Painkiller: Battle out of Hell

"Return of Painkiller"

What kind of game is Painkiller Battle out of Hell (aka PK BOOH or BOOH) apart the fact that's a FPS? Well, it's an add-on. That means that you'll need the original game, Painkiller, for playing BOOH. Is BOOH an add-on like we like it? Yep. It's an add-on who can't be separated from Painkiller, making richer the PK universe. You know, it's like an Opposing Force for Half-Life... or like Resurrection of Evil for Doom 3. You can't talk about PK if you don't talk of its add-on ...

If you consider the Trauma ending from PK as canon, you'll be disappointed but not surprised to see that it's the normal ending who was chosen for the storyline for BOOH.

So, I'll refresh your memories. Daniel, in the end, chose to hunt Lucifer and rescue Eve, his hostage, from Hell. He killed Lucifer. But he discovered that Alastor didn't die in Purgatory - you're just sent back to Hell when you're a demon who have been killed in Purgatory. So, Alastor took Lucifer's position. And Daniel, with an inconscious Eve by his side, began fighting demons sent by the new chief of Hell. Daniel (with a new face, a twisted one... - must be the eaten souls) and Eve escaped Hell. How? Eve had a moment of lucidity and pulled a trick of her, a sort of portal. Daniel wants to stop Alastor. Letting Eve resting and after her recommendations, he leaves to fight the second attack from Hell. Will he succeed? And if he does, what twist of fate will happen?

Even if the game isn't structured in chapters, you have 10 new levels, from an Orphanage (shocking level, so, don't let children play with BOOH) to Colosseum without forgetting a Dead City or a Loony Park... and who says new levels in PK says never-seen-before enemies. Contrary to Overdose, the new opus in the Painkiller Universe, BOOH didn't import PK enemies.. Male players will be rewarded by the appearance of blonde bimbos called Nurses - well, it's a cliche, not every blonde in the real world is like that.

BOOH doesn't change a thing for the difficulty setting, only that there is a level blocked until Nightmare, Pentagon. And for the weapons? Well, you can find again the stakegun, painkiller, electroshuriken, rocket gatling and fusil freezer. But you'll have the happiness to play with a chaingun which is also a flamethrower and a boltgun with a zoom - sniping makes its appearance! The absence of playing sniper in PK was really sensed: I think about the Hell Angels or Hell Bikers in City on Water, when the enemies were on the roof of some houses or on the balcony. And I also think about some Evil Monks in Old Monastery.

For the Black Tarot, you can play with the cards from PK and you guessed it, ten new cards are also available through new challenges (with some nearly impossible, like the Underworld one, consisting in killing all enemies... with a sequence on a sort of little train...). Remember, Black Tarot cards are just useful rewards after completing a challenge. And last but not least, the soundtrack is the same kind as PK, so, hardrock and ambient sounds are still marvelous... Loony Park is really original for example.

What? Negative points? Nothing is perfect, right? So, BOOH has some default. First one is the graphics... if you're a purist one. I mean, we're in 2008 and that's normal that graphics from 2004 seemed old ones. But for me, it's not the case, BOOH is still beautiful. But I'm not happy with Daniel's new face, he seems a twisted guy now. And Eve is now clothed... well, her long hair is not anymore her breast cover. What? It was too suggestive? But apart from that, graphics are great. The useless cards are also present. Thank god, it's not like in Overdose! Majority of the cards are really useful. Difficulty in Nightmare and Trauma are also reserved to hardcore gamers (I'm not at my ease when it comes to high difficulty settings).

BOOH concluded Daniel's story. For now. Overdose, released in 2007, has its own hero, Belial. The PK Universe is really coherent. It's perhaps not as complex as an Half-Life or a Doom. BOOH is just an old-school FPS game, logic for an add-on of an old-school FPS. Lock, load and shoot. That's the way of playing in Painkiller.

GRAPHICS: 8/10 - It's the Havok 2.0 - Pain Engine, it's a game from 2004 but it's still efficient. And you don't need a new graphic card for making work the game.

SOUNDTRACK: 9/10 - It's like in PK, so, you'll be not disappointed by it. Hardrock for fighting, ambient sound or music when nothing is wrong (Loony Park is a great example)

GAMEPLAY: 8/10 - With 10 new cards and 2 new weapons, you'll have more fun. But as usual, PK Jump or Lead Jump must be mastered, as the Quick Jumping, especially for Colosseum.

LIFETIME: 7/10 - Only ten new levels, I know, but you have 4 difficulty settings to beat, so... if you like challenges... And I'm warning you: BOOH can cause addictiveness... even years after playing it, you come back to the game with great pleasure.

STORY: 9/10 - Even if I saw the ending coming, I strongly believed that it wouldn't happen. But the story is good.

FINAL: 18/20 - You need to add BOOH in your collection if you have Painkiller. It's a pleasant add-on, with a good gameplay, with new levels and with new weapons. So, I recommend it. More than the new stand-alone, Overdose. So, don't hesitate to buy Painkiller (or the Gold Edition, containing BOOH) and its add-on.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/08

Game Release: Painkiller Expansion Pack: Battle out of Hell (EU, 12/03/04)