When Doom 2016 came out it changed the way that many people think about the first person shooter. It showed that many of the ideals of the 90s weren’t dated, they just haven’t been done correctly. Hellbound is very much in that same philosophy that things weren’t broken. While most of the action is over the top and fast paced, there is still a handful of cracks beneath the surface.
Gameplay wise everything controls like a mix of Quake 3 and Doom 2. The character is overly heavy in their movements, and their weight can be felt, much like Doom. On the Quake side, everything is incredibly fast paced and more about simply moving forward than the, sometimes, best Doom strategy of trying to view some of the later rooms as FPS-puzzles. The problem with the mix is that everything feels slightly off when playing for the very first time–this isn’t something that can’t be overcome, quickly, via standard play but it remains there.
The graphics and sound aren’t really anything to write home about, but they manage to portray some of the feeling of the era that inspired the game well. The game looks like an up-rezed version of Quake 3, but is stylized enough that whatever it lacks in quality is easily ignored.
Hellbound might not be many people’s game of the year contender, mainly due to the length of the experience, but it is priced correctly for what is included. The campaign is short, but there are survival type modes that can extend the enjoyment. For 15 dollars, the price is right. Even more so when it goes on sale in the Steam store. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.