Painkiller is a first-person shooter video game released on April 12, 2004. It was developed by Polish game studioPeople Can Fly and published by DreamCatcher Interactive. It is notable for using the Havok 2.0 physics engine extensively.
Gameplay[]
The game is inspired by such classic titles as Quake and Doom, with the emphasis on killing large numbers of monsters. The game is divided into five chapters, each about five levels long. The player's objective is to get through each level, from start to finish, by slaughtering hundreds of monsters. One of the game's most important aspects is its diversity. Each level presents a new location with various themes and art styles. The levels include castles, monasteries, an opera house, Venice, graveyards, and more. Monsters are also very different, with new ones almost every level. There are five "boss" levels where the player fights a boss. The game presents an option to complete a special task each level, which results in the player getting a "tarot card", a rare, hard-to-obtain bonus. Each equipped card provides different bonuses for a small amount of time, like powered-up weapons or slow motion. The game features multiplayer, which includes classic modes like Deathmatch and Capture-the-Flag.
Plot[]
The game revolves around a young man named Daniel Garner (Cam Clarke), who is happily married to his wife Catherine (Vanessa Marshall). At the start of the game, Daniel is about to take Catherine out for a birthday meal. As they drive towards their destination at high speed, in the pouring rain, Daniel takes his eyes off the road to look at his wife and while his attention is diverted, he ploughs their car into a truck. Both of them are killed instantly in the crash.
While Catherine manages to make it to Heaven and lives in harmony, Daniel is trapped in Purgatory. One day an angel called Samael (John Cygan) tells him that in order to receive purification, he has to kill four of Lucifer's generals in order to prevent a war between Heaven and Hell. Lucifer has been secretly organizing a massive army that could overwhelm Heaven, taking over Purgatory in the process. Small portions of the army are already beginning the march. With little choice available to him, Daniel accepts the task. With the forces of Hell seizing and corrupting various parts of Purgatory, Daniel goes through different and random phases of history within Purgatory, which range greatly from ancient times to the modern era. These include Medieval Europe, Babylon, the Crusades, 1800s and even a time slice of modern industry.
After killing the first general, Daniel meets a woman named Eve (Vanessa Marshall), another soul who has been in Purgatory for a long time. She gives him information about the whereabouts of the remaining generals and small elements of Lucifer's army already mobilizing. She also tells him about life in Purgatory, and the possibility that he could be dragged to Hell should he fall in battle and become lost forever. While this is all understood, what Daniel does not understand is why he came here, but Eve insists it is because of something in his past, and it is up to him to find out.
After the second general and reuniting with Eve, Daniel travels to meet a demonic friend named Asmodeus (Jim Ward), for information about new rallying positions for Lucifer's armies. Asmodeus once saved Daniel's life after he single-handedly defeated four demons at once one day, almost losing himself in the process. Eve is wary of Asmodeus and questions as to why he did not finish Daniel when he was weak, but he insists that he did not come to Purgatory to fill the graves with lost souls like the others. He also questions Eve if she is really "The Eve" referenced in the Bible, to which Daniel jokes "Where is Adam?" before continuing on.
After the third general, he confronts Samael, having had enough of the fighting and wanting out of Purgatory, but Samael remains firm with Daniel that it is not that simple to leave and he must finish the task given to him. After being directed to the whereabouts of Alastor (Jim Cummings), Lucifer's right-hand and final general, Daniel is warned that Alastor is already aware that he is being pursued and his own elite soldiers are prepared and waiting. Daniel reluctantly continues his quest for purification.
After Daniel kills Alastor, Eve arrives at the scene in shock, realizing Lucifer will no doubt be on his way and they should make themselves ready. Surprisingly, Asmodeus arrives, complimenting Daniel for his victory and examining the scene. Suddenly, both Eve and Daniel find Asmodeus highly suspicious and try questioning him as to why he is really in Purgatory, to which he eventually replies, "I dig graves". Suddenly, he dissolves into a ball of fire and Lucifer himself (Lex Lang) appears. He mocks Daniel while recognizing him as a worthy opponent and thanking him for removing Alastor, who had been constantly arguing with Lucifer that the armies should have attacked sooner rather than wait. He snatches Eve, whom he claims had escaped from Hell, and takes her with him before disappearing back into Hell.
Samael appears, congratulating Daniel for his success and informs him his task is done. Now he may proceed to Heaven and reunite with Catherine. But Daniel refuses, knowing that it is not over yet, "not even close" to use his words. He also knows that it would be only a matter of time before Lucifer can fledge a new and massive enough army, but the next time would be far worse. He decides to go after them, but Samael tries to make him reconsider, for if Daniel goes to Hell, there will be no escaping from there. Daniel turns down the offer once more and asks that Catherine be told not to wait for him, for he will not be coming. Samael gives in and shows him the direction to the gates of Hell, warning that they are protected from the inside by the most elite of the demonic forces for the purpose of keeping the souls of those who are damned within Hell.
Daniel eventually emerges in Hell, a twisted landscape made of torn fragments from various wars throughout history (a play on the phrase "War Is Hell"). After vanquishing enough souls of the damned, most of which are recognizable as foes he has defeated, he confronts Lucifer in Demon Mode and kills him, rescuing Eve in the process, who has been rendered unconscious. After killing Lucifer, Alastor reappears before him, with hordes of demons around him. Daniel learns that he did not really kill Alastor as he could only be defeated in Hell. With Lucifer gone, the position of Hell's ruler is open. Alastor has already taken it and announced his ultimatum. He leaves Daniel to the mercy of the demons around him, who eagerly accepts the challenge. The game ends with Daniel defending himself against the never-ending hordes.
If the game is finished in Trauma (the hardest difficulty in the game), an extra ending is presented. Daniel is now finally able to go to Heaven and reunite with Catherine at last.
Expansions[]
Battle Out of Hell[]
Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell is an expansion pack for Painkiller, released on November 22, 2004. It was developed and published by the same companies asPainkiller. Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell features an all-new 10-level single player campaign, two new weapons (with two fire modes each), new multiplayer game modes, and improved visual effects.
The story continues where the original left off: Lucifer is killed and his position as ruler of Hell is now free. Alastor, one of four hell generals Daniel Garner was assigned to kill in the original game, appears with a horde of demons and confronts Daniel, who now has to retreat with the help of Eve. Daniel's new goal is to battle out of hell and eliminate Alastor, who is now rightful ruler of the demonic forces. Before confronting his powerful enemy, Daniel visits such places as an orphanage full of possessed children, a hellish circus named Loony Park, a pirate bay, coliseums, Necropolis, and even a twisted version of World War II Leningrad. After taking out Alastor, Eve thanks Daniel for allowing her to take control. Eve offers Daniel the chance to rule by her side, but Daniel refuses. Eve then invites Daniel to leave and join Catherine in Heaven, but Daniel again refuses, and begins firing his gun at Eve as the screen fades to black.
Overdose[]
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Painkiller: Overdose is the second standalone Painkiller game and uses the same engine as the first. It was released for Windows on October 30, 2007 worldwide. Originally being developed by Mindware from Czech Republic as a fan-made game mod, DreamCatcher granted the project full financial and technical support. InOverdose, the player takes the role of Belial, a half-angel, half-demon gatekeeper. The game contains 6 new weapons, 40 monster types and 16 new levels. The story is a spin-off and is said to tie wandering ends and provide a bridge between the original game and a potential sequel.On October 17, 2007, the demo was released. On October 23, 2007, DreamCatcher announced that the game had started shipping to retail stores.
The story is set just after Daniel kills Lucifer. The death of Hell's leader all
ows Belial, the prisoner and outcast, to escape and start his vendetta against those who imprisoned him: demonic beast Cerberus and Sammael, an angel who betrayed his own kind. Belial starts his journey with killing his prison warden (and later using his head as a weapon). After traveling through various hellish places and defeating countless demons he kills Cerberus and reaches Samael's lair. There, Belial defeats the fallen angel and rips his wings off as an act of vengeance.
Resurrection[]
On April 9, 2009, Homegrown Games (developer) and DreamCatcher Interactive (publisher, a subsidiary of JoWooD Entertainment) revealed Painkiller: Resurrection, a stand-alone expansion to the original game running on an updated PainEngine. It was released on October 27, 2009 for Microsoft Windows.
It features six new levels, and a new hero: William "Bill" Sherman, who is blown to pieces by his own C-4 payload, with which he wanted to eliminate a group of mobsters. The fact that he accidentally blew a bus full of innocent ci
vilians means he is about to be claimed by Hell. However, he wakes up in purgatory and is tasked with redeeming his soul by battling a new demonic threat, which is revealed to be led by Astaroth, once a general of Lucifer, and Ramiel, a corrupted angel.
Redemption[]
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Painkiller: Redemption is an add-on released in February 25, 2011, as a downloadable game. Similarly to Overdose, the new expansion pack was originally a mod, created by a small group of fans under the label "Eggtooth'". Additional development by "Homegrown". Official publisher of Painkiller: Redemption is DreamCatcher. It features a new heavy metal soundtrack, minor graphic changes, and 6 levels with nearly 6000 enemies to kill. Painkiller Redemption features the return of Daniel Garner and Belial, both as playable characters. The development team has released free post-release support for the game, which includes extra content for multiplayer, or a new single-player chapter. Eggtooth Team didn't create any new content, so the maps used are the ones originally found in Painkiller multiplayer, and all monsters are taken from previous Painkiller installments, including the final boss, who uses the model of King Alastor from Battle Out of Hell.
The game is narrated through animated text messages, and starts when Belial, the hero of Painkiller: Overdose, saves Daniel Garner from Eve, the current queen of Hell. Together, Daniel and Belial fight a big battle through her minions in the Purgatory, until they've found Bill Sherman, the protagonist of Painkiller: Resurrection. With Bill's help, they are able to strike at Eve. The game ends with the surprising arrival of Samael, an angel of God who once tasked Daniel with destroying Hell's leaders. With Eve defeated, Samael plans to use the dark essence left by her to become a new ruler of Hell. The game concludes with Belial and Daniel understanding that the battle is not yet over.
Recurring Evil[]
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Painkiller: Recurring Evil is an add-on featuring 5 new levels with about 4000 enemies. It was released digitally on February 29, 2012 by Nordic Games via Steam, and developed by Med-Art and Eggtooth.
It continues the story of Resurrection and serves as a side story for Redemption. Bill Sherman becomes the ruler of Purgatory, blessed with power of the Sword of Seraphim. However, the fallen angel Samael (now wingless after his defeat at the hands of Belial in Overdose), who took the power of Hell from Eve, steals Bill's sword and sends him to Purgatory's unexplored locations, forcing the fight to start again. Bill reaches Samael in the end of his journey, but game ends without a fight, as the fallen angel defeats Bill. Depending on difficulty, Bill is either killed by Samael, or rescued by Belial.