Painkiller: Overdose Demo

Painkiller was a one-of-a-kind experience, mostly because it felt like it came out a decade too late, when it should've been part of the Quake and Doom party. However, that does not mean it was not appreciated, especially in a time when realistic shooters make you duck behind walls most of the time and you barely get to empty a full pistol clip during the entire level.

Painkiller: Overdose is a stand-alone expansion pack and it aims to continue the events from the first part, although it does so only on a metaphorical level, because it barely has anything to do with it. For starters, the main character is now a half demon, half angel hybrid who escapes from his cage after the devil is killed at the end of the original story.

Thus, he enters the human world in order to get revenge on those who imprisoned him for centuries, choosing the American Civil War period as the perfect time to do so. Naturally,  Hell sends its minions to stop you, although Heaven is not that happy with your escape either. By using a variety of strange, but powerful weapons, you must make your way through hordes of gruesome enemies and basically kill everything that stands before you.

Unlike the first part, this expansion pack goes a bit nuts when it comes to the arsenal, since you can now wield weird glowing cubes that slice through armor and flesh, broken swords with magical powers, small cannons, steampunk crossbows that shoot grenades and even the decapitated head of a monster that instantly disintegrates any kind of enemy. Naturally, the mobs themselves are a bit tougher as well, to even things out.

However, they are also in greater numbers, which makes for very annoying and frustrating sequences, because the ammo is very scarce and you often find yourself left with just the melee weapon. Although the game was obviously made to be difficult, the lack of ammo makes no sense, since a fast-paced gameplay like this should not have to encourage careful aiming in order to save bullets. Moreover, the monsters with ranged attacks can only hit you dead on, regardless of the distance between you.

In the end, Painkiller: Overdose does not do justice to the original title, mainly because the gameplay does not feel as fun as it did in the first part, despite the funny one-liners spewed by the main character. There's basically nothing new added to the formula, just the same game with a few new monsters and a ridiculous collection of weapons.