Helltaker
| Helltaker | |
|---|---|
 Steam cover art for Helltaker featuring the demon Lucifer, the CEO of Hell | |
| Developer(s) | Łukasz Piskorz |
| Publisher(s) | Łukasz Piskorz |
| Designer(s) | Łukasz Piskorz |
| Artist(s) | Łukasz Piskorz |
| Composer(s) | Mittsies |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Adventure, puzzle, dating sim |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Helltaker is a freeware indie puzzle-adventure game with dating sim elements designed by Polish[1] developer Łukasz Piskorz, also known as vanripper. It was released in May 2020 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is described as "a short game about sharply dressed demon girls."[2][3][4][5]
Plot
The plot follows a man named the Helltaker, who has a dream in which he has a harem of demon girls. Waking up, he decides to journey down into Hell to make his dream come true. He convinces the girls to join him throughout the events of the game, and after succeeding, although it is stated his time with them will be short and painful, he decides that he still enjoys it.
Gameplay
The player proceeds through a series of puzzle stages with the end goal of reaching a demon girl, answering her question appropriately, and incorporating her into the player's demon harem. Each puzzle stage involves pushing stones and skeleton soldiers around a two-dimensional top-down grid akin to Sokoban while keeping within a set turn limit, while also avoiding spike traps and collecting key items.[6] After reaching the goal, the demon girl for that particular stage will ask a question in which the player must infer the correct answer based on her personality, and an incorrect answer may result in a bad ending such as death, taking the player back to the beginning of the stage.[6][7]
The final boss level (featuring the demon Judgement, the High Prosecutor) includes phased bullet hell-like mechanics with chains across the screen.[2]
Development
Łukasz Piskorz, known on Twitter as "vanripper", developed the entirety of the game by himself over an estimated one-year period and was the game's artistic director.[8] According to Piskorz, Helltaker is somewhat reminiscent of the Leisure Suit Larry video game series, as the main characters of both games have characteristics reminiscent of each other.[9]
The game can be played for free,[10] and an art book and the recipe for the pancakes that appear in the game are sold separately.[11]
Although the video game is only officially available in English, Piskorz has supported the translations made by the community, explaining how to make them and making one in Polish himself.[8]
References
- ^ "Łukasz Piskorz". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ a b "Helltaker Is a Demonically Delightful (and Free) Puzzler". Escapist Magazine. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ "Helltaker Is a Devilish Harem Puzzler Worth Solving". CBR. 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ "Travel through hell to find demon girls in Helltaker, now on Linux". GamingOnLinux. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ "Free to Play Puzzle-Dating Sim Helltaker Now Available on Linux and SteamOS". Niche Gamer. 2020-05-25. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
- ^ a b "Steam免費解謎新作《HELLTAKER》獲壓倒性好評，為了超香惡魔妹子下地獄玩倉庫番". 4gamers Taiwan (in Chinese). May 19, 2020.
- ^ "The Helltaker Characters Make the Game". Siliconera. May 27, 2020.
- ^ a b @vanripperart (June 5, 2020). "Been getting lots of Helltaker questions so here's a little FAQ: https://pastebin.com/x8WgAqja" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Helltaker: Schmort Larry Laffer in der Hölle?" (in German). Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ Davidson, Amy (2020-05-22). "Helltaker Is a Demonically Delightful (and Free) Puzzler". The Escapist. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
- ^ "Steam『Helltaker（ヘルテイカー）』レビュー。倉庫番ライクな地獄のパズルで悪魔っ娘とイチャコラ！". ファミ通. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2020-05-21.