Developer: Volcanicc
Publisher: Grindstone Games
Platforms: PC
Tested on: PC
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell – Review
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell has been developed by Volcanicc and published by Grindstone Games. When looking in on these teams, it becomes apparent that neither of them have any previous entries listed on Steam. So this is their maiden voyage. If you are a large developer like EA or Sony Santa Monica or even Microsoft Studios, then a mishap can happen and you’ll be just fine when the next AAA title comes along and it sells well, but in the indie scene, your first game can make or break you. Not so much as turning you into a skull with only part of a spine to support you, but enough for your future games to never make it past development hell.
Story
Hellmut was a simple scientist and never asked for much, apart from being granted powers beyond the scope of man. As all scientists know, human life is fleeting, and great minds often run out of time before they make their great breakthrough. They’re on to something and the mind gets snuffed out. R.I.P. Steven Hawking. So Hellmut does the unthinkable, the completely rational, yet insane thing. He opens the portal to hell and demands to the demon that steps over its threshold to grant him more lives. So he gets his wish, and as always, the wish isn’t quite what he had imagined. More demons pour forth and destroy his works. Before he has any time to react, Hellmut is blasted by an energy bolt and only his skull and part of his spine survive. No mercy for the greedy. A second more benign demon pops into existence after the first has left, and uses a different energy projectile to breathe energy in the remainder of Hellmut. So it’s up to you to take back the world and try and get your body back, gaining several different ones along the way.
The story isn’t in your face, it’s more of the opening cutscene setting up the plot, and then a quick boot to the behind to set you on your murderous rampage. It works wonders because the game is fast paced and cutscenes often have the tendency to break up the flow of action packed moments.
Graphics
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell is all over the place. Once you get into it, you’ll have a screen that’s filled with action. Projectiles flying everywhere, either yours or the opponents and hell spawn popping in existence and then exploding violently in a skull shaped splash, when killed. It’s wonderful, it’s frantic, it’s popping. The colours are vibrant and what’s more, the game doesn’t drop frames when things start getting hectic. That’s what a game that sells on action needs. A constant fluid amount of frames with no dips making it possible for players to lose themselves in an adventure for hours.
Sound
This is where the game dips slightly. Not because the music is bad, or the voice acting is sub-par, but because the voice acting is limited to the cutscenes and the action is so frantic that you’ll not be paying attention to the music at all, which is about 90% of the time. It’s nearly impossible to pay mind to the tunes while explosions and gunfire are littering your soundscape. The flipside of this is that the music samples might be limited, but you won’t grow bored of them because they just fill up the minor amounts of moments without action.
Gameplay
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell is an action/adventure twin stick roguelike shooter. Apart from being a mouthful, it comes down to shooting up stuff with various tools and murder makers. Controls are easy, with the usual W,A,S,D control scheme for movement – mind you this can be changed – and the mouse that lets you aim. Left mouse button for normal fire, and right for secondary fire, which is a very powerful attack that’s needs some time to reload.
Twin stick shooters take some time to adjust to, even when you are quite skilled at them. Hellmut: The Badass from Hell kicks things up a notch. The game is frantic, and fast, really, really fast. With the roguelike in place, you’ll be sent to be beginning every time you die, and at first, you’ll die a lot, and that might be frustrating, but as you progress you’ll start to feel like you get into the flow of things and then you’ll realise you’re hooked. As you switch between demon forms and start alternating normal gunfire with your abilities to take down swathes of enemies you’ll be entranced. It can be very addictive if you are willing to put in the time to master the game.
Conclusion
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell is something for twin stick loving aficionados, but can also be enjoyed by players who like a challenge in their game. If however you just want an easier shoot em up, then this game won’t be for you and the frustration might get the better of you. Highly addictive when you do take the time to master the gameplay. So it’s either heaven or hell.
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell - Review,
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