Painkiller: Another Beloved IP Stuck in the Live Service Purgatory?
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Will Borger's review for IGN South Africa highlights how the new *Painkiller* reboot, while boasting solid movement and gunplay, ultimately falls prey to generic live-service design, alienating fans and new players alike, with only its roguelike mode offering a glimpse of what could have been.
Right, gather 'round, mates, because old Jeff’s got another tale from the gaming trenches – a story that feels as ancient as a forgotten server farm, yet somehow keeps repeating itself. You know the drill, don't ya? Some bright spark in a fancy suit glances at a beloved, decades-old IP, squints a bit, and declares, with all the conviction of a wizard who just accidentally turned his hat into a badger, 'We shall make it a live-service co-op game! This time, it'll work!'
And like clockwork, it never does. It's a digital curse, I reckon, leaving fans scratching their heads and new players wondering what the fuss was ever about. The end result? A game for precisely no one, adrift in a sea of forgotten titles, driven by a deluded belief that *this time* they’ve cracked the code.
The latest casualty in this predictable saga, according to Will Borger over at IGN South Africa, is the new *Painkiller* reboot. People Can Fly’s 2004 cult classic, a game known for its utterly bonkers demon-slaying and unique arsenal, has apparently been... well, reinvented. And not in the 'I just discovered parallel dimensions' kind of way, more like the 'I accidentally swapped my brain with a turnip' kind. It’s fitting, really, that it takes place in Purgatory.
Borger’s review paints a picture we've all seen before. A fleeting tutorial, a 'base of operations,' four 'visually distinct but otherwise identical' characters spouting 'Dollar Store Joss Whedon' quips, and a whole lot of missions where you go to a place, shoot bad things, come home, upgrade gear, and repeat. Sound familiar? It’s the gaming equivalent of a photocopy of a photocopy – all the original charm is lost in the pixel dust.
And the plot? 'Basically nonexistent,' he says. You're stuck in Purgatory, tasked by an angelic voice to stop a demon. Go on mission, go home, spend loot, repeat. While it gets a nod for not having paid currency or a battle pass (hurrah for small mercies!), the loop itself just... stagnates. It’s like being trapped in a spell that just keeps casting ‘fetch quest’ over and over again.
If you're an old-school *Painkiller* fan, Borger reckons you’d be right to wonder where your game went. Because, fair dinkum, this ain't it. He aptly describes it as 'Warhammer 40,000: Darktide wearing a Painkiller suit,' which, bloody hell, is a brilliant way to put it. Sure, you get the iconic Stakegun and Electrodriver, but the titular Painkiller weapon now feels more like *Doom Eternal's* chainsaw – useful for ammo, not necessarily for its own unique punch.
The enemy design, a hallmark of the original’s wild imagination (Psychonuns! Hell Bikers! Evil Samurai!), is now generic AI-generated heavy metal album cover fodder. 'If you’re going to do Painkiller, it could at least look like Painkiller, you know?' Borger questions, and honestly, I'm nodding so hard I might dislodge my digital brain.
Now, here's the kicker – it's not *outright bad*. And that's almost more frustrating, isn't it? Borger praises the movement: 'fast, precise, and a hell of a time.' Sliding, dashing, wall-bouncing, grappling – it sounds like a proper chaotic ballet! The guns? They 'feel great' with 'amusing alt fires' that genuinely change combat. A shotgun that freezes, a Stakegun that doubles as a grenade launcher or gravity well? Yes, please! The boss fights against the Nephilim are apparently pretty decent too, offering a welcome change of pace from the endless cycle of 'kill everything in this big box.'
Even the characters, despite their 'inane combat dialogue,' managed to win him over in their quieter moments. But, and it's a big 'but,' these moments are constantly interrupted by combat or just… stop. You can read the lore in a codex, but who wants to read when you could be *experiencing*? It’s like a promising magical incantation that keeps getting cut short by a cat walking across the keyboard.
Perhaps the most intriguing bit is the roguelike mode. Borger actually *enjoyed* it, finding more variety and meaning in its randomised nature. 'It’s like this is what the Painkiller reboot was supposed to be before someone decided it should have a campaign, too.' A potent observation, that. Imagine if they’d leaned into that inherent chaos from the start, rather than forcing it into a tired template.
Though, true to form, his first roguelike run crashed. Talk about being damned, eh? The universe clearly has a sense of irony.
So, what's the long and short of it? *Painkiller* is a game caught in its own Purgatory. It's got genuinely fun mechanics, cool character concepts, and solid bosses, but it's all buried under repetitive mission design and a fundamental misunderstanding of its own legacy. It's not *Painkiller* for the fans, and its generic co-op loops won't win over new players. A game about nothing for no one, as Borger perfectly puts it. It’s a stark reminder that even with solid gameplay foundations, if you lose the soul of an IP in the pursuit of a fleeting trend, you’re often left with little more than a digital ghost.
Original article by Will Borger for IGN South Africa.
Tags: Live Service, Game Review, FPS, Reboot, Painkiller
Original article: IGN South Africa