It's "Painkiller" but not Painkiller.


For 21 years, the original Painkiller has held a special place in the blood-soaked heart of the FPS genre. It was a glorious, gothic-punk fever dream, a "boomer shooter" before the term was re-coined. It was just you, Daniel Garner, trapped in Purgatory with an arsenal of impossible weapons and an unending horde of demons. It was weird, it was fast, and it was a solo power fantasy.

The 2025 Painkiller reboot, from developer Anshar Studios, arrives with high expectations and, while not perfectly hitting the mark, offers a technically competent and often-pretty shooter. It gets the feel of its guns and player movement largely right, even if it sometimes struggles to fully embody the spirit of its namesake. This isn't exactly the Painkiller fans remember, but it attempts to forge a new path.

Forced Co-Op

The most significant design choice, and one that will divide fans, is the game's structure: this is a 3-player co-op, raid-based shooter. Think Left 4 Dead or Vermintide, but with a different focus.

This co-op emphasis means that even if you prefer to play solo, the game provides two AI bots to fill out your party. These bots are quite efficient, often clearing enemies with surprising speed and accuracy. While this can sometimes reduce the challenge and feeling of personal impact, it does ensure a constant flow of action and less downtime, even when playing alone. It's a different solo experience, leaning more into a team dynamic.

Satisfying Gunplay but a Hollow World

This is where Painkiller truly shines: the moment-to-moment gunplay and player movement are genuinely satisfying. The six-weapon arsenal, including the iconic spinning-blade "Painkiller" and the ever-gratifying Stakegun, feels powerful and impactful. Each weapon offers unlockable alt-fires and upgrade paths. The player movement is responsive and fluid, allowing for nimble dodging and quick repositioning, which is crucial in the thick of combat. When you unleash a volley of stakes that pins a demon to a wall, or Hook Shot over a horde, or smoothly slide around an enemy attack, it feels good.

However, this visceral feedback is sometimes at odds with the overall level design. The original's bizarre, creative levels are largely replaced by nine (yes, only nine) linear "raids" that, while functional, can feel somewhat generic. You'll move through corridors, enter glowing-red arenas, fight waves of enemies, and repeat.

The few boss fights present in Painkiller do breakup the repetitive nature of the missions that precede the encounters. Often larger than life, the boss fights are enjoyable and often quite frantic, especially during a first encounter when you don't know the boss's move set or abilities yet.

The story, while not the gritty charm of the original, serves as a backdrop for the action. The four playable characters offer a variety of quips and interactions that attempt to inject some personality, even if they sometimes fall flat. The dark, brooding atmosphere of Purgatory is occasionally lightened by these exchanges, creating a slightly different tone.

Lacking Longevity

The game's replayability relies heavily on its grind. The entire "campaign" of nine levels can be completed in a few short hours. The developers clearly intend for players to replay these missions to grind in-game currency, which is used to unlock additional weapons and upgrade the returning (and still-great) Tarot Card perk system.

While the core combat remains enjoyable, the static nature of the levels and enemy spawns in the main raids can lead to repetition. The objectives, which often involve "killing demons in a circle to fill the blood canister," are straightforward. A separate "Rogue Angel" roguelike mode, with randomized arenas, does offer a more varied experience for those seeking greater longevity.

Painkiller presents an interesting blend of fast-paced combat with a new co-op focus. It attempts to deliver the acrobatic combat feel seen in games like DOOM Eternal, and while the level design can be restrictive, the core mechanics are solid. It seeks to offer a replayable co-op loop, and for groups of friends, there's potential for fun, even if the content variety could be deeper.

It reinterprets the Painkiller name, shifting away from the purely solo power fantasy to a more team-oriented experience. What we're left with is a game that, despite its shortcomings, can be a blast in short bursts, delivering a satisfying combat experience that provides a new kind of catharsis.

Conclusion: A Hollow Echo

In the end, Painkiller is a mixed bag. It's a classic case of a reboot that successfully captures the feel of a modern shooter. The moment-to-moment gunplay is enjoyable and player movement is fluid and responsive. The Stakegun remains an all-time great, the graphics are polished, performance is solid, and the Tarot Card system is a welcome return. On paper, these are all undeniable highs.

However, these strengths are almost completely overshadowed by the game's design compromises. The divisive, mandatory co-op structure, complete with too-efficient AI bots that diminish any sense of individual accomplishment, fundamentally misunderstands the original's solo appeal. This problem is compounded by a painfully short nine-level campaign, which relies on generic level design and repetitive, hit-or-miss writing. It struggles to fully recapture the unique atmosphere and soul that defined the original Painkiller.

It's a game that might appeal to groups of friends looking for a new, fast-paced shooter, but it will likely leave long-time fans of the original wanting more. This isn't a direct revival, but rather a new take that, despite its significant flaws, delivers enjoyable shooting mechanics but only for those willing to embrace its new direction.​​

Score

Additional Information

• Painkiller
  • Developed by: Anshar Studios
  • Published by: 3D Realms
• Price: Starting at $39.99 (USD)
• Platform reviewed on: PC (Also available on: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S)
  • PC specs: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, Nvidia RTX 4080, 32GB DDR4 3600 RAM, 1440p resolution
• ESRB: Rated M for Mature 17+ (Violence, blood and gore, language)
• This game was provided to Total Gaming Network for review purposes.