Clad in squeaking leather and anonymising bondage hoods, the followers of the Cenobite-worshipping “Scarlet Church” have gathered in the VIP section of an upmarket BDSM club, for their equivalent of holy mass in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival.
At one end of the flock, we can see a woman being [REDACTED] as she [REDACTED] on a fellow parishioner’s [REDACTED] and, at the other, there’s a trio engaged in what can only be described as a particularly acrobatic session of [REDACTED].
Scanning the wider venue, we also bear witness to another congregant satisfying themselves with a [REDACTED] — said to be so prodigious that it’s big enough to [REDACTED] — as well as people kneeling on all fours in front of rows of [REDACTED], presenting their orifices for whatever may happen to come through the other end. All the while, their spiritual leader goes on sermonising to his faithful about the indivisibility of pleasure and pain until they all [REDACTED] in perfect synchronicity.
In short, it’s a very raunchy situation all round. But you might be surprised to learn that it isn’t especially graphic by the standards of Hellraiser: Revival. At least the holes being penetrated are of the naturally formed kind, and not man/demon-made. That’s more than you can say for some later bits in the story!
As a game, Saber Interactive’s new first-person shooter certainly doesn’t hold anything back. To plainly and clinically describe most of the acts that occur in it, we’d have to employ language that’d call for the enforcement of age verification methods in some countries. If we were to instead insinuate our meaning via coy euphemisms, this review would end up being so mired in innuendo and double entendre that it’d resemble the script of a bawdy sex comedy from the 1970s (Carry on Cenobite).
Pleasure and Pain
It’s not just the lasciviousness either. Hellraiser: Revival is dripping with every bodily fluid imaginable and confronts you with such a staggering amount of gore that it puts Mortal Kombat to shame. Before you’ve so much as completed the tutorial, it’s already forced you to prise rusty nails out of your palm, walk through a trail of cascading intestines (draped over the entrance to a hallway like PVC strip curtains) and perform combat slides over all manner of unidentifiable viscera. In the nude, no less!
Then, once you’ve finally got your paws on some weapons for self-defence, it turns into a no-holds-barred bloodbath of Countess Báthory proportions. One that shows absolutely zero chill until the credits roll. You’ll be hacking off limbs, shotgun-blasting chunks of meat from opponents’ torsos, singeing the flesh of blasphemous abominations, embedding blunt objects into skulls, telekinetically launching spikes into cultist nether-regions, yanking folks apart with chains, and generally painting every room you enter a different shade of claret.
It’s essentially the nightmare scenario for those hysterical moral campaigners who always warn of the evils of video games, and who are currently reacting to the upcoming release of GTA 6 as though it were foretold in the Book of Revelation. Yet, if anything, this is the 2026 title they should be worried about. In addition to the orgies, the spanking, the maiming, and the constant gun violence, it even has you shooting up at one point!
Another, more positive, way to look at it (as opposed to as an assault on good taste and polite society) is as a wonderfully authentic and uncompromising take on the Hellraiser mythos. One that contains more than enough salacious depravity, boundary-pushing vice and hedonistic delights to make you overlook some of its negatives. Much like a thrill-seeker deciding that the pros of opening the Lament Configuration vastly outweigh the cons.
An Experience Beyond Limits
There’s actually a different puzzle box at the centre of Revival, though, albeit one that still possesses a similar allure for those inexorably drawn to the further regions of experience.
Said explorers in this case are Aidan (the player character) and Sunny (his girlfriend), who are constantly seeking ways to spice things up in the bedroom. We’re introduced to the pair mid-coitus — surrounded by ball gags, needles, and even a speculum — as they try to tick a few new kinks off their bucket list.
One of their most daring experiments involves the use of a peculiar sex aid, known as the Genesis Configuration, the activation of which summons the infamous Order of the Gash (Hellraiser’s mascot quartet) to Aidan and Sunny’s fuck pad. Honouring the contract implicitly signed by the box’s solver, these extradimensional beings then proceed to whisk Sunny away to their cosmic realm of the Labyrinth (as seen in Hellbound: Hellraiser II), where they plan to subject her to an eternity of exquisite torment.
Even though she seems weirdly cool with this, Aidan resolves to do everything in his power to break his paramour free. What follows is a “one-crazy-night” story in which you go up against the profane Scarlet Church, a sect of fanatical Cenobite LARPers, as well as the original Pinhead and Co., and several botched attempts to create new “angels” in their image. All of which you must endure in the name of true love.
Or so it would seem at first. As it turns out, Aidan’s motivations aren’t quite as chivalrous as he’d like everyone, himself included, to believe.
Sunny gives off the distinct impression that she’s entirely on board with the whole eternal torture thing and appears to consent to the Cenobites’ every treatment of her, squealing with ecstasy and begging for more. The vibe of your rescue mission is less that of a hero trying to rescue a damsel in distress, then, and more that of a possessive boyfriend refusing to let his partner go.
Living up to the intelligent ideas of Clive Barker’s literary works, the game’s writing is very introspective about this. It doesn’t shy away from the ugly side of its protagonist and raises thoughtful questions about his inability to fill the void inside of him, as well as his failure to distinguish between love and need.
Red flags abound, indicating that the nature of his relationship with Sunny was never healthy to begin with. Recurring flashbacks show that, while they were always willing to be physically vulnerable with one another, the same level of intimacy did not extend to real emotions. Collectible Post-it notes scattered throughout the levels provide more damning evidence to support this theory, with the missives depicting a couple that is utterly incapable of communicating, other than when expressing their carnal desires.
Meanwhile, an intriguing parallel is drawn between Aidan’s addiction to drugs and his insatiable lust for the supposed love of his life. When reflecting on all this testimony, you do have to wonder if Sunny truly needs rescuing and, if so, whether Aidan is the right man for the job.
Combine this subversive character dynamic with the usual Barker themes of people searching to push the limits of human experience, the transgressive beauty of the grotesque, as well as sex, death and the link between the two, and you’ve got a narrative that’s worthy of the Hellraiser licence. It’s more than just cheap provocation and taboo-breaking for the sake of taboo-breaking. It has something to say about people and the destructive ways that we try to satisfy the emptiness within us.
Such Sights to Show You
If that makes the game sound like it might be a bit of a downer, rest assured there’s plenty of illicit fun to be had. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that Hellraiser: Revival is one of the most entertaining titles we’ve played all year, with Saber Interactive understanding the assignment and maximising every last opportunity to cram NSFW depravity into the experience.
Whether you’re getting up-close-and-personal with melee weapons or plugging away at foes using the submachine gun, combat is always super visceral. When it comes to the dismemberment and deformation of character models, in particular, there’s no skimping on the messy details. It makes you feel every cut, every impalement, every burn and every face-full of buckshot that you inflict upon victims. If you allow certain foes to get right up in your grill, you’ll have a chance to marvel at your handiwork in greater propinquity; scrutinising the exposed cartilage and bone in a way that’s sure to elicit a sadistic chuckle from gorehounds.
It’s not just the action, though. Every facet of Revival screams “M for Mature”. The brainteasers are all appropriately perverse, whether they’re getting you to piece together an obscene mosaic, correctly sequence a timeline of erotic positions, or retrieve a collection of sex toys (in one adventure game style puzzle that’s almost like a Clive Barker riff on Monkey Island).
The behaviour of hostile NPCs is similarly on brand, with Scarlet Church cultists relishing the punishment you dole out. They’ll cry out in sweet release as you wail on them. They’ll remark on how their genitals are engorging whenever you pierce their flesh. They’ll even heckle you and come up with suggestions for how you could hurt them better.
Elsewhere, the written notes are extremely explicit; you save your progress by thrusting Aidan’s hand into a gaping, throbbing wound, and the mere act of opening a door will sometimes require you to stimulate a severed, waggling tongue. There’s one scene in a prison that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “beat ‘em up”!
That doesn’t account for half of the nasty shit Revival will have you doing over its 11-hour runtime. Indeed, most of the objectives here would be enough to make Frank Cotton blush. In other words, it’s kind of everything you could ever want from a Hellraiser outing!
Angels to Some, Demons to Others
One thing that might prove contentious with fans, however, is the relatively minimal involvement of the Cenobites. Despite the fact that the developers managed to get Doug Bradley to reprise his role as Pinhead, he and the rest of the Order of the Gash make only fleeting appearances here.
You don’t ever fight them and, for the most part, your interactions are limited to either negotiating or resisting their temptations. The Chatterer does at least pursue you as a stalker in a number of supremely effective and panicky chase sequences. But, as a document later clarifies, that’s only because he was a young child when he first ascended to demonhood, and so still likes to play hide and seek from time to time.
Other than that one member of the Fab Four not getting the memo, the rest of the Cenobites are consistent in leaving Aidan be. In fact, they actually seem to go out of their way to offer assistance, as they see untapped potential in his capacity for causing suffering. Whenever you do parlay with one of them, they’re always egging you on, encouraging you to be more barbaric, and trying to make you see that this is all in accordance with your true nature. They even imbue you with some of their eldritch S&M powers, just to give you a nudge in the right direction.
While fans might have gotten a kick out of dealing with the Order in more direct gameplay terms, we have to admit that this is probably the right way to handle these specific antagonists. After all, the Cenobites were never meant to be blunt-force slashers or rabid movie monsters, but rather elegant, almost stately figures who conduct themselves with poise. To bludgeon the Female to death with a baseball bat or to get into a vulgar firefight with Butterball would likely rob them of that mystique. A seduction narrative feels far more in line with their previous depictions and with Barker’s original vision, allowing them to preserve their dignity.
And as for the screen time issue, Pinhead doesn’t show up properly in the first Hellraiser until there’s only like 30 minutes left of film. So, there is definitely a precedent for withholding the characters like this.
You’ll Tear Their Souls Apart with the Genesis Configuration
The Order’s grooming of Aidan is best illustrated by how they lend him the Genesis Configuration and mentor him on its usage throughout the game. A catalyst of immense power, this occult device has the ability to manipulate the world around you and can channel energy from the Labyrinth dimension itself.
Across your adventure, you’ll rely on it to solve all kinds of problems. For instance, it can be used in environmental puzzles to rotate bridges, levitate structures, and transfer heat from one source to another. As its name suggests, it can also be reconfigured into various shapes to act as a kind of skeleton key for doors with differently profiled locks.
Of course, being a gift from the Cenobites, the box’s main purpose is to inflict immeasurable pain. When wielded creatively, it makes for a more devastating weapon than any conventional firearm in your inventory.
Alas, the Genesis Configuration will only reveal these combat functions to users who manage to successfully woo it. When you’re in the awkward early phase, you’ll be limited to psychically flinging a few projectiles around. However, once you’ve impressed the box with your voracious appetite for destruction and completed the necessary courting ritual, it will let you get past first base.
At that point, you’ll be able to cast blistering fireball spells, execute grisly finishers, and perform ultimate attacks that summon chains from the Labyrinth to literally rip everybody to shreds. A delicious power trip, it makes you feel like a Cenobite in training and does a very persuasive job of luring you to the dark side! Indeed, every time you enter a room and see that the floor is littered with circular sawblades, propellers and open flames — just seductively waiting to be launched into a cultist’s head — it’s guaranteed to bring a wicked grin to your face.
Telekinesis might not be anything new in video games, but the grisly, uniquely Hellraiser way in which it’s implemented here is novel. It reminded us of the fun gimmicks that defined a lot of shooters in the Xbox 360 era, such as Singularity’s time manipulation device, Dark Sector’s elemental glaive, or, to evoke another Clive Barker property, Jericho’s body hopping.
Like them, the box is incredibly versatile and can be abused by players with twisted imaginations. Case in point, we once laid a bear trap behind an enemy and then giddily catapulted them into it with a projectile railway spike. Another time, we used telekinesis to douse a field of monsters in gasoline and then promptly switched to pyrokinesis to set them all ablaze.
There are some supremely inventive combat arenas in the late game as well that are built explicitly around the configuration’s powers. One example has you taking advantage of a certain booby trap and bending it to your will, so that you can wipe out hordes upon hordes of creatures without wasting a single bullet.
A Worthy Journey Into the Labyrinth with Some Minor Hiccups
There are a lot of these ingeniously designed and varied set-pieces in Revival. A mid-game cabin siege introduces Call of Duty Zombies mechanics out of the blue, with you boarding up windows and frantically trying to defend all possible entry points. Then there’s a great bit where Aidan finds himself trapped in a suspended cage, fending off leaping ghouls that try and claw at him through the bars.
Whenever you explore the Labyrinth, you’re inevitably put through a series of gruelling obstacle courses that resemble Wipeout challenges, as devised by the Marquis de Sade, all meat grinders, spiked ceiling traps and lacerating whirligigs.
The enemy roster is equally diverse. In lieu of the Order of the Gash, you’ll be going toe to toe with the Scarlet Church, as well as with their failed attempts to create “angels” in the image of the Cenobites. These rejected martyrs take on a number of increasingly gruesome guises as the campaign rolls on, ranging from towering gimps to manacled homunculi and a slug-like beast that’s an amalgamation of human flesh, demon cast-offs, and the metallic structure of an iron maiden. They’re extremely imaginative wretches, and their constant evolution prevents the scenarios from ever getting stale.
Special mention should also go to the freaky (in every sense of the word) boss fights. In terms of visual design, arena layouts, and mechanics, there’s not a dud in the set. One particular standout is a recurring battle against a deranged artist whose skin has been flayed and whose condition visually deteriorates as you subject him to every punishment under the sun. But don’t discount the thrilling duel with a masochistic mutant susceptible only to fire attacks, and whose lair is conveniently an arsonist’s wet dream, or the winged dominatrix who seems to think she’s providing a service as she pounds you into oblivion.
Yet for all of its many, many positives, Revival isn’t completely without sin. Compared to his retinue of colorful minions — all of whom have fascinating personalities and backstories — the head of the Scarlet Church is a disappointingly vanilla antagonist.
Meanwhile, the obligatory crafting mechanic adds nothing to the experience, and yields such meagre rewards that it barely feels worth it. The stealth is similarly half-baked and, during at least one frustrating encounter, didn’t work as intended with our hunter blanking every distraction and somehow perceiving us through solid objects. On that note, we did experience our share of AA jank throughout, most notably in the form of missing audio and textures.
These technical hiccups can be forgiven to an extent and will likely be patched out by the time of release. Nevertheless, they did impact our experience somewhat, and we can’t just let that slide.
It is a testament to how much we enjoyed Hellraiser: Revival, however, that niggles like these didn’t dull our enthusiasm for it one iota. On the contrary, we’re remarkably fond of this sleazy little title. Perhaps more than it objectively deserves.
But, man, the action is just so satisfyingly brutal; it’s thoroughly debauched in all the right ways, its visual imagination is messed up, and it’s got an astute understanding of what makes Clive Barker’s world so enthralling. More than anything, though, we just loved its sheer commitment to the bit.
Review code provided by publisher. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is out now for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam.