Hellraiser: Revival Could Return Horror Games To Their Roots
Can Pinhead put the asymmetric multiplayer trend back in the box?
The history of popular horror movies being adapted into video games is far older than many people realize. Back in the 1980s, when gaming was still in its infancy, and the cultural and commercial success of horror movies was becoming harder to ignore, the first connective tissue was being formed by licensed tie-ins like 1983’s Halloween on the Atari 2600, and 1990’s A Nightmare on Elm Street for the NES. Iconic horror properties have recently received fairly high-profile game adaptations, including Friday the 13th, The Evil Dead, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but the lucrative pipeline had humble beginnings.
All of those modern games have something in common: they’re asymmetric multiplayer titles riffing on a playstyle popularized by 2016’s Dead by Daylight, which features a four-player team of survivors trying to escape from a supernatural murderer controlled by a fifth player. DbD and many of the games that use this format are popular, but it’s become a predictable template for licensed horror games over the last decade, giving a mechanical uniformity to a group of titles that could’ve each offered a loving, hyper-specific experience. And that’s what makes Saber Interactive’s upcoming Hellraiser game such a breath of fresh air.
The first of two anticipated licensed games coming from the developers (the other being the recently announced John Wick game), Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is being presented as a tried-and-true first-person survival horror game, evoking the frantic combat, resource management, and puzzle-solving of classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill with the immersive aesthetic of Alien: Isolation.
Players will take control of Aidan Lynch, a biker gang member whose girlfriend is spirited away to Hell by the leather-clad, sadomasochistic Cenobites, prompting Aidan to give chase in a desperate attempt to rescue her from Pinhead and the Scarlet Church. While long-time Pinhead portrayer Doug Bradley voiced Pinhead as a DLC character in Dead by Daylight, Revival is the first proper video game in the Hellraiser franchise, which prompted Saber to consult Barker on the story.
Get ready for lots and lots of leather.
From what’s been shown off so far, it seems safe to say that Revival will honor what people love so much about those first two films – the self-destructive eroticism, the grotesque body horror, the otherworldly intrigue and awe – while adding its own spin on the mythos, including a new puzzle box known as the Genesis Configuration. Not only does it feel like an accurate reflection of Clive Barker’s initial vision, but the gameplay seems uniquely tailored to the property, pitting you against crazed S&M cultists and Eldritch terrors while solving labyrinthine and lethal puzzles. It’s a game that, instead of feeling like it could fit half a dozen other franchises, feels uniquely tailored for the horrific and alluring world it resides in.
If Revival is a success, hopefully it proves to rightsholders and developers that fans of these iconic series are excited for adaptations that buck the asymmetric multiplayer trend in favor of something more narratively driven. After a slew of low-budget straight-to-DVD sequels and a well-received streaming reboot that may or may not get a follow-up, it’s been a while since the Hellraiser property had a truly resounding win. That makes Saber Interactive the best chance for fans hoping to finally get a little pleasure after so much pain.
