Previewed: February 4, 2004
Previewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
DreamCatcher Interactive

Developer
People Can Fly

Release Date: March, 2004
Genre: FPS
Players: TBD
ESRB: Mature

View Screenshots (90 Images)

Train Station Movie (12.5mb .WMV)
Catacombs Movie (18.8mb .WMV)

You are Painkiller, a mercenary for hire, charged with cleaning out nests of the undead. But an unholy pact with a demon unknowingly puts you square in the middle of a fight for control of the underworld... with the future of humanity hanging in the balance. Sure, the story is a bit cliché, but Painkiller is about action; good old-school FPS action that hearkens back to the days when Quake and Doom were dazzling us with their gothic themes that bordered on the macabre.

In fact, that was the first thing that crossed my mind as I ventured into the sprawling cathedral levels with high arched ceilings, detailed stone textures on the walls and floor, exploding barrels of…err…explosives, coffins filled with gold and ghostly apparitions that had be fleeing in terror.

Gameplay is intense. The demo level begins with you standing at a junction in a dark hall. Movement in any direction triggers groups of cloaked figures with giant axes that move in from multiple directions. Armed with only a shotgun and secondary-fire grenade launcher, you have to selectively target these advancing creatures, or better yet, try to hit a barrel and take out multiple targets in a blast. Later on you learn to backpedal and lob grenades into groups and watch the bodies fly in all directions.

And yes, the bodies do fly. Using the Havok 2.0 physics engine, Painkiller sports some of the best physics I’ve seen in any FPS game to date. Explosions send bodies flying in all directions, even right at you and over your head, which can be quite unnerving. I caught myself actually ducking when I shot a grenade into a group of cloaked acolytes and one of them was launched into the air right at me. Later in the level the enemies started rolling exploding barrels down the stairs trying to take me out from above. The motion and the way these barrels interacted with each step and each other as they collided and bounced towards me was uncanny.

One thing that totally took me by surprise was the enemy-AI, which seemed not only to anticipate my next move, but also formulate their own strategic attacks. I had a large group of enemies (about 12 guys) chasing me around a large room. I took off down one of three passages that all tied in to one another thinking I could circle back and get the drop on them. That one group split into three smaller groups, each taking their own hall and boxing me in for a three-way deathtrap. It was such an impressive display of AI that I didn’t mind dying.

With so many companies moving away from story-driven games and catering exclusively to the online market I am grateful that the designers have seen fit to give Painkiller a decent single-player campaign. There will also be multiplayer support and considering the proprietary 3D engine, creative level design, and realistic physics engine Painkiller will certainly rival any other multiplayer FPS out there.

I’ve already raved about the visuals, but I do need to mention that this new proprietary 3D graphics engine, recently dubbed "The Pain Engine", incorporates a complete multimedia package. It features all the next-gen graphics technology like: pixel shaders, volumetric lights, and particle effects then it blends in some amazing sound using the Miles Sound System.

My limited demo had only a few sounds and one music track but even these were exceptionally good considering the early state of this demo. The pulse-pounding metal theme music was perfect – something you might hear in a Goth bar. It reminded me of the early days of Quake and the killer rock tunes they used in that game. The only thing that could make this soundtrack any better is if the designers can manage to license Judas Priest's Painkiller for the title track. The sound effects like the weapons and the cracking of coffins and the explosions and metallic sounds of axes whizzing by your head and hitting the wall are all excellent.

There will be 20 levels in the final game, and while this number may not be that impressive, what is impressive is that there are no textures reused from one level to the next. Each level is painstakingly detailed and totally original.

The only thing I wasn’t able to explore in my early demo was the planned morphing ability of the main character. Apparently, Painkiller can morph into a more powerful form after he collects enough souls from the fallen. It sounds cool and I can’t wait to explore this feature in future builds and the final release.

Here is the current list of Painkiller Features:

• Intense gameplay: The player will be constantly outnumbered, fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds.
• Next-generation graphics: The game uses a proprietary 3D engine capable of pumping out 100X the polygons of some of the latest shooters, while adding increased texture quality and the latest lighting and shadowing techniques.
• Lasting replay value: Painkiller features a standard single player campaign, with additional modes to encourage replay. The game also features full multiplayer support.
• Combo weapons: All weapons come in pairs, with a primary and secondary fire.
• Morphing: Your unholy pact gives you the power to morph into a powerful possessed creature with every 100 souls collected.
• Monster AI: Advanced AI coding will simulate group behaviors. Monsters don't spawn onto the map, they patrol. They are constantly aware of the player, and will coordinate their attacks by retreating, regrouping and counterattacking.
• Physics Engine: Painkiller employs the Havok physics engine, allowing for inverse kinematics ("rag-doll physics") and deformable, interactive environments

Meanwhile, check out our extensive gallery from the Cathedral level featured in the WIP demo and some brand new images just added from later levels, then bookmark the Painkiller Website to get the latest info right from the source.