Doomed to Hell [Xbox]

Hell is overpopulated, so what better way to deal with it than genocide? That’s what Gagonfe’s Doomed to Hell explores. Everyone that currently calls hell their home - humans and monsters alike - will face off against each other in a battle to the death, with the last remaining survivor being given the chance to go back to life on earth. You play as the recently deceased Rose, who has just arrived in hell and thinks that getting back his life sounds like a plan.

So off you go, into battle against wave upon wave of other residents of hell, in the hopes of coming out on top. As you defeat each wave, you’ll be able to pick up temporary buffs that will help you survive, from increased damage, Potions of Replenished Health, and more. Additionally, after each fifth wave is complete, you’ll get to visit the Shop, where you can purchase permanent buffs using the coins you’ve earned so far.

At first, the enemy waves can feel slightly overwhelming, but you quickly get used to what you’ll need to face due to the repetitive nature of many of the enemies and their attacks. Despite falling into the kind of ‘bullet hell’ genre, it’s not overly challenging - that is, until you reach the bosses. Their attack patterns - and in some cases, sheer speed - make them far more formidable foes, so you’re gonna want to make sure you’ve upgraded relevant stats, and picked up decent weapons whenever possible at the shop (as well as any damage increases).

Different weapons available to you range from shotguns and pistols, to fancier, upgraded versions of both (including homing shots, and more). You’ve also got various swords that you can pick up - and the Buff pickups you can get at the end of levels affect things in different ways, with some increasing melee damage specifically (which might not be the best choice if you’re always using guns).

The chunky pixel art style is gorgeous, and the vibrant colour schemes of the world - and the glow from the neon projectiles flying all around - are stunning. There are three different biomes you’ll encounter as you progress, each with different catchy tunes in the backgrounds to complement their designs.

Overall, Doomed to Hell is a cheap and cheerful title, priced at £4.19 on Xbox, making it a no-brainer for those looking for a thoroughly enjoyable take on the genre, though it does feel like a heavily condensed version. It could definitely use a lot of additional stuff being added, as it does feel a tad bare-bones, but this can be decent for people looking for a shorter commitment. Some other roguelite titles, such as The Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon, take a lot longer to get into the swing of things and unlock a decent pool of items, so this is a much more relaxed and easy-going roguelite, that works especially well in short bursts.

In the end, we decided to give Doomed to Hell the Collecting Asylum rating of 7/10.

Are you interested in Doomed to Hell? What do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!

- V x

Thank you to QUByte for the Doomed to Hell Xbox review code!