Developed in Argentina and something straight out of the 1990s, Hellbound is a fast-paced gruesome shooter that balances action and heavy metal music with a trained hand. The game is obviously inspired by games like Quake and DOOM, developed with 21st-century conveniences. As the game’s tagline reads, this is a 90s game, just 20 years later.
Saibot Studio’s Hellbound has been in development for at least the last two years, and it enters closed beta access shortly. The game gets its full Steam release on August 4th.
💥 WE HAVE THE OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE! 💥
August 4th is the day! Check this 6 minute gameplay:https://t.co/EOoXsHyQ9t
And don't forget to Wishlist on Steam!https://t.co/OYnbSu1MWq
Don’t miss the most intense ride to Hell since 1993 😈
Team at @SaibotStudios#indiegames #FPS pic.twitter.com/xhVgqaVvTO
— Hellbound 💥 (@HellboundGame) July 15, 2020
The game is described as gruesome, action-packed and fast-paced by its developers and those who’ve play-tested it tend to agree. Hellbound’s marketing material really boils down to the idea that you’re a badass dude killing aliens and demons. It’s that simple.
However, there is a campaign mode coming in the full release and this will presumably have some sort of narrative. The devs have confirmed that there will some sort of overarching story, but they want the fast-paced gameplay to take centre stage.
No one’s expecting anything too tear-jerky, the game is still about destroying monsters in the most gruesome way possible.
The general response from the gameplay demo which was available last week has been pretty positive. You can see from the gameplay trailer above that the game is honest about its intentions. This game isn’t too flashy, but it does aim to get that 90s nostalgia balanced with the smoothness of gameplay expected in 2020.
There’s been a spate of games recently that have tried to go back to the classic feel of 90s shooters. Obviously the new DOOM games are a given, but other titles include Dusk and Ion Maiden.
As a 90s-inspired shooter, there are a few things that Hellbound obviously does well. The graphics aren’t terrible, but they aren’t exactly mind-bogglingly next-gen. This means the gameplay is smooth as possible while still being reminiscent of those early titles.
There is also a wide range of different weapons to try, of course. Shotguns, grenades, rocket launchers and melee weapons are dotted around the game’s multiple levels.
Lastly, the games over-the-top thrash metal music is the perfect accompaniment to demons and monsters exploding in piles of red goo all over the screen.
Hellbound is available to wishlist on Steam now and releases fully on August 4th.
