Rising Hell is an action-oriented roguelike platformer where you take control of an avatar to literally claw your way out of Hell. Created by Tahoe Games, it features smooth, action-packed gameplay, with carefully designed stages filled with traps and bloodthirsty demons.
Just recently, this Indonesian-made game was shortlisted as one of the top 40 finalists of LEVEL UP KL’s SEA Game Awards. So what makes this game so great? Read on to find out!
Dead Cells, but vertical
Rising Hell bears similarities to the 2018 award-winning game Dead Cells, but with a vertical twist.
As each stage is designed in a vertical manner, gravity will become your avatar’s worst enemy. This is particularly prominent in stages without platforms, especially with a floor of lava catching up to you from below. It gives the game an extra pump of adrenaline that really sets it apart from other platformers.
The vertical layout also prevents you from heading back to lower levels once you climb onto a higher platform. Players will have to move carefully as you risk missing out on drops or secret levels if you blindly charge ahead.
Not a one-off adventure
There are two modes currently available in Rising Hell: quest mode and challenge mode.
Quest mode consists of three main stages, all of which have a different final boss. Though the quests are fairly short, the game offers plenty of replayability through its three unlockable characters. It makes you want to master all three characters to achieve that perfect A-rank score.
If you’re not a fan of dungeon crawling, there’s challenge mode, which is more of an arena-based battle. It is split into three types, namely bloodbath battles, boss fights and no-platform dungeon rushes. Each type comes with its own difficulty level and leaderboards.
The game also receives frequent updates from its developers, so fans who fall in love with Rising Hell will always have something to look forward to.
Bringing back the retro style
When it comes to the art direction, Rising Hell comes across as a thematically well-designed game. Each stage is themed after the type of demon roaming in it. For example, the first quest mode stage, where the head demons Ifrit and Samael lurk, has a fiery red look that complements their madness and fury. The game’s classic 16-bit art style also adds plenty of appeal to the bosses and gives everything an immersive feeling.
Complementing the look of the game is the heavy metal music and gruff sound effects when your avatar rips the demons apart. It brings out the premise of a truly hellish experience and takes the gameplay to another level.
A missing touch
While Rising Hell shines in its gameplay and design, it still lacks a strong storyline that could have enriched the overall experience. The only story elements you get are some exposition at the start of the game, with not much else integrated into the following stages.
In truth, the lore behind Rising Hell (which can be found on a Steam News Hub article by Tahoe Games) is fairly intriguing. The game’s choice of art style does reflect its lore, but any story hints woven into the art are too vague to be picked up by a casual player, who’s more preoccupied with slaying monsters coming their way.
Verdict: Get it!
As someone who normally plays more slow-paced JRPG games, this was a fresh change of game genre for me. I found myself enjoying the challenges it brought me through its fast-paced monster hunting and combo jump-kills.
Furthermore, as the developers are still actively improving the game, I’m definitely eager to see what they’ll do next. A new quest stage would really amp up the quality of the game.
For just RM24 on Steam, Rising Hell is definitely worth giving a shot, even for those new to the roguelike genre!
Review copy provided by Tahoe Games.
