Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival Demo Review — One Hell of a First Impression

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival has been on my radar, but after experiencing the PC demo, I can comfortably say that my interest in the game has grown considerably.

I absolutely loved this demo.

One of the biggest things that stood out to me was how it seemed to pull together elements that reminded me of several of my favorite games from the last decade. There were moments where I felt shades of Resident Evil and Outlast, particularly through the atmosphere, tension, exploration, and horror.

And strangely enough, I even got a little bit of Far Cry from certain aspects of the experience.

Obviously, Far Cry isn't a horror franchise, but something about the movement, environments, gameplay flow, and overall feel reminded me of it at times. Blending those kinds of elements together with a much darker horror experience made the demo feel familiar without simply feeling like a copy of something else.

The atmosphere was easily one of the biggest highlights for me.

It feels grimy, disturbing, uncomfortable, and appropriately twisted for the world of Hellraiser. There’s a sense that something horrible could be waiting around almost every corner, and that tension helped keep me invested throughout the experience.

That is exactly the kind of feeling I want from a horror game.

Of course, this is a review specifically of the demo rather than the final release, so there is still a much larger game waiting to be experienced. But as a showcase for what Hellraiser: Revival could ultimately become, I think this demo did exactly what it needed to do.

It sold me on the game.

After finishing my time with the demo, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival has moved firmly onto my list of games I want to purchase and experience in full.

I'm also very interested in potentially bringing coverage of the full release to the channel later this year. The fall is already shaping up to be extremely busy between tons of gaming coverage and several other projects, but this is absolutely a horror title I would like to make some room for.

If the full game can build upon what this demo introduced, I think we're in for a very interesting trip into Hell.

For now, though, the demo has done its job.

I'm sold.