HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon is a grimdark fantasy dungeon crawler with stunning art and a unique turn-based combat system that plays with time. It has a release date of August 4th for PC via Steam.
Developed by Ars Goetia and published by Dear Villagers, this game is a follow-up to HellSlave, which released around four years ago. Players are invited to return to a dark, handcrafted universe boasting stylish visuals, strategic fights, and deep character customization.
There is a top-down overworld to explore, littered with dungeons, villages, and sanctuaries you can enter. While completing quests and battling monsters, you’ll discover plenty of secrets about the world and fill up your inventory with a ton of shiny loot.
Bloody Hell
HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon starts out with you planning to meet up with an old friend. Unfortunately, you soon find out he has been captured and must venture into a monster lair to attempt to rescue him. In the deepest part of this cave, you unlock dark powers by pledging your allegiance to a demon lord.
It is then time to set out and use this newfound strength to end the demon war once and for all. You’re the last hope of salvation and must destroy all the demons or perish with the rest of the world.
The narrative takes its inspiration from such sources as Dante’s Divine Comedy and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. For those who like their lore, there are collectible pages that provide additional information about the world and its inhabitants. These are scattered around the map, and once you pick them up, they are added to your journal for you to read at your leisure.
The story is conveyed through text and panels of gorgeous art that looks like it was ripped straight from a graphic novel. Clearly influenced by Darkest Dungeon, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, and the early Diablo games, the visuals are a rich treat; mostly black and grey but with pops of color like bright red blood and bold orange lava.
They are seriously impressive, considering the world was entirely hand-drawn by a solo developer who proudly declares that no AI was used.
The haunting music, which hits you right from the start screen, adds to the visceral atmosphere and suits the tone of the game perfectly.
This sequel was built utilizing fan feedback, and new additions include a randomized loot system, overhauled crafting, flexible build paths, a first-person combat view, and time management during battles that makes every second count.
Turn Back Time
The unique time-based combat system requires you to plan your moves carefully. Each skill uses up a certain amount of real-time seconds (its ‘fatigue cost’) while you perform it, determining how long it will be until your next turn.
During battles, you need to balance aggression and survival, rage and fatigue, as powerful attacks may do a lot of damage but then allow plenty of opportunities for retaliation before you get the chance to make another move.
The large talent trees let you unlock a range of powers, with many interacting with others further along. At first, it can be easy to get overwhelmed, and you could back yourself into a corner by making the wrong choices. However, it’s simple to try out a different combination by resetting your powers.
You can also create up to three different profiles to switch between for different tactics depending on the scenario.
Right at the beginning of the game, you choose your archetype, which can either be a Warrior or a Sorcerer. Things seem simple enough, but beware: it is lulling you into a false sense of security. You then need to choose a discipline; there are three for each archetype. The Sorcerer has Mind-Bending (can twist time and space to ignore resistances), Black Death (spreads disease for damage over time), and Nature’s Rage (vaporizes enemies with immense power).
The Warrior has Wild Tracker (listens to the ghosts of wild beasts to track down enemies and tear them to pieces), Unleash Hate (destroys enemies with fire and devours their charred remains), and Art of Combat (deploys an arsenal of techniques to annihilate enemies).
For my first run, I chose a Warrior, with the Wild Tracker sub-class. This savage fighter mimics the hunting strategies of predators and is able to gain temporary buffs from the spirits of nature. I also enjoyed throwing out a Will-o’-the-Wisp spell quite often, which was very useful for crowd control.
Well, congratulations, you have built a powerful champion. You’re using dark demonic powers, picking and choosing them from the flexible talent tree, and forging your path. Then, something else is thrown into the mix, multiplying your character customization opportunities.
After clearing the first dungeon, you’ll be able to pledge allegiance to one of six demon lords in order to gain even more power. These devilish creatures are Beelzebub, Leviathan, Asmodeus, Mammon, Baal, and Satan. Each path offers a permanent set of new spells that stack on top of your base class, demonstrating their corruptive effects.
They boost different aspects such as magical attack, critical strikes, bleeding, etc., and unlock more power, reshaping your build even further.
I chose Asmodeus, the Queen of Lust, a melee path that focuses on life-stealing, bleeding, and quick yet brutal attacks. The Evisceration spell causes the damage you deal to come back to you as a heal. Vampiric Execution reduces the recharge time of other powers if the attack kills its target. Taste for Blood multiplies the damage your bleeding skills inflict when you are at low health.
All of these options for customizing your character ensure you can enjoy a vastly different experience if you play the game more than once.
Dark And Dirty Dungeons
The UI in HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon features all the essential information without feeling cluttered, and it leaves ample space in the center of the screen for those beautiful visuals.
During battles, there is an initiative track at the top showing the turn order, with your character’s skills at the bottom. While riding around the overworld on a wolf mount (so much fun!), you can see enemies moving around and easily view details such as the group size and their level.
Being able to scout ahead before you strike is very useful, allowing you to prepare for a fight or avoid one altogether if you are low on health. A handy mission log in the bottom right corner reminds you of your current task, while the world map features glowing red indicators to show the area you need to head to.
Some of the early quests I was sent on included collecting herbs, finding a missing boy, and defeating a particularly nasty beast (which wiped the floor with me the first time I faced it). Demonic circles in certain locations offer waypoints that let you traverse the map faster when you unlock them.
As you explore the dungeons, a monster counter near your health and mana bars keeps track of the number you’ve defeated. Once you’ve cleared out all the monsters in a particular zone, you are awarded two stat points (the same amount you gain when leveling up), adding an extra incentive to rid an area of enemies. These points can be added to four different stats: strength, health, magic power, and mysticism (mana points).
There are around a dozen slots for equipment on your character, with plenty of bag space for all the loot you collect. The loot itself comes in varying levels of rarity, and the monsters drop a whole bunch of it so you can pick and choose what suits the build you’re going for.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for the addition of a ‘loot all’ button; I always want ALL the loot, even if it’s rubbish. ‘One man’s trash…’ and all that.
Final Thoughts
HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon is a great game for fans of classic PC RPGs who love to meticulously refine their character build in order to take on tough opponents. Taking on board feedback from fans has proved fruitful, as the new additions offer improvements that make this sequel stand tall over its predecessor.
The game doesn’t hold your hand, instead setting you loose in its dark world so you can find your own way.
After a slow opening, elements such as the atmospheric setting, stunning art, and character-building options combine to create a winning gameplay experience. For those seeking an extra challenge, there are also three difficulty levels to take on.
Oh, and if I may offer one tiny piece of advice? Make sure you choose a character name longer than two letters. Otherwise, you may get stuck on the creation screen wondering which button you need to press to proceed (this definitely DID NOT happen to me) because it doesn’t appear until you add a third letter.
Now, if you are ready to enter hell, the game is available on PC via Steam. There is also a free demo with around three hours of playtime that lets you get a taste for the gameplay by exploring the first open-world zone and two dungeons.
