My lungs were bursting with pain as I found myself on the stone floor. Light from all sides obscured the room, and coughing from excess water in my lungs made it difficult to concentrate. My head was buzzing, with thoughts like "Who am I?", "Where am I?" and "Why me?" crashing into each other.
Rise, my son, for you have a great mission to save the entire universe!
A deep bass pierced the room. The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Every nerve in my body tensed, for it was the voice of the Creator.
I am sick, and only you can help me. Among millions like you, you must gather the bits of knowledge lost during the merger and learn the reason that became the catalyst for bringing filth into this world. Bring me this knowledge, no matter what it takes...
"Whatever it takes, bring the hidden knowledge to the Creator" - this thought filled the entire space inside my skull, displacing all other desires. "The Creator needs knowledge!" - I realized my mission and went to the unknown world of Irid Novo to find what had been forgotten long ago.
Liked:
Achievements
Collectible cards
Localization in several languages, including Russian
Gamepad support
Availability of local cooperative mode on one screen
Availability of online cooperative
"Invasion" mode
Abundance of secrets
Possibility of character and weapon improvement
Variety of opponents
Battles with giant bosses
Quality balance of enemy forces when playing together in cooperative mode.
Didn't like:
Machine level translation
Superficial lore and plot of the game
Part of the text is not localized into Russian
Inability to change the image quality settings in the game. Main menu exit required
Problem with optimization of several levels
Lack of "Map" function
If you have completed the story in online co-op, then completing the game in "your" world deletes some of the Author's dialogues
Poor selection of weapons and equipment
When playing in co-op mode, the death of the second player does not create a "Ghost" and does not reload the level
When playing in co-op mode, the second player does not lose axions in case of death, which is why his leveling up occurs many times faster
Possibility of getting a soft lock when exiting on the elevator
Lack of description of buffs and debuffs on the character
Poor implementation of platforming
Possible getting stuck in textures and objects
Problem with critical desynchronization in online play (damage to opponents is not registered; opponents are not visible to players; disconnection of players from the active session; blocking of character control, etc.)
When playing in online co-op mode, achievements are counted only for the host games
When playing online co-op, only the host can interact with a number of doors and NPCs
When playing online co-op, the second player does not receive story items, as well as rewards for completing NPC assignments
When playing online co-op, only the host sees the text of dialogues and cutscenes
When playing online co-op, players can abuse boss battles without the host taking damage
A bug in which throwing a Yataghan makes the player's target inaccessible to attacks from another character
The ability to teleport to the previous Rift is only available to the host
In the case of jumping on an elevator platform during the descent, the character can die from the fall
There is no point in pumping a number of character statistics higher than necessary for using weapons and equipment
NPCs getting stuck in textures/objects when accompanying him (Architect in Sohn District)
A bug in online mode in which the second player becomes "invisible" for both the player and the host
A bug with missing textures after the player's death/when turning the camera in a number of locations
Incorrect collisions of objects when jumping on platforms
The subsequent death after the first destroys the initially lost axions if they were not picked up by the player
Lack of meaning in the character's "Ghost"
Problem with the correct functioning of the run and then jump function, which works from time to time
Character leveling up only occurs during the use of Axioms when interacting with the Rift
Total cost of raising the level of characteristics for all character statistics
OmniCube module "Protection" does not attack opponents in Arisen Dominion
OmniCube model "Protection" attacks the Prodigal Scion in the Alma Mater offices when attempting to complete the quest "Broken Mirror"
Attacks of the Priest of Arisen are capable of causing damage to the player even after the death of the enemy
Problem with the balance of the Rifts in a number of locations
Increased radius of enemy attacks, which exceeds the radius of their animations
Need to purchase the Blue Sun add-on for getting 100% achievements
When disconnected from a player in online co-op mode while in the Underworld, the player will end up at the last point of their game in the Underworld world
Glitch entering the location of the battle with the boss "The Fourth Knight"
Glitch in which the player is suddenly teleported to the last visited Rift after defeating the boss "The Fourth Knight"
Visual glitch: after killing the Scanner in Arcology, a spot of light from the lantern will remain on the wall
Glitch in which increasing the Stamina stat leads to an increase in the Energy parameter
Presence of gravity in the Arcology Underside location
Absence of notification about the connection of an enemy player to the game session
During the passage of the game in co-op mode, the second player does not see any animations with the host model during the final battle with the Author (regardless of the chosen ending)
Irid Nova's Chaos Clock moves in real time, but the time is different for all players
Character model capture animation glitch enemy in the case of the battle with the boss "Utos Ashborn"
Visual bug, in which the shield on the helmet of the "Aegis" suit disappears when the camera is rotated
Unfriendly interface for interaction with upgrade machines and workshops
Ability to lower the camera to the bottom of radiation rivers and swamps.
Conclusion:
“Hellpoint” is a Soulslike RPG created by industry veterans who have united under the wing of Cradle Games. The game tells the story of a Scion who must collect the fragments of lost knowledge and return them to his creator, the Author. This will help correct the global error of humanity, known as “The Conflux”.
The gameplay of the game is based on the core elements of the Soulslike genre, but although the game is created according to a certain model, it includes various “improvements” that have an ambiguous effect on the gameplay. The player will have to go on a journey through the Irid Novo space station, located near a black hole in the constellation Sagittarius. Due to a mysterious catastrophe known as “The Conflux”, almost all living beings have disappeared. In their place, the universe is inhabited by bloodthirsty monsters and gods who came from the underworld.
The player will have to fight for his life, fighting bloodthirsty monsters, using the right combat tactics and paying attention to defense and evasion. From time to time you will find new weapons and equipment, which will allow you to become stronger and stronger. In the end, your goal is to come face to face with the ancient god who controls the area where you are.
The Irid Novo station amazes with its scale and complexity of the layout. Unfortunately, the game does not have a map, so you have to rely only on your attentiveness and memory so as not to get lost in the numerous corridors of the station. If you have problems with spatial orientation, this game may be too difficult for you already at the stage of exploring the environment.
Unlike other games in the Soulslike genre, your character can not only dodge, but also make full jumps. Therefore, the developers decided to add many sections based on parkour. Given the inertia and not the most convenient character control, these areas become a real test even for experienced players. Whether your hero stays on the platform or steps into the abyss in front of him on his own depends on the mood of the game and the favor of your luck.
It is also worth noting the "Ghost" feature, which is typical for Soulslike games, when after your death a copy of the character appears at the place of death, which tries to interfere with you, trying to kill you. Considering that your copy has the same equipment and weapons as you, and can also use some special attacks, battles with it will not just be an "additional battle", but can lead to another death. This is critical, since the items you lost will be destroyed if you do not have time to pick them up first. However, the Ghost itself does not matter much, since its destruction does not give you an advantage or previously lost items. After all, the "souls" will simply wait for you at the place of your death. Therefore, you can safely ignore its presence, considering that the artificial intelligence of the Ghost is not very smart and can accidentally fall into the abyss while dodging or trying to get to you. Although the game is considered story-driven, it provides little information about the in-game lore and history. Instead, you will find scattered notes left by previous residents of the station, which contain scraps of information. However, 99% of the notes and messages you find will not be related to the main plot and events related to the "Confluence". Even the dialogues with rare NPCs are often superficial and seem crazy. Perhaps this is due to localization and machine translation issues, but it is also possible that the authors wanted to show that after the "Confluence" the survivors went crazy - but whether this is true is unknown.
An interesting feature that distinguishes the game from other Soulslike projects is the ability to co-op. Not every game in this genre can boast such a feature. In addition to local co-op on one split screen, available for players on the same computer or via Remote Play, the game also has a full-fledged online co-op mode, where players are not tied to one screen. This allows you to use different tactics to overcome bosses and explore levels.
However, this feature simultaneously makes the game more difficult, as it increases the difficulty level of enemies and bosses, and increases the number of monsters on the map (sometimes replacing normal enemies with stronger ones). But at the same time, it simplifies the game, making it more “easy” due to balance issues.
So, during the co-op mode, the summoned player becomes a "Ghost", who, like you, receives axions and experience for killed monsters, as well as regular items and parts of defeated bosses. However, the "Ghost" cannot interact with NPCs, some doors and buttons, and also receive achievements for his Steam account.
The main advantage is that if the second player dies, he does not summon his "Ghost", who could annoy other players and restart the level with the return of all monsters to the location. This allows the second player to forget about protection and destroy all opponents left and right, make suicidal jumps in an attempt to find secrets, and also cope with bosses alone.
In addition, the absence of a "Ghost" means that the second player does not lose the axions he received, which allows him to upgrade his character and weapons much faster, turning into a real "killing machine".
In addition to the co-op mode, players can invade each other's world to create obstacles. It is important to note that when an enemy connects, you do not receive a notification about the "merging of worlds", which can cause unpleasant emotions when meeting. However, the enemy will be considered hostile for the monsters around him, so there is a chance that either they will attack him and kill him, or he will fall during the parkour section in an attempt to reach you and his body will go into the abyss.
To sum it up, I want to say that I am not a big fan of games in the Soulslike genre and would most likely quit playing somewhere in the middle due to boredom and monotony, leaving a negative review. However, thanks to the fact that I started playing in co-op mode, as the second player, I was able to "get involved" in the process and become a kind of "hammer and anvil" in boss battles, as well as an explorer of secrets on the levels.
Thanks to the interesting company that lvlaHrycT kept me in, I sometimes even enjoyed dying - after all, dying in company, especially when you've overcome a difficult parkour section, and your partner hasn't, is quite fun!
Only towards the end of the game did I learn that weapons and shields can be upgraded (a brilliant decision to hide this function at the bottom of the screen next to the description of the keys). The whole game I invested experience points in the character's stats, but it turned out that they don't work and have only a superficial "meaning" - necessary for equipping armor and weapons, and the subsequent increase goes nowhere. As a result, although I had a lot of health, I dealt tiny damage, trying to attract the attention of enemies and the boss so that my partner could attack them.
Only thanks to the knowledge gained from co-op games and an upgraded character was I able to complete the game on my own. Because of the problems with getting achievements, I couldn't leave the game without getting at least the basic achievements on my account, which would confirm that the game was completed, and not just hanging in the background to increase the time on the review.
Therefore, despite the terrible execution of many gameplay mechanics, encountered bugs and glitches - I simply cannot give the game a thumbs down. Although the game does not really pull for a positive review. But since Steam still has not introduced a “neutral” rating, I have to give a thumbs up. Cradle Games should be grateful to the good company, thanks to which I spent more than 40 hours in the game, collecting almost all the achievements and defeating all the bosses.
If you are a fan of Soulslike games, then you can probably enjoy the game. But if you are an ordinary user, then it is worth buying this project only if you decide to go through it with friends. Otherwise, it will be another waste of money for your account.
3.0