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All Articles: Hellraid
Techland puts development of Hellraid on hold
They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But the road to Hellraid is apparently paved with Stop signs as Techland announced (on the game’s official website) that the first-person slasher has been put on hold.
First announced in 2012 as Project Hell, Hellraid was originally scheduled to be released in Fall 2013 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The co-op arena brawler was then pushed back to 2014 so Techland could add a single-player story mode and fix the game’s magic system. But as the 2014 launch date loomed, Techland delayed it one more time and shifted the game’s destination to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It looks like even a jump to current-generation consoles couldn’t save it:
In the recent months we conducted an internal analysis and came to the conclusion that Hellraid, in its current shape and form, is not meeting our own expectations for this project. Therefore, we decided the best course of action would be to send it back to the drawing board and invent our dark fantasy title anew.
While Techland didn’t officially cancel Hellraid, the developer plans to continue to expand their first-person zombie survival game, Dying Light, while they figure out what to do with it.
Techland’s Hellraid delayed to 2015 as development moves to next-gen consoles
Hellraid will miss another release date as developer Techland has confirmed the “first person slasher” won’t be released this year as originally planned. But the team, who also created Dead Island and Call of Juarez, has a good excuse: Hellraid is making the jump to next-generation consoles. Originally set for a PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 release, Hellraid is now in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The horsepower of the next-generation systems will allow Techland to add a variety of under-the-hood additions to Hellraid including “a physics-based lighting system, more detailed locations and character models, complex animations, advanced particle effects, and state-of-the-art AI systems.” While players will be unable to see these enhancements, they will directly affect the game’s combat system, which is also undergoing an upgrade. According to the developer, combat in Hellraid will feature a “class-free” skills system for endless customization, multiple different weapon types, magical spells, and “diverse fighting styles.” A crafting component will add even more weapons to the player’s arsenal.
Finally, Techland will use the additional development to implement three different gameplay modes in Hellraid. A standard Story Campaign, playable by up to four players, will be the main draw. But the game will also include a score-based Mission Mode and a wave-based survival challenge known as Arena Mode.
The full version of Hellraid will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2015 but an Early Access edition will be available through Steam this Fall.
Techland delays Hellraid’s retail rising until 2014
It looks like gamers won’t be going to Hell in 2013. Techland has announced that Hellraid, their upcoming “competitive co-op” game, has been pushed back into 2014. The PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game originally staked out a Fall 2013 release date but, according to Techland’s Marcin Kruczkiewicz, the team needs more time to make the kind of game they want to.
Here’s what Kruczkiewicz had to say on the Hellraid development blog: “If we released our game this year we would have to make too many compromises and the final product probably wouldn’t meet all our promises and your expectations. That’s why we’ve made a tough decision to release Hellraid in 2014 or to be more precise: when it’s done.”
Kruczkiewicz specifically cited several additions and tweaks the team would like to make to Hellraid. These additions and tweaks include a reworked magic system and “completely new game modes for single player and co-op.”
Techland’s Project Hell announced as Hellraid
Dead Island developer Techland has revealed that the game formally announced as “Project Hell” will officially be titled Hellraid. The game will be unleashed on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 later this year.
Techland has described Hell Raid as a “first-person co-op slasher” that will have single-player campaign, as well as co-op multiplayer where you and your friends battle against the denizens of Hell – as well as each other – for points and loot.
The armies of Hell brought pain and destruction to the realm of man, and only a select few have the fighting skills necessary to confront the devilish monstrosities. Combining elements of hack & slash RPGs, first-person shooters and online multiplayer games, Hellraid features an advanced, immersive combat system with melee, ranged and magical weapons. The engaging Game Master system makes each game a different experience, placing loot and enemies while generating random online challenges.
More information on Hellraid, including the first screenshots, can be found at Hellraid.com.
Techland goes from Dead Island straight to Project Hell
Polish developer Techland is following up its zombie hit Dead Island with a dark fantasy hack ‘n’ slash game, codenamed Project Hell. Rather than following the isometric view of the similarly dark fantasy-styled Diablo series, Techland has opted for a first person perspective. The game will be set in the time period when Europeans practiced pagan rituals at the same time they allegedly converted to Christianity.
Project Hell originated after some of Dead Island’s development team began experimenting with the weapon mechanics of their zombiefest. Beginning life as a Dead Island mod, one hopes it plays better than that title, given that it’s more famous for its trailer by Axis Animation than the game itself. It does appear that Techland has recognised this, by creating a development blog, Sharpen Your Axes!, which will allow gamers to comment on the progress and direction of the game. It is the developer’s hope that this open collaboration will help improve the quality of the title.
Project Hell is currently only in development for PC, but Techland has stated that it will look to port it to consoles if successful. The company also promised there will be no unicorns. This is “dark” fantasy after all.