Infernium is a non-linear first-person survival horror game that was released in 2018 by Carlos Coronado. While the game has received praise for its interesting gameplay, graphical content and unique environment, it has somehow managed to stay under the radar, so let’s take a closer look at it and see if it deserves to stay that way.

Gameplay

The player begins his journey right in the middle of hell and arms the player only with a glowing finger and nothing else. This version of hell is not portrayed in a traditional sense with fire and brimstone everywhere and souls flying around. Instead, this version consists of twenty levels which contain castles, seas, walkways and eerie landscapes with strange plant life growing all over the place. Most of the enemies that you encounter will be able to kill you in a single hit and you are completely defenseless. Instead of fighting the enemies, players must run away and outsmart them which makes remembering the layouts of the levels of crucial importance and thinking on the spot plays a huge role in player’s survival as well. It is easy to attract the attention of other enemies while running away from a single one so the paths that you have already gone through might not be safe for a retreat. Upon dying, the player is taken to the inner grotto where the player can see all of the 25 lights. Each light represents a single life and once all of them are gone, the death is permanent. The checkpoints are far too scattered and although the player can retrace his steps and go back to the where he died to retrieve the light, the enemy that killed him will be waiting there as well so it’s likely that he will die again which makes the player more appreciative of the twenty-five lights. The glowing finger can be used to recharge energy and interact with some symbols which provide the player with some decent puzzles. The main goal of the game is to collect all five harvesting fingers which will grant you access to the final area. However, one of the main problems with this game is that it is not scary at all which is a big downside to a game of the horror genre. Another thing that can make players abandon this game is the number of loading screens included in it.

 

Combat

Infernium doesn’t have any combat in a traditional sense of the word, but the lack of it is what makes this game interesting and fun to play. Since you can’t fight back, the player has to figure out creative ways to outsmart and avoid all of the enemies in the game which poses a greater challenge than simply eliminating everything that you see in your path.

Graphics

When it comes to graphics, Infernium looks fairly decent, even when compared to modern standards. The colors and lighting are done extremely well and fit the different environments perfectly while capturing the essence of loneliness of the world that the player has found himself in. The level of detail is very high and the particle effects are done well too. While admittingly it is not the most beautiful game you have ever seen, it is definitely not a bad-looking one.

The Verdict

Overall, Infernium is a good challenging game filled with different aspects of puzzle games and survival horror all blended into a unique world that will surely leave no player indifferent. The gameplay is fast-paced and it requires the player to think on the go and always be on their toes. To summarize, if you are looking for a challenging game and interesting puzzles then give Infernium a try, but if you are searching for a game that will keep you up at night and give you a good scare, then go search elsewhere because Infernium isn’t it.