The premise/story is an often-overlooked portion of a game. Innovative gameplay, realistic physics and cutting edge graphics are traits that gamers seem to focus upon when talking about games. But how many truly great games have all of these factors plus an interesting and thought-provoking storyline? Well, the story was one of the reasons I was drawn towards Infernal, along with the graphics, gameplay and physics. Unfortunately when all of these ingredients are on the verge of going sour it can make for a bland gaming experience.

The story of Infernal centers upon the main character, Ryan Lennox, a former angel working for Etherlight, Heaven’s secret agency on Earth. The agents of Etherlight have been waging a constant battle with the agents of Hell in the age old battle of good vs. evil. However, the forces of Heaven have the upper hand with Hell’s agents close to being exterminated once and for all. Since Ryan is a former Etherlight agent, Hell believes recruiting Ryan can help them gain the advantage in their struggle with Heaven. Once Ryan has been endowed with the powers of Hell he sets out on various missions to take down Etherlight and Heaven’s forces on Earth.

Now almost immediately the story is where the game goes wrong. The game starts off with Ryan having a conversation with another Etherlight agent when soon Etherlight agents are raiding the building chasing after Ryan. No explanation is offered as to why Etherlight is after Ryan or what Ryan has done to upset the higher power. Instead we get a run-and-gun segment to start off the game that doesn’t do a good job of establishing the overall tone of the game. After clearing this first “starter” stage the real story unfolds with Ryan being offered the powers of Hell and the first mission begins.

The gameplay of Internal is a mixture of third-person perspective shooter and puzzle solver. The majority of the game focuses upon you taking out Etherlight agents as you complete an assortment of missions for Hell. Usually most of the game follows the same type of formula: clear out enemy agents on a screen, solve a puzzle, clear more agents, solve another puzzle and then fight a boss battle. The game does include some special powers that you can use to solve puzzles and to unleash a more powerful attack: Teleportation, Infernal Vision and the Infernal Attack.

Teleportation is one special power that allows you to temporarily move to different area on the stage. I should emphasize temporarily since you have to act very quickly when using the teleportation feature or you will warp back to origination point. Infernal Vision allows you to see special codes and items that are invisible using normal vision. The Infernal Attack is more powerful attack that you can use during combat or exploration to break down walls or items in the game. Both the Teleportation and Infernal Attack require mana in order to activate their powers. You gain mana points in certain portions/areas of the game, defeating enemy agents or finding mana icons using the Infernal Vision.

The special powers are nothing unique but the biggest downfall of Infernal is the core gameplay. The special powers do almost nothing to make the game feel special or unique. Teleportation always seems hit or miss simply due to the time restraints and questionable camera angle once you’ve teleported. The Infernal Attack takes way too long to charge up and can be a huge detriment during a fire fight with multiple agents. The AI of the enemy is more erratic than intelligent. The AI can always hit you from a mile away, while running after you a full speed or by standing behind a metal container. But the next minute they will run right up to you while you’re unloading several rounds into them. Did I even mention the ability to shoot while taking cover? I didn’t? Well that’s because it’s almost pointless to even try since the game kept moving me out into the open while I fired. Even backing up against a wall is hit or miss, since I found myself backing up against a wall when I was just trying to move forward.

At the end of the day it’s always up to you the reader to make the determination if you’re going to play the games we review. For every bad review there can be just as many good reviews for the same game. For every good feature discussed about a game, just as many bad features can be the subject of conversation. Infernal is one of those games that will probably find its audience thanks to it being on the most dominate gaming platform, the PC. But finicky gamers will probably look the other way due to the questionable AI and repetitive gameplay. If you’re just looking for an eye candy game then Infernal could be a decent choice since the graphics are the best portion of the game.

Gameplay: 5.0
The game tries to do an admiral job of being a decent third-person shooter but falls apart just after the first few minutes.

Graphics: 7.5
Visually the game was a nice treat with some great character models and impressive special effects, such as the Infernal Shot. But the camera angle does get a little crazy during heavy combat and during teleportation.

Sound: 6.0
There are a few tracks in the game that do a nice job of building up an almost mythical atmosphere during certain portions of the game. But someone needs to tell the designers that the late 90’s industrial soundtrack worked in the late 90’s. The voice acting in the game was decent but nothing you would make you listen to the dialogue twice.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Even on the easiest setting all of the AI controlled characters had the accuracy of a sniper. Some of the puzzles in the game felt completely unnecessary since the solution was usually some arbitrary item you would never think about.

Concept: 5.0
Honestly at first I thought I was playing a complete rip-off of Resident Evil 4 due to the behind-the-shoulder camera angle and first stage. But after a while I realized that I was shaming Resident Evil 4 by making the comparison. Infernal is simply just a basic run and gun game with a less than inspired storyline.

Overall: 5.9
Infernal is one of those games that tries to do everything right but has a hard time doing just one good thing. The graphics are probably the only true saving portion of the game because the storyline and gameplay just doesn’t make Infernal shine. If there was an epic battle between good and evil I think Infernal would stick to the sidelines for as long as possible. After a while it might jump in to give everyone a nice initial first impression but soon that good feeling wears thin.

Originally from GameZone