I was astonished by the previews for Hellscreen. It seemed very appealing with its intense blue and red color scheme as well as its unique attribute, a rear-view mirror in the top center of the display which allows you to monitor what is happening behind you while playing. However, I wondered if this feature was just a gimmick and if the game had more than that to offer. I chose to try out the free demo of Hellscreen from the Realms Deep 2022, to find out.

The rear view mirror is the sole focus of Hellscreen and that is what’s happening.

Not only is it an amazing tool for situational awareness, but you can also quickly fire bullets backwards with a small gun and target popping up in the miniscreen (which can be toggled on and off with the shift key). Hellscreen encourages usage of the function by awarding double damage when you move and fire forward, but giving you a massive quad damage when you shift and shoot backwards. The 3D movement was reminiscent of a game like They Came From Dimension X and pulling off the impressive shots was immensely enjoyable, just like a scene from Buster Scruggs or Annie Oakley.

Hellscreen puts an emphasis on its main feature by presenting enemies and obstacles that can only be managed by looking behind. Some opponents only show up on the secondary view and part of the test environment forbids the main perspective, necessitating going backwards. I’m really reminded of the top-notch Nintendo Wii and DS games that pulled every drop of enjoyment out of their peculiar control inputs, and if there had been a Nintendo 4DS, Hellscreen would have fit in wonderfully there.

Be mindful that Hellscreen may be problematic if you are sensitive to motion sickness. I have never had issues with virtual reality before by even I felt queasy, like I was on a roller coaster! For me this was a plus, but it is something to remember.

It has been quite a while since the development of Hellscreen began and the team have clearly put a lot of effort into the game. It’s expected to launch in early access at some point before April (Q1, 2023) and a demo is also available for anyone to play. Those interested can also add Hellscreen to their Steam wishlist.