Should You Play Jupiter Hell? | Jupiter Hell Review

Channel:

UDS Gaming

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2,100

Published on August 5, 2021 7:08:50 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA47foCBBbE

Game:

Jupiter Hell (2019)

Category:

Review

Duration: 5:38

2,086 views

58

Check out our review of the sci-fi horror roguelike game Jupiter Hell. Heavily inspired by the likes of Doom, find out if the long awaited full release lives up to its forebears.

#JupiterHell #Review #Roguelike

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UDS (Upside Down Shark) is the home of alternative pop culture. Focusing on video games, movies, TV shows and more, expect reviews, features, video essays and more on this channel, hosted by Tom, Craig, Dobbie, Neale and Drew.

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Transcript

Hey how’s it going guys! This is Tom from UDS and welcome to our review of Jupiter Hell, a brand new roguelike by developers ChaosForge. Now it's out of early access, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know before you play, and don’t forget to subscribe for more on all things gaming every single week. You’re not going to want to miss it…

Over the past five years, the Doom franchise has really proven itself to be one of gaming’s most successful comeback stories. Not only have they released two of the best FPS titles of recent times, as well as wiping our memories of Demon Rock ‘The Dwayne’ Johnson, they’ve also inspired a bunch of creators to take the source material into new directions.

One such project was Doom The Roguelike, which pretty much does what it says on the tin. But after proving to be a hit with fans, and in the effort of avoiding any serious litigation, we now have a spiritual successor in the form of Jupiter Hell.

After initially being funded via Kickstarter and being fine tuned in early access, it’s already been given official endorsement from Doom-daddy John Carmack, so you know it's already impressed the right people.

But will taking these familiar tropes and themes into the world of a roguelike work, or will the slower, more tactical approach neither rip, nor tear? Watch on to find out...

The broad strokes of the main game are that you’re a jarhead that’s crash landed as the sole survivor in a base infested by demonic forces. You then have to make your way through branching stages, collecting new equipment and levelling up as you fight your way through the hordes. So far, so Doom. That is until you die, after which you’ll have to start the whole thing over again. And while it can get preposterously difficult, you quickly learn the rhythms and systems of the gameplay, and this progression can be super satisfying.

Fortunately, the ferocity and tempo of its forebears is there for all to see. Naturally everything is turn-based, yet there’s a real emphasis on action over tactics, which might not work for roguelike purists, but for someone like me who hasn’t played too many games like this, it’s very accessible and a lot of fun. You might not have the agility of Doomguy, but they’ve managed to transpose the fluidity of the gameplay very impressively.

I should also stress that full controller support from the offset is a blessing! If like me you’re predominantly a console gamer, it makes picking up and playing for the first time so much easier.

But that isn’t to say there’s a lack of depth, as there’s a hefty RPG element involved too. You can pick between one of three classes of soldier, and I found that the marine class best suited my skills, or lack of. But you can also select classes that are better tailored to stealth or hacking if that better matches your style.

You can then customise these skills further by upgrading different attributes as you level up. It took me time to experiment with this to find out what worked for the way I was playing, but it was still fun finding out the effect of each.

Aside from the main game, you’ve got plenty of other modes to try out, such as trials mode in which you can set your own objectives and parameters, challenge mode which sets the parameters for you, and endless mode which is pretty self explanatory. It all helps to mix up the standard formula, so if you get a little too cross after dying for the upteenth time, they serve as a nice palette cleanser.

As for the story, it’s… there, but barely. Much like the likes of Doom, it’s mostly found through journal entries in terminals, but even then it’s really nothing more than set dressing for the action. This isn’t really a problem though, as it’s going to be hard to get too invested in any game with permadeath, and it does let the gameplay stand at the forefront...

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