Developed by Medusa Head and originally released on PC in 2021, the horror-themed 2D arcade-style scrolling shooter indie game, Hell Pages, blasts its way to Nintendo Switch, this time published by EastAsiaSoft. While it didn’t find much success on PC, perhaps its port to the Switch will help it gain more traction.

Set in the modern day, the gates of Hell have opened and Earth has become a battlefield for 10 infernal armies. The most feared of all demons, Bael, sets out on a quest to conquer the world for himself. Surrounded by blood and violence, and being the target of Nightmarish fiends, it’s slay or be slain as the forces of evil battle each other to determine the fate of mankind!

In this 2D side-scrolling aerial shooter, the gameplay style is very much a throwback to the classics from the old arcade days. Instead of piloting a jet plane or spacecraft, players take control of the evil winged demon, Bael, as they fly through various locations across ten stages, each with challenging bosses to battle at the end. The controls are easy to learn and quick to pick up and play, with the d-pad/left analog stick to move around anywhere on the screen, and three buttons for shooting, using magic, and changing the direction of your projectiles. It shares some similarities with the classic 1991 Sega Mega Drive game ‘Gynoug’.

Shooting projectiles, which I’m assuming to be magic fireballs, are unlimited and can be upgraded, but only a few times and they stay that way for the rest of the game. The magic button will summon large fireballs from the sky like rain and clear out all enemies on screen but has limited use and a max of three. Changing the shooting direction will come in handy in the later stages as enemies will start coming in from both sides of the screen.

One minor gripe is not having the option to customise the controls, as personally, it would feel more comfortable to use a shoulder button to change the shooting direction instead of having to take my thumb off the shoot button, as it could allow an enemy to get closer and mean the difference between life or death.

Players will need to utilise the tools given to eliminate all enemies, while also dodging them and their projectiles to stay alive. Enemies killed will drop coins, which will come in handy to use in the store between each stage. The store includes items that can replenish health and magic, give an extra continue, and even buy a save point at that stage. Buying extra continues and save points is highly recommended since failing at any point in the game will send you back to the beginning, so collecting as many coins as possible is absolutely crucial.

Hell Pages can be played on easy, medium or hard, but even easy mode provides a big challenge. Arcade games similar to this were often described as “Bullet Hell”, with all the projectiles flying across the screen and becoming more and more challenging as players progress, persuading them to insert just one more coin to continue. Thankfully, Hell Pages won’t require extra credit to keep playing, but it certainly recreates that same excitement and intensity of the arcade classics, and since there aren’t unlimited continues, players will need to play smart to beat the game.

The overall art style and presentation are incredibly well done. Everything from Bael, all the enemies, the backgrounds, boss designs, and more, feel like they would perfectly suit a Todd McFarlane comic from the 90s. The enemies come in various demonic forms, shapes, and sizes, and the bosses are so big that they take up almost half the screen. They are truly sights to behold.

The level of detail in each boss design offers a ton of variety and even if there were some inspirations taken from other media, they still feel very original, unique to the game, and most importantly, disturbing to look at. One boss, in particular, is actually four human-sized beings, and while it’s unclear if they’re demons or humans in costume fighting back, as it’s not explained anywhere, it’s still nice to see the amount of variety in all their designs.

The stage designs are incredibly diverse and different, with really nice details that help illustrate the state of the world overrun by demons and monsters from hell. Traversing through the underworld, forests, carnivals, and deserts, gives off the impression that Bael really is trying to conquer the world, even if it isn’t clearly stated where he is on the planet. Each location come in a variety of designs and colours which helps add to their diversity, but it can also be an issue as certain projectiles can blend in with the backgrounds, making them difficult to see and dodge, and this is even worse if the player is colourblind.

With all the amazing art throughout the game, it’s a wonder why there’s very little of it in the opening sequence. It’s predominantly just text on screen explaining the plot, then a few images leading to the title screen. The opening sequence is something that can really set the tone of what’s ahead, so this feels like a missed opportunity.

The soundtrack has a variety of rock and techno music and even a mix of the two. Each stage has its own unique track and just perfectly fits the tone of their designs. The songs are also enjoyable to listen to on their own and feel like they would suit certain 90s cartoons aimed at teens and young adults.

Hell Pages is clearly a passion project by the Brazilian-based indie developer Medusa Head. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available about them anywhere other than their Twitter page, @medusaheadgames, with only 9 tweets and a website that’s currently down. It would be nice to learn more about the team behind Hell Pages, so hopefully, the game can gain more traction and earn Medusa Head some recognition. It’ll be interesting where they go from here.

The retro-style arcade game with a modern art style will surely attract fans of old-school aerial shooters. Hell Pages is simple to play, challenging to beat, and one hell of a ride.

Written by: Sammy Hanson