Escape from Tarkov is a brutal extraction-based battle royale game where you band together – or not – to take down vicious AI and multiplayer rivals. It seems a long way from Hotline Miami, the iconic indie game driven by top-down shooting, stark gore, and a thumping EDM and synthwave soundtrack. And neither of them, strictly speaking, are horror games. So how does Hell Is Others, which just launched on Steam, combine all of these elements?
In a dystopian, quasi-Lovecraftian futuristic city, you play Adam Smithson, a diligent survivor living alone in his tiny, high-rise apartment. His sole companion is a little bonsai tree which, like everything else in the world of Hell Is Others, needs a steady supply of fresh blood in order to survive.
Hence, Smithson must descend far below to the city streets, slaughter monsters, kill Others (rival players in the PvP mode), and gather up the red stuff in order to feed his precious plant. As your bonsai receives more blood, it will generate and drop unique, powerful bullets for each of your 50 possible weapons. You can also upgrade and customise your apartment. Feeling confused? The trailer below gives a deeper look at this unique convergence of genres.
Combining top-down pixel art and 10-person PvP or PvE multiplayer, Hell Is Others challenges you to get in, smash and grab for everything you can, and safely get back out, returning to the ominous safety of your apartment to prepare for another blood run. It’s out now on Steam and well worth a look if you want a stylish, strange, and slick alternative to the big multiplayer shooters.
Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping your eye on all the best multiplayer games. You might also want to sample, given the month and all, some of the best Halloween games, or perhaps the best apocalypse games on PC.