When we talk gaming, sometimes it really is better underground.
For decades now,hell has proven to be a breeding ground for beautiful ideas, and the games set there have a wide range of emotions.
The games below show that whether you are chasing your deceased lover or going on a demon murder spree, hell feels like home when you are there for all the right reasons.
9Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell
Underworld, Underground
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell
When you think ofSaints Row, your mind normally goes to gang warfare and the joys of the criminal underworld.
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hellgoes the extra mile, taking you straight to hell with one simple goal: get out.
Gat Out of Hellcaught a lot of flak on release because it did not feel anything likeSaints Row 4, but that is a good thing.
The game isa camp masterpiece, with goofy monsters, a hunky devil, angel wings, and an armchair with Gatling guns.
This is the perfect game if you love deeply unserious titles likeDevil May Crybut are too invested in the Saints Row grind to let it go.
8DOOM Eternal
The Original Hellraiser Reborn
DOOM Eternal
Once upon a time, there were no real games set in hell.Then there wasDOOM, and gaming has never been the same.
DOOMcreated the modern FPS as we know it, and then brought it full circle by revamping the series in a modern engine.
InDOOM Eternal, you have to beat the living hell out of the underworld’s armies, and push them back where they belong.
AlthoughEternalis a direct sequel to the 2016 DOOM remake, it sheds the horror coating of its predecessor and goes all out in beautiful bullet hell.It is demonic, bloody, and quintessentiallyDOOM.
7Dante’s Inferno
The Divine Hack-‘n’-Slash
Dante’s Inferno
It should come as no surprise that the creators ofDead Spacehave conjured a timeless masterpiece.
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Trigger buttons on a gamepad just can’t match the powerful ‘clack’ of the space bar.
As the name implies, the gameis inspired (but hardly adapts) Inferno, the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy.Visceral adds a twistby casting a templar in the main role.
Dante’s Infernostands out through its attention to detail, making it one of the most unique versions of gaming hell there is.
The mix of CG and cartoon cutscenes adds to the grim atmosphere and highlights the importance of good worldbuilding. It can make you forget the game’s bizarre obsession with quick-time events at every turn.
6Metal: Hellsinger
Hellish Rhythmic Blasting
Metal: Hellsinger
Bad rhythmFPS games feel like hell, but a good one makes you wish you were down there.
Metal: Hellsingerhas demanding beats butbrilliant level design, diverse enemies, and a metal soundtrack so good you could cry.
You get to fight through ruined cities and abandoned temples in the company of metal legends from Trivium, Lamb of God, System of a Down, and more.
The beat system is nearly perfect, with occasional awkward timings, which can be attributed to input delays or you having poor rhythm. The bloody action and beautiful soundtrack make it easy to forgive these imperfections.
5Afterparty
The Devil’s Drinking Buddies
Afterparty
Misery loves company, andAfterpartydrives this point home. Buddies Milo and Lola die, then meet again in hell, but they find a lifeline out of eternal damnation.
The afterpartyoffers a delightfulchallenge: if you can outdrink the devil, you get a ticket back topside.
The quirky art style, dialogue options, and delightful drinks, such as the Bloody Stool, makeAfterpartya unique game with a lot of soul.
The game is not as captivating or addictive asOxenfree, but it still has that je nais se quois that makes Night School titles so endearing.
Afterpartyhad a rough launch marred by bugs and performance issues, but the developers have done a great job polishing it, so give it another go, even if it did not grab you the first time.
4Ultrakill
Boomer Shooter Revival
If all the best shooters of the 1990s had a baby, it would beUltrakill.
The game holds the distinction of being one of the highest-rated Steam games with an eye-watering 97% score. The only unfair part is this not being closer to 100%.
Ultrakillis pixelatedunrestricted violencefor the sake of it, but executed in a way that feels artsy rather than tasteless.
The movement is smooth, the guns feel great, and it is accessible even if you are the worst player at every other FPS on the market.
3Grim Fandango
A Deadly 9-to-5 Job
Grim Fandango
Most games set in hell depict the underworld as fire, brimstone, and mauled bodies. The late 1990s classicGrim Fandangoadds a Mexican spin to it all, with delightful results.
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What if Nancy Drew were a burlesque dancer with ESP?
You play through four years of the life of travel agent Manny Calavera, who is very dead, much like his clients, and enjoythe dark comedy of underworld bureaucracy.
Grim Fandangoreceived a remaster in 2015, which keptthe original feelingbut improved audio, graphics, and controls to modern standards.
The puzzles remain a little too intense, so get ready to reach for a walkthrough. But none of that matters as much when you are in point-and-click heaven with such fantastic characters.
Beat the King of the Underworld
The Greek underworld makes the perfect setting forrecent years' bestdungeoncrawler roguelike.
Hadesis a beautiful power trip where you harness the power of Olympus to best none other than Hades, the god of death.
The voice acting acts as the glue that brings all the great elements of the game together, immersing you into the underworld with purpose.
Some of the late-game grind can feel tedious in principle, but the fighting mechanics and gorgeous levels help overlook that.
The combination of a creative art style and a wide variety of tools and enemies makeHadesone of the best roguelikes ever made, and the sequel,Hades 2, also lives up to the original.
1Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
A Psychological Norse Journey
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
WhileHellbladeis factually set in the mythical Norse underworld, the real hell in this game is in Senua’s mind.
Senua has to battle a sea of death while her psyche falls apart,then rises up again and again, beautifully crafted visual horrors and audio design that remain unbeaten.
The fighting inHellbladeis nothing special, and this is one of the few games where playing without headphones will actually ruin the experience, but the payoff is worth it.
This is an unforgettable cinematic journey that will leave you broken, but it isa window into mental health strugglesdone with a frankness most games are not brave enough for.
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