Saber Interactive and developer Anshar Studios have announced a revival of the classic FPS Painkiller, and it’s coming to PC and current-gen consoles sometime this fall.
The two studios describe Painkiller as “an intense new spin on the classic action-shooter” that you can experience either solo or in co-op play. According to a press release, Painkiller will support “online co-op for up to three players”, which is a little odd given that it has four playable characters.
In any case, the game is promising “gruesomely detailed gothic environments” and the chance to “blast your way through hordes of demons and titanic terrors”, so it sounds very much like Saber and Anshar are hoping to give Bethesda’s Doom: The Dark Ages a run for its money.
The game will boast an emphasis on traversal, promising the ability to “jump, dash and hook” across each stage while engaging in “bloody, fast-paced combat”. You can also look forward to a host of new weapons, as well as the return of some of the original’s classic arsenal.
Four playable characters will be available: Ink, Void, Sol, and Roch. They’ll each have “unique perks” you can take advantage of, and your abilities are upgradeable via the use of signature Painkiller tarot cards as well.
It sounds as though those extra characters will be crucial to Painkiller, too, since the game will replace your co-op buddies with bots if you’re playing on your own.
All of this will, according to Saber and Anshar, be set to a “powerful metal soundtrack”. There’s no other genre suitable for this kind of thing, really, but if Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” doesn’t feature in this game, I will be very disappointed indeed.
Saber and Anshar’s Painkiller reboot comes to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in the fall. Stay tuned for more.
