Painkiller: Black Edition

Release Date: August 28, 2005

Action, FPP, FPS, horror, Polish, shooters, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet, LAN

90%

Steam

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A collector's edition of Painkiller - a popular FPS game which debuted in 2004 and had been developed by the Polish studio People Can Fly. This compilation includes both the base Painkiller and an expansion released later and entitled "Battle Out of Hell".

Videos and Screens

90%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Very Positive (1,621)

STEAM

User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

Weapon Variety: Players appreciate the wide range of weapons available, each feeling unique and powerful.
Unique Levels: The game features diverse and interesting level designs, with notable favorites like the Asylum, Orphanage, and Loony Park.
Challenging Gameplay: Players enjoy the fast-paced action and the challenge of facing swarms of enemies.
Sound Design: The sound effects for the weapons are satisfying and enhance the gameplay experience.
Fun Movement Mechanics: The movement system allows for creative play, such as jumping and maneuvering quickly through levels.
Tarot Cards: The inclusion of tarot cards as power-ups adds an extra layer of strategy and challenge.

The main cons of the game

Character Development: The characters lack depth and charisma, making the narrative feel weak.
Level Difficulty: Some levels can be tedious or frustrating, particularly in the expansion pack, where certain sections are noted to lack checkpoints.
Bugs and Glitches: Players report experiencing game-breaking bugs, especially early in the game, which can disrupt progress.
Difficulty Spikes: The game has significant difficulty spikes, particularly after the initial chapters, which can be jarring for players.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

Story Depth: Many players feel that the story and character motivations are underdeveloped and could benefit from more complexity.
Improved Boss Fights: Boss encounters are often criticized for being less engaging or poorly designed compared to the rest of the game.
Save System: The lack of frequent save points in some levels, especially in the expansion, is a common complaint.
Balancing of Difficulty: A more gradual increase in difficulty would enhance the gameplay experience, rather than sudden spikes.

Summary

Overall, while "Painkiller: Black Edition" is praised for its nostalgic old-school FPS gameplay, weapon variety, and engaging action, it is also critiqued for its narrative shortcomings, bugs, and uneven difficulty.

Summary generated on: November 25, 2024

8.9

GAMERS Score

Average score from 922 votes.

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Painkiller: Black Edition for PC is a collector's edition of Painkiller, enriched with the Battle Out of Hell expansion and plenty of new bonuses, such as a new map for the deathmatch mode; improved graphic effects for modern video cards; cut-scenes in better quality; a movie entitled "The making of Painkiller"; or the Painkiller videoclip.

Gameplay

Painkiller is an FPP action game created by People Can Fly (a Polish developer) and inspired by classic shooters, such as Quake or Unreal Tournament. The protagonist kills the undead in dungeons filled with darkness, haunted castles, etc. He had once been a normal human being, going by the name Daniel Garner – he lived, loved, laughed, worked, he used to be heppy, he used to be depressed, and one day, just like any other human, he died. Contrary to others, however, he didn't end up in neither heaven nor hell – instead, he was chosen to become a warrior, whose job is to defeat the Lucifer's hordes. In that instance, his whole existence collapsed into a war against the demons. Only through defeating evil can the protagonist achieve redemption and reach heaven. The game offers about a dozen levels (divided into five chapters) along with a plot that ties them all together, and is definitely linear. The game features a number of weapons featuring alternative modes and capabilities the players have not seen before. There’s the ShotGun, the StakeGun, the Chain Gun / Rocket Launcher or the Shuriken-do Gun, to name just a few, as well as both parts of equipment and unique power-ups. Without such arsenal, dealing with such creatures as Saphathoraél, Zombie Knight, Psychonun or Skull wouldn’t be possible.

Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell is the first official expansion pack for one of the best FPS games of 2004. In that base game created by People Can Fly, one plays as Daniel Garner, who launched a crusade against Lucifer after his own death. The expansion begins at the very time the story from the core Painkiller ends. Interestingly, a hidden ending included in the base game was taken into account when producing this add-on. Garner defeats the Lucifer, but right after that, his place is taken by Alastor. The protagonist has to stop that demon and make his way out of hell in order to be finally reunited with his former wife in heaven.

Technical aspects

Painkiller is the first Polish game to have used the Havok 2 technology and supported the modern GPUs.

Last updated on July 24, 2017

GAMES

in Painkiller Game Series

Game Series

Painkiller Series

A series of first-person shooters (FPS) in the climate of bloody horror. The series was started by People Can Fly studio, and its development involved such development teams as Eggtooth, Mindware Studios, Med-Art and The Farm 51.

8 video games

Painkiller Game Series