Painkiller preview: A classic FPS reimagined with co-op in mind
Developed by People Can Fly and released just over two decades ago, I have very fond memories of the original Painkiller. A no-nonsense first-person shooter, it pitted players against the legions of hell and outfitted them with a unique arsenal of weaponry to protect themselves with, including a pretty nifty stake launcher. Numerous sequels have been released over the years, all developed by other studios, very much varying in quality. Now the series is being reimagined by Anshar Studios, and I’ve been hands-on with it for a short while.
Launching this October on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, the new Painkiller hopes to capture much of the magic of the original game. It has the same dark and moody visuals, and players will explore a similar range of environments which include cathedrals and sandy wastelands. There’s one big change here, though; this Painkiller is designed as a co-op experience, with up to three players working together as a team to fight against the forces of hell.
For classic Painkiller fans, the co-op focus here might be a little disappointing, but the good news is that it can be played alone. Do so and you’ll be accompanied by two computer-controlled bots, and surprisingly, they’re pretty effective at dealing with the demons that constantly assault you, as well as picking you up if you happen to run out of health. You can easily command them to move to certain locations, too; if they’re running about while you’ve found a chest to open, for example, you can get them to drop what they’re doing and come to you so you can get your valuable loot.
With the co-op focus also comes a new raid-like format. With a gothic cathedral serving as a hub, players will be able to set up raids across three distinct biomes, unlocking new raids in the process. It will be worth revisiting raids, too, with rewards being based on the difficulty they’re completed on: the greater the difficulty the higher the reward. And what do rewards mean? More weapons, better upgrades, and a choice of Tarot cards.
It may sound disappointing when I state that only six weapons will be available in Painkiller, but what if I also told you they were highly customisable? You’ll need to purchase most of these weapons with coins earned while playing, and to customise them you’ll need what are essentially tokens earned by completing challenges. Each weapon has a special attack which generally causes some kind of elemental damage, and as already stated, you can change how they generally function to make them your own. That stakegun I mentioned at the beginning of this article makes a return, for example, and one of the earliest upgrades allows you to make it fire three stakes instead of one, basically tripling your firepower.
Tarot cards are another callback to the original game. Here you’ll need to unlock them with your hard-earned gold, and then you can select a couple to provide you with some boosts in the upcoming raid. You might select a card which increases your max health and another which increases your damage, for example. After one raid, they’ll fade out and become unavailable for use, though, unless you pay to bring them into play again, or select some new cards. Throw in four playable characters to choose from, each with their own unique look and perk, and you have a game where you can fine-tune your playstyle somewhat.
It’s the core gameplay of Painkiller which is likely to win players over, however. This is a fast-paced, action-packed game which doesn’t take itself too seriously, just like the original. There’s no taking cover, it’s all about moving around to avoid being overwhelmed by the large number of enemies you’re frequently up against, and so you’ll be thankful that you can mantle ledges, dash in any direction, and use your trusty Painkiller weapon that never leaves your side to grapple certain points allowing you to get airborne.
My only real concern so far involves blood canisters. At certain points in both Painkiller raids I’ve been able to play, I’ve had to shoot a device to release one or more empty canisters before killing enemies near them to fill them with blood. Full canisters then need to be carried and placed in receptacles to achieve goals such as opening doors. I feel like this task might get a bit repetitive over time, and when playing alone on harder difficulties, successfully filling and carrying blood canisters to their receptacles could prove to be very tricky.
Still, I’ve very much enjoyed what I’ve played of Painkiller so far, and the full game also promises epic boss fights against gargantuan demons. I’m looking forward to playing a lot more of it later this year, and whether you’re a Painkiller fan or simply love co-op based shooters, you should definitely keep your eye on it.
Painkiller launches 9th October on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
