Painkiller, A Game That Gives More Pain Than It Relieves

There are plenty of fantastic games that are Doom-like today, games like the amazing Prodeus (review coming soon). A game where the pixel graphics and the limitations of old school shooters work in the game's favor. This, however, is not that. Yes, I'll start in a somber tone, because how else to begin a review of the Painkiller reboot? 

When you take a game older than two decades, which was once called "the most fun FPS since Doom" and "the true successor to Quake," and manage to make such a lifeless monstrosity... then, frankly, you don't deserve any better.

If you are in the mood for something actually good to play, check out our Songs Of Silence review!

Painkiller's Generic Narrative Fails to Justify Its Co-Op Shift

The first, and by far the biggest problem with the new Painkiller, is the decision to turn the game into a co-op experience. While in previous installments you were a badass lone wolf who single-handedly trampled hordes of demons, now you have to do it as part of a four-member team. If by any chance friends don't join you to at least somewhat alleviate the pain, don't worry – random players will jump in, and if that doesn't happen either, you'll get empty-headed bots. 

They shoot at demons, but just as often, they get stuck in a corner, snag on the environment, don't follow you when they should, or, even worse, prevent the mission from being completed because they refuse to move where the game requires them to.

It's even worse when you play with bots; the game treats it as an online session, so forget about pausing and a quick trip to the bathroom, although that, realistically, would be a more worthwhile activity. The story was never Painkiller's strongest suit, but this sequel raises genericity to a whole new level. A big evil demon is evil, a good angel sends you to kill his little demons, and that's pretty much the entire premise.

Why Painkiller's Core Combat Feels Good But Isn't Enough

And it's actually perhaps a blessing that the narrative is so shallow because they decided to tell it through wisecracks and mutual dialogues in the middle of the most chaotic battles – at a time when you can't hear, see, or understand absolutely anything anyway.

It is generous even to call the game's nine missions a campaign, as you will complete them in three to four hours. Additionally, you can play each of the three chapters, i.e., biomes, in any order, which kills the little coherence the story could have had. It's even worse that there is absolutely nothing worth mentioning within them. The game, for some reason, calls them "raids," but everything you do in them (that is more complex than shooting) boils down to filling barrels with blood and standing in circles until doors open.

I can't say that at least the shooting isn't somewhat fun, and the main reason for that is the weapons. From a pistol that fires stakes and pins enemies to the wall, to a rifle that shoots knives that bounce between targets, to a gun whose bullets explode – there aren't many of them, but what exists is good and satisfying to use. Each weapon has at least one alternate fire mode, which is always welcome and contributes to the game's combat dynamics.

How Painkillers' Lack of Rewards Kills Long-Term Motivation

However, even that pleasure quickly wears off once you realize that nothing is connected to a truly satisfying progression system. Each character has only one measly passive bonus, weapons can only be upgraded through two basic modifications and two add-ons, and tarot cards give minor bonuses and disappear after one use. Besides the main missions, there is a roguelike mode, but it makes absolutely no sense because playing it doesn't unlock anything permanent, nor do you earn any currency that you could use in the campaign.

The Purgatory biomes in which the game takes place look solid, and the few boss fights are actually the only moments that can at least minimally trouble your four-member team on higher difficulties. Although it doesn't impress technically or artistically, the game can look impressive when the action kicks off. 

Explosions, blood, and effects fly everywhere, sometimes to the point that the battle turns into complete visual chaos, where it's hard to find your way. At least, all this runs smoothly, even on weaker configurations, so the game maintains a stable framerate even when dozens of enemies appear on the screen, which is an almost constant occurrence.

In Conclusion

It saddens me to say that the new Painkiller is a dose of morphine compared to the original, which was an injection of adrenaline. The game can visually appear as an older title – just enough to evoke a sense of nostalgia in short YouTube shorts or TikTok clips. But don't be fooled; it's pure bait for nostalgics and a deceptively beautified filter over something that is significantly shallower in real life.

In the end, only solid visuals and a somewhat good feeling of shooting save this from complete clinical death. Co-op killed all dynamics, progression killed all motivation, and the Painkiller name here acts as an empty label stuck on a generic shooter. Ironically, the most painful thing is precisely that, despite the name, this Painkiller creates more pain than it relieves.

Gemini AI Summary

This review heavily criticizes the 2024 Painkiller reboot for abandoning the successful lone-wolf formula of the original in favor of a generic and poorly implemented co-op experience, which is further marred by brain-dead AI teammates, a shallow progression system, a short and incoherent campaign, and a lack of motivation for the player, ultimately resulting in a disappointing and inferior game that fails to live up to its namesake, despite having satisfying core gunplay and solid visuals.

Rating: 4.5/10

It earns this low score due to its generic co-op focus, which undermines the series' lone-wolf dynamic, a shallow and motivation-killing progression system, and a short, incoherent campaign, despite featuring satisfying core gunplay and solid visuals.

Age Recommendation: 17+

The game features intense violence, blood, gore, and demonic themes, making it appropriate only for mature audiences, similar to other M-rated shooters.