hellnight is such an intriguing game - its scarce distribution in the west coupled by the fact that absolutely no one knows who the developers of this game are makes me feel like i'm unearthing some ancient relic that's been sealed away for decades. seriously though, how does a huge company like konami publish a game everywhere except the two major countries that this game would have done way more well in, the us and the uk? did they think it was too weird for them? if so, why even publish it in the first place? there's way too much mystery surrounding this game and its development, and this along with the entire dev team just disappearing from the face of the earth piqued my interest in this game immediately.
hellnight's gameplay is very barebones, but this is its biggest strength since it helps to build its incredibly tense atmosphere. first person dungeon crawler navigating a labyrinth, coupled with the low draw distance and wonderful sound design adds to the fear factor a ton. it always feels like there's something waiting to jumpscare you beyond the black void ahead, and while this can happen unintentionally with npcs lurking around, there are no real threats other than the "hybrid" monster (that evolves every single floor, creepy) who's growls and snarls you can hear from a mile away - if anything, it's predictable when he arrives because he always makes noises when you're around him. the sound design is masterful though, any miniscule noise made in the environment, coupled by the eerie ambience gives the game so much charm . i genuinely dreaded my time playing this because the monster was so fast late in the game (even if its AI is simple) but the setting was really what kept me playing.
the tokyo mesh is one of the most interesting and terrifying settings for a horror game - a gigantic underground complex built during world war 2 that was meant to shelter the entire population in fear of a nuclear strike, but was immediately abandoned following the surrender of japan - the devs struck gold with this, but i just wish they would have built on its backstory a little bit more in-game, maybe through extra characters hiding throughout the mesh under the impression that the war is still going on, who would have provided us with some lore about the making of the place. it's great, but hellnight just decides to drop it in the latter half of the game by teleporting you into some freaky cultish otherworld - i don't mind it, but the mesh was a lot more interesting, and the game becomes way less interesting from that point on. the story (and the main cast by extension) is unfortunately where i think the game falls flat. these characters don't really have a lot of moments going for them to really shine (apart from some flashbacks near the ending, but it's too late at that point) and your interaction with them is minimal - usually only giving you a few sentences saying your objective or what their current thoughts are, but nothing too interesting. they do tie into the gameplay a bit though - the first companion, naomi, is a completely helpless schoolgirl who can't really do anything but run away with you from the monster. if you let her die and find another companion to take on with you later on, they all have the firearms necessary to stun the hybrid and buy you some time if he's too close to you. i beat the game with naomi initially and i really don't think it's possible without save scumming given how rarely you're given the option to save your progress (which is absolutely vital in the latter half of the game)i think this is supposed to make the endings worse for each companion you let die, but i can't really tell.
i'll keep the story stuff short, but it starts off pretty nicely. you desperately searching for a way out, with mysterious people like razzo, and the holy cult is some very cool stuff at first. but once you get down to the hive and find all the lovecraftian type demons i just wasn't very interested. it is cool, but it's complete total whiplash when they start doing some "you are the chosen one" shit along with the hybrid, who's now a god to this cult, acting like the player is connected to him, it's all very sudden and ditching the mesh feels like wasted potential. the endings really soured the game for me though - they are not worth it at all for how basic it is. even after watching the rest, they're all the exact same, with some slight variations. a fucking you're winner screen from big rigs would have been more satisfying than any of these.
although its plot isn't very well-thought out, this game is still a vibe and one i'd highly recommend. the atmosphere is so so fucking heavy, especially when the hybrid chases you - like i said before its very simple but that's what makes it so terrifying. i still want to know about the behind the scenes of this game though, how everyone working on this went under the radar entirely doesn't sit right with me :(
hellnight's gameplay is very barebones, but this is its biggest strength since it helps to build its incredibly tense atmosphere. first person dungeon crawler navigating a labyrinth, coupled with the low draw distance and wonderful sound design adds to the fear factor a ton. it always feels like there's something waiting to jumpscare you beyond the black void ahead, and while this can happen unintentionally with npcs lurking around, there are no real threats other than the "hybrid" monster (that evolves every single floor, creepy) who's growls and snarls you can hear from a mile away - if anything, it's predictable when he arrives because he always makes noises when you're around him. the sound design is masterful though, any miniscule noise made in the environment, coupled by the eerie ambience gives the game so much charm . i genuinely dreaded my time playing this because the monster was so fast late in the game (even if its AI is simple) but the setting was really what kept me playing.
the tokyo mesh is one of the most interesting and terrifying settings for a horror game - a gigantic underground complex built during world war 2 that was meant to shelter the entire population in fear of a nuclear strike, but was immediately abandoned following the surrender of japan - the devs struck gold with this, but i just wish they would have built on its backstory a little bit more in-game, maybe through extra characters hiding throughout the mesh under the impression that the war is still going on, who would have provided us with some lore about the making of the place. it's great, but hellnight just decides to drop it in the latter half of the game by teleporting you into some freaky cultish otherworld - i don't mind it, but the mesh was a lot more interesting, and the game becomes way less interesting from that point on. the story (and the main cast by extension) is unfortunately where i think the game falls flat. these characters don't really have a lot of moments going for them to really shine (apart from some flashbacks near the ending, but it's too late at that point) and your interaction with them is minimal - usually only giving you a few sentences saying your objective or what their current thoughts are, but nothing too interesting. they do tie into the gameplay a bit though - the first companion, naomi, is a completely helpless schoolgirl who can't really do anything but run away with you from the monster. if you let her die and find another companion to take on with you later on, they all have the firearms necessary to stun the hybrid and buy you some time if he's too close to you. i beat the game with naomi initially and i really don't think it's possible without save scumming given how rarely you're given the option to save your progress (which is absolutely vital in the latter half of the game)i think this is supposed to make the endings worse for each companion you let die, but i can't really tell.
i'll keep the story stuff short, but it starts off pretty nicely. you desperately searching for a way out, with mysterious people like razzo, and the holy cult is some very cool stuff at first. but once you get down to the hive and find all the lovecraftian type demons i just wasn't very interested. it is cool, but it's complete total whiplash when they start doing some "you are the chosen one" shit along with the hybrid, who's now a god to this cult, acting like the player is connected to him, it's all very sudden and ditching the mesh feels like wasted potential. the endings really soured the game for me though - they are not worth it at all for how basic it is. even after watching the rest, they're all the exact same, with some slight variations. a fucking you're winner screen from big rigs would have been more satisfying than any of these.
although its plot isn't very well-thought out, this game is still a vibe and one i'd highly recommend. the atmosphere is so so fucking heavy, especially when the hybrid chases you - like i said before its very simple but that's what makes it so terrifying. i still want to know about the behind the scenes of this game though, how everyone working on this went under the radar entirely doesn't sit right with me :(