Introduction

With many major titles such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Command & Conquer 3 shortly available for the PC platform, it isn’t difficult to miss out on some of the less hyped games, especially when it’s being released from a developer almost nobody has ever heard of. More often than not, this usually means the game isn’t going to be particularly special or outstanding, though exceptions do exist and with that in mind, I picked up my copy of Infernal, a game from Polish developers Metropolis Software. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much at all ….

Infernal

If you hadn’t heard of this game before reading this article, don’t worry, you’re most probably with the majority. In fact, even the publisher Playlogic was a complete mystery to me, since I never had the chance to play a game released by them. But in a way, this is a good thing because the underdog typically ends up surprising everyone with an unsuspecting game. In this case, that game would be Infernal, where you end up taking control of Ryan Lennox, a fallen Angel who quickly joins the ranks of the Devil’s army. Nothing exceptional in any regards but the story does offer a couple of twists and turns, all of them quite predictable if truth be told. This isn’t to say that the story is atrocious, but Infernal’s story isn’t great either, falling into that middle zone called “average”.

First thing many players will notice with Metropolis Software’s Infernal is that the game has a high quality feel about it, ranging from the interface to the 3D engine. The latter of which is, in my humble opinion, one of the best game engines to grace the PC platform, given that it can churn out some gorgeous graphics and even scale well to lesser hardware.

 

These are the minimum requirements:

• Windows 2000 / XP / Vista
• Pixel Shader 2.0 compatible ATI Radeon 9600 / NVIDIA 5950
• Pentium IV 1.7 GHz or AMD equivalent
• 512 MB RAM
• 2 GB hard disk free space
• Direct Sound compatible sound card
• DVD drive

As you can tell, not only are the necessary specifications almost laughable but this is one of the few games that is officially compatible with Windows Vista. While I personally played Infernal mostly on a Windows XP system, I did try it on Windows Vista and was pleased to see that it ran extremely well and without any noticeable performance loss. In addition, Infernal also supports the AGEIA PhysX card which will enable several extra graphical effects for those few lucky people who actually own one.

While all this is nice and dandy, I personally consider stability the most important aspect of any 3D engine. Thankfully, Infernal doesn’t disappoint, seeing as it was perfectly stable throughout my long gaming sessions. Not only that, but both my mid-ranged systems (C2D E4300, 2 GB RAM, 7900 GT & PIV 3 GHz, 2 GB RAM, X850XT) ran the game exceptionally fluidly, even when fully maxed out thanks to some great optimizations. All in all, Infernal is proof that any developer ready to invest enough hard work can create wonderful 3D engines, allowing a greater number of people to enjoy their games.

 

Subliminal Visuals

Normally, I’d say something witty before talking about the visuals but for once, I’ll skip straight to the point: Infernal is gorgeous. Come to think of it, gorgeous is actually an understatement because very few engines even today can match the visual effects in Infernal. If you don’t believe me, simply take a look at the screenshots and I dare you not to drool. Every imaginable effect is put to use for this game, from HDR to parallax mapping, creating some of the best eye candy imaginable. Personally, the best visual effect in Infernal is the use of the various color palettes, giving each level a very distinctive feel and mood, which in turn, helps the immersion factor.

As for all you people who think that the levels are boring and static, you couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, thanks to the AGEIA drivers installed with the game, you’ll soon realize that a good majority of objects are interactive. Sure, it isn’t anything revolutionary to see destructible crates and movable barrels, but helps that all important immersion factor. But the real icing on the cake is that all this glorified onscreen action was happening at a smooth 70 frames per second, without any significant dips or stutters. However, if I had to be picky, and I do of course, I’d have to say the animations could have used a bit more work because sometimes, do they seem slightly unnatural and rigid. But overall, Infernal is one stunning game to look at, and it runs as smooth as butter.

Subliminal Aural

The good news continues with the audio department, seeing as the sound effects and music were quite pleasant. Starting with the music, even though it isn’t very memorable, it suits the game’s “Angel turned to Demon” theme perfectly, with dark and eerie music during the exploration parts and industrialized guitar rifts during the combat segments. As for the sound effects, they are decent and complete what they set out to do, but I found many of the guns lacked “oomph”.

But when it comes to the voices, well I can’t say I was balled over. The main protagonist, Ryan Lennox, tries to sound like a smartass but, apart from a select few moments, just ends up sounding an ass. Actually, that’s the major problem with most of the characters, seeing as they end up sounding quite generic, which is a true pity, especially when some of the voiceovers, like the Devil’s, sound awesome. The voice acting overall is cheesy and forgettable.

 

Down to Earth

So far, we’ve established that the visuals are superb and that the audio, while nothing spectacular, doesn’t ruin the overall impact. But what about the gameplay, by far the most important aspect of any videogame? Well, it’s a very mixed bag because there are moments of total exhilaration, immediately followed by moments of complete and utter frustration where I literally ended up ripping my hair out. Let’s first start off with the positive aspects, shall we? As you might have guessed by looking at the screenshots, Infernal is a third person action game with a large emphasis on mindless killing. And to help Ryan eliminate his foes throughout all five levels, he’ll have at his disposal all the traditional weapons, from pistols to rocket launchers. In addition, to help Infernal stand out from the crowd, Ryan has a couple of demonic powers, such as teleportation and telekinesis. While I’ll admit that the powers were mostly used to solve puzzles, it was still a welcome feature in some of the more intense combats.

Unfortunately, the pleasant killing was frequently forgotten thanks to some stupidly infuriating design choices. For example, it wasn’t rare to find myself clean up an entire area of baddies, just to find myself stumped at where to go next. Yes, this might be because of my embarrassing incompetence but a quick scan on the official forums shows that many other gamers were stuck and didn’t have a clue what to do next. The same can be said for the bosses, some of which just seem impossible to kill until you figure out what their weak points are by accident. Honestly, Infernal was the first game in years that made me throw my keyboard and mouse in frustration! And to imagine, all this could have been avoided if the game gave some tips to the player from time to time. But the bad news doesn’t stop there and continues with the controls, which end up feeling clunky and unresponsive, again, aggravating even the most patient of players.

But worst than all this is the fact that Infernal is a short game, given that the singleplayer campaign barely last more than six hours and after that, there isn’t even any multiplayer to continue the experience. While this isn’t something new, seeing as games like Tomb Raider Legend were also exceptionally short, at least they were enjoyable from beginning to end. Infernal was, ironically, an infernally annoying experience (sorry I couldn’t resist).

Conclusion

It’s always sad to see a game with so much potential fall short of the mark. Infernal could have been magnificent and been a breath of fresh air for the PC platform, especially since on the surface; it’s quite a treat for the eyes and ears. Even the gameplay is initially quite interesting, given that Ryan can shoot from behind cover and use demonic powers to stop the endless flow of enemies. In addition, puzzles were offered to add some variety to the gameplay but regrettably, they weren’t fun and just ended up confusing and exasperating the player more than anything. I lost my temper more than once playing Infernal, and that’s exactly the opposite effect that games should have on people. Games should be fun, not a rollercoaster of enjoyable shooting and maddening puzzles and level design. In the end, the most memorable aspect of Metropolis Software’s Infernal is its amazing 3D engine. Hopefully it can be put to better use in the not too distant future.