The zombie genre is a genre that has lived in the world of video games for a long time. Resident Evil, Telltales The Walking Dead, Dying Light When back 4 brad All belong to the same thematic subgenre, but they have little in common with each other. hell gate nightLatest games from the creators of blood washingdecided to take a decidedly old-school approach, both in theme and gameplay. hell gate night It stands out from the pack even if it doesn’t innovate in any significant way.
It’s immediately apparent that the game takes its inspiration from ’80s Italian zombie movies, featuring over-the-top gore and heavy sleaze. The tone often veers from surreal and brutal to vulgar and goofy. I’m not the biggest fan of “complete sexist ass making the audience laugh” humor, but your mileage may vary.
The ominous shift in tone of the game makes it feel more intimate with the story it’s trying to tell. Rather than a virus outbreak, there is a supernatural cult behind this zombie apocalypse. This decision gives the game a surreal tone and allows it to get weirder if desired. hell gate night It tells short stories that are sprinkled throughout the levels, and is excellent at teasing simple setups and punch lines that are virtually unsettling. The notes scattered around the levels tell stories of people before and during the apocalypse, and often refer to rooms and areas you’ll soon be visiting. But even when the game ends, it works, even if many of these escalating tensions end in big jump scares that feel a little cheap.
Zombies are slow moving in this game, but they are a big source of tension. The devs have made the smart choice of calling for headshots in order to make a desperate scramble to line up shots in every encounter while enemies squeeze you. We need to stand in the spotlight and highlight our vulnerability. Adding a little spice to this is the fact that the game reportedly has 85 unique zombie models. Some are tall, some are short, some have hanging heads and broken necks, so snapping to a headshot hitbox is not simple muscle memory. , is one of the perfect decisions that brings variety to both art and gameplay.
If a zombie reaches you, it is considered instant death. However, it does have knives in its inventory and will automatically kill the attacker. and shotgun, but only headshots kill zombies, so I didn’t find much of a functional difference between the weapons. I was mostly used to the pistol because of its larger clip size and the ability to fire a little faster. Maybe I was unusually thorough with my exploration, and I didn’t notice that I was running out of ammo at any point in the game, but with more than a few zombies on the screen, the encounter was I was still hopeless.
Usually, indie horror games of this style tend to be fairly short and contain a lot of experience, hell gate night You can experience different environments with 3-4 hours runtime. Level design quality varies, but is generally above average for the genre. The first cluster of apartments was outstanding and we found clever changes when returning to previously explored areas. Prison near the end was not very successful for me. It was a little too long and confusing, with lots of similar areas that felt like an obscure maze.
Getting lost in a level became even more frustrating due to certain technical quirks of the game.You can’t save intermediate levels. Every time you use the knife, it automatically holsters the gun and the animation finishes playing. Other minor issues with the design pop up, like the fact that it leaves you vulnerable, but overall the game felt reasonably polished.
The retro graphic style works well with the creature models, bringing it to life with a strange otherworldly feel that standard high definition zombies don’t have anymore. The lighting also glows, especially when you lean into the Italian zombie movie-inspired neon lights, adding a touch of quirkiness to an otherwise standard area. hell gate night has the PSX filter turned on by default. This is one of the many retro filters you can apply to your game. It’s a pretty cool look, but I’ve found that it can sometimes obscure what I’m seeing to the point of difficulty, especially in later game boss fights. I found myself appreciating the chunky, polygonal graphics even more, even though it lost a bit of the nasty feel.
I’ve been conditioned to expect indie horror games to be small, but they’re more than that. hell gate night It’s longer than expected, and when you complete the game, it comes with two other short games from the developer’s catalog as extras. Booty Creek Cheek Freak Previously available on the Puppet Combo Patreon page. It’s a fun addition that rounds out the package nicely.
The main game doesn’t offer much depth or innovation, but its combat and its commitment to style make it memorable. if you want hell gate night Give it to you in spades.
