Wikipedia

Helltaker

2020 video game

Helltaker is a freeware indie puzzle-adventure game with dating sim elements that was designed by Polish[1] developer vanripper (real name Łukasz Piskorz), released on May 11, 2020 for Windows, macOS, Linux and SteamOS. It is described as "[a] short game about sharply dressed demon girls."[2][3][4][5]

Helltaker
Developer(s)vanripper
Publisher(s)vanripper
Designer(s)vanripper
Artist(s)vanripper
Composer(s)Mittsies
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • WW: May 11, 2020
Genre(s)adventure, puzzle, dating sim
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot

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One day, The Helltaker has a dream about making a harem of demon girls. When he wakes up, even though he knows Hell is a dangerous place, he decides to go to Hell, wanting to make a harem of demon girls in the real world.

Gameplay

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The player plays a series of puzzle stages, in which the player pushes stones and skeleton soldiers around a two-dimensional top-down grid, like in Sokoban, while having a limited amount of turns, avoiding spike traps and collecting key items.[6] After reaching the goal, the player reaches the demon girl of that stage, who will ask the player a question. The correct answer is based on her personality. If the player guesses the answer correctly, the demon girl becomes part of the player's demon harem. If the player guesses the answer incorrectly, a bad ending, such as death, will happen, taking the player back to the start of the stage.[6][7]

The final boss level, which features the demon Judgement, the High Prosecutor, includes phased bullet hell-like mechanics with chains across the screen.[2]

Development

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Łukasz Piskorz, who is known on Twitter as "vanripper", developed the whole game by himself over about one year, and was the game's artistic director.[8] According to him, Helltaker is like the Leisure Suit Larry video game series because the main characters of both games have similar features.[9]

The game can be played for free,[10] and an art book and the recipe for the pancakes that appear in the game are sold separately.[11]

Although the video game is only officially available in English, Piskorz has supported the translations made by the community, explaining how to make them and making one in Polish himself.[8]

Characters

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The Helltaker
A man who goes down to hell, wanting to make a harem of demon girls. He wears sunglasses and has a muscular body. When talks with the demon girls go wrong, he is killed by them. He is skilled in making pancakes.
Beelzebub, the Great Fly
A demon girl who is the first character encountered in the game. She can either appear as an insect, or a demon girl with fly-like features and tendencies, such as wearing fly-themed trinkets, bracelets and jewelry, and using a handkerchief similarly to how a fly cleans itself.
Pandemonica, the Tired Demon
A demon girl who is a customer service representative in Hell. She wears glasses and likes coffee. Even though she is the Tired Demon, she has a sadistic side that can be brought out for reasons such as The Helltaker making her bad coffee.
Modeus, the Lustful Demon
A demon girl who is addicted to sex. She is sometimes naive towards concepts such as romance.
Cerberus, the Triple Demon
A demon girl with three bodies at once, all of which are controlled by one soul living within her. She has canine-like ears and teeth, and is one of the more excitable demons. However, she has a dark side, in which she still has an innocent appearance.
Malina, the Sour Demon
A demon girl who is the sister of Zdrada. She is a "salty nostalgia gamer" with a love for turn-based strategy games. Her sister, Zdrada, makes fun of this, saying Malina gets sexually excited by them. She is named after the Slavic word for raspberry,[12] and loves to drink alcohol, which she drinks when she is stressed.
Zdrada, the Bitch Demon
A demon girl who is Malina's sister. She is a heavy smoker. Her name is the Slavic word for betrayal, which, in Polish, can also mean treason and adultery.
Azazel, the Curious Angel
An angel who goes to Hell to collect information on demons. She is shown to often be writing notes.
Justice, the Awesome Demon
A demon girl who is blind and wears sunglasses. She is laid-back and was the High Prosecutor of Hell before Judgement.
Lucifer, the CEO of Hell
A demon girl who acts as the queen of hell, and takes the title of "CEO of Hell". She likes pancakes.
Judgement, the High Prosecutor
A demon girl who is the High Prosecutor of Hell. She ignores pleas from other demons to spare The Helltaker, even when Lucifer tells her to stand down. Despite this, she is the nicest demon in the game, because she only acts in a sadistic way to fit in with her role as High Prosecutor of Hell.

Soundtrack

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Helltaker Soundtrack [13]
Soundtrack album by
Mittsies
Released31 May 2020
GenreElectronic music
Helltaker Soundtrack
No. Title Length
1. "Vitality"   3:47
2. "Apropos"   5:26
3. "Epitomize"   4:20
4. "Luminescent"   4:16
5. "Vitality (VIP Edit)"   4:41
Total length:
 22:30

Reception

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As of 7 June 2020, the game has 21,143 reviews on Steam,[14] with an overall rating of "Overwhelmingly Positive".[15]

References

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  1. ↑ "Łukasz Piskorz". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Helltaker Is a Demonically Delightful (and Free) Puzzler". Escapist Magazine. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  3. ↑ "Helltaker Is a Devilish Harem Puzzler Worth Solving". CBR. 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  4. ↑ "Travel through hell to find demon girls in Helltaker, now on Linux". GamingOnLinux. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  5. ↑ "Free to Play Puzzle-Dating Sim Helltaker Now Available on Linux and SteamOS". Niche Gamer. 2020-05-25. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Steam免費解謎新作《HELLTAKER》獲壓倒性好評，為了超香惡魔妹子下地獄玩倉庫番". 4gamers Taiwan (in Chinese). May 19, 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Helltaker Characters Make the Game". Siliconera. May 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 @vanripperart (5 June 2020). "Been getting lots of Helltaker questions so here's a little FAQ: pastebin.com/x8WgAqja" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "Helltaker: Schmort Larry Laffer in der Hölle?" (in German). Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  10. ↑ Davidson, Amy (2020-05-22). "Helltaker Is a Demonically Delightful (and Free) Puzzler". The Escapist. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  11. ↑ "Steam『Helltaker（ヘルテイカー）』レビュー。倉庫番ライクな地獄のパズルで悪魔っ娘とイチャコラ！". Famitsu. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  12. ↑ Helltaker: Artbook + Pancake Recipe concept art with notes p.7
  13. ↑ "Helltaker Soundtrack, by Mittsies". Mittsies. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "Helltaker on Steam". Steam. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  15. ↑ "在地獄建立後宮吧！《Helltaker》爆紅同人作上市就壓倒性好評". Yahoo Games Taiwan (in Chinese). May 25, 2020.
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