I’ve always been strangely fascinated with Hell and the concept of eternal damnation. There’s just something about everlasting pain and suffering at the hands of demons and devils as penance for sins committed in life that interests me. I’m also drawn towards games with hellish landscapes almost as much as eldritch gods and cyclopean cities. When I saw Agony on Kickstarter, I just had to check it out. I have to say it’s a beautiful looking, if disturbing game.
When I say disturbing, I mean it’s not like playing a Doom clone. In fact, based on the videos provided there’s no combat at all. You’ll be trying to hide and run from the beasts that would make Dante have nightmares for life. Agony is most certainly not for the faint of heart. As much as I loved the visuals, I did find my spine shiver more than a few times. If just watching the game in action is enough to unnerve me, I can only imagine how it’ll affect me when I play it.
I want to play Agony. I love survival horror games, and I love dark and depressing games about Hell or the nearest equivalent. The thing I love most about this one is that it tries to steer clear of the usual tropes. Sure, there’s the ever burning lake of fire and horned baddies out for your soul. However, this is unlike any Hell I’ve ever seen or imagined.
I’m not sure if I want to back Agony or not. It’s not because I don’t like the premise, but rather I’m afraid I’ll need therapy for life. This is assuredly not a game for children or the faint of heart. I could feel my heart beat faster and faster as I watched the gameplay video, and that’s rare for a video game these days.
I did end up putting a few bucks into this one, but I’m still not sure if I want to take the plunge for an actual copy of Agony. It is very much tempting, but the videos alone were enough to put me on edge.