase. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary.
If enemies were more varied or the gunplay better, Painkiller: Hell and Damnation would be a strong recommendation. Don’t get me wrong; Painkiller is a great time, but one that runs out of steam unless you’ve got a vested interest in what Painkiller represents: a flashback to old design. That includes all the good, and the bad.
7.5 / 10
