Picture the scene. You and someone you like are gettin’ it on. Maybe with Barry White crooning away in the background, scented candles, sweaty palms. Then, one of you touches a box and boom, a bloke who’s clearly come out on the wrong end of a trip to an arts & crafts shop walks in with some hooks and says stuff about pain and pleasure.
Such is (pretty much) the way of classic 80s horror film Hellraiser, and therefore such is the plot of the trailer for the very first full game based on it. Said game’s a slice of singleplayer survival horror dubbed Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, from Evil: Within devs Boss Team Games and Space Marine 2 publishers Saber Interactive.
“Play the story of Aidan, who must use the power of a mysterious puzzle box – the Genesis Configuration – to help his girlfriend Sunny’s escape from the otherworldly hellscape of the Labyrinth,” reads the suitable hellish blurb. “Wield the powers of the box to survive your bargain with the infamous Pinhead and do battle with the horrific cult devoted to the Cenobites.”
In a fun twist, original actor Doug Bradley’s reprised the role of Cenobite leader Pinhead in the game, and it’ll be his first appearance behind the pin-laden visage in two decades.
Watch on YouTube
Clive Barker himself’s been looped in on crafting the story, and he’s been a fan of Boss Team and Saber’s dedication to the pursuit of gaming pleasure. “They’ve immersed themselves in the Hellraiser universe, capturing its essence — the seductive pull of suffering, the beauty within the grotesque — and forged a narrative that invites players to step beyond the threshold,” the writer and filmmaker said. “I’m eager for both the curious and the damned to experience this new chapter in the Hellraiser mythos, where every moment balances on the brink of nightmare and revelation.”
Sounds cool, but maybe make sure stray children aren’t likely to walk in on you playing it, given the Steam page’s lengthy content warning. There’s no release date or even window on that Steam page yet, so you’ll just have to find joy in slightly less carnal pleasures for the minute.
