Metal: Hellsinger review – the Devil has all the best tunes

metro.co.uk:

Take a journey to Hell in this brutal rhythm-based first person shooter, where keeping in time to the music is a life or death skill.

You might have thought Doom had already cornered the market on first person shooters set in Hell, that make judicious use of heavy metal imagery, but Metal: Hellsinger takes things a step further. Music flows through the veins of absolutely everything it does, as you not only have to take on the powers of Hell with a shotgun but make sure you’re doing so in time with the music. That simple premise describes the whole game and yet despite a few bum notes along the way it definitely rocks.

You play as a winged demoness called The Unknown and are accompanied on your trip through the realms of Hell by a flaming skull named Paz. The mission is simple: travel through the many rings of the world below to reclaim your voice, which is being held captive by The Judge. The narrative isn’t exactly complicated, but what’s interesting about the storytelling is that it uses a lavishly illustrated motion comic, with voiceovers, instead of in-engine cut scenes. The artwork looks like something straight off the cover of a new wave of British heavy metal or thrash album from the 80s and 90s, which seems entirely appropriate.

Metal: Hellsinger offers a vivid depiction of the Abrahamic afterlife, with strong art direction compensating for any technical limitations. The lighting is particularly lovely, especially in the wider open areas, which are illuminated by bubbling lava lakes and scarred skies. The game has some of the most creative interpretations of the underworld since Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and it all fits the tone perfectly.

Where Metal: Hellsinger differs from your standard run of the mill