The Painkiller Demo Is a Glorious, Guts-Soaked Reminder of How Fucking Fun Shooters Can Be

After an eternity of battle royales and plodding tactical shooters, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to just move fast and blow shit up. This demo was the cure.

I jumped into the Painkiller demo expecting a simple nostalgia trip, a fresh coat of paint on a classic. What I got was a shot of pure, uncut adrenaline that reminded me why I fell in love with this franchise in the first place.

Purgatory's Playground

The movement is the first thing that hits you. This is the polar opposite of modern shooters that have you glued to cover. I was dashing, jump-padding, and using a grappling hook to fly across massive gothic arenas like some kind of unholy Spider-Man.

It's pure, glorious chaos. The speed is exhilarating, and using the hook to reposition before unloading a stake gun into a demon's face feels incredible. The game makes it clear from the first second: staying still is a death sentence.

Old School Soul, New School Carnage

This is a proper reimagining. The developers didn't just slap a new texture pack on the original. The demo lets you pick from one of four characters, each with their own perks, and introduces a tarot card system to augment your abilities in deliciously destructive ways.

The best part? You can drag two friends through hell with you in three-player co-op. more satisfying and replayable than some full games I've reviewed. This is how you bring a classic back from the dead without turning it into a soulless husk.

After playing this short slice, I'm genuinely hyped. The demo absolutely nails the frantic, blood-soaked spirit of the original while adding enough new ideas to make it feel fresh. The pain is coming, and I'm ready to embrace it.