I completed the fourth chapter of Painkiller earlier. The boss for this chapter was a bugger named Alastor. He wasn’t especially hard; hurting him was downright easy. The irritation stems from the fact you have to do it repeatedly.

Hey, developers, giving your boss more hitpoints doesn’t make the battle any more epic or memorable.

Personally, epic or memorable boss fights are really all about the set up. You have to build your boss up throughout the preceding level(s) to show us how much of a bastard he really is in order to make his defeat truly satisfying.

This is something FPS games completely fail to do with one early exception. Defeating Adolf in Castle Wolfenstein 3D was satisfying because everyone knew what he was all about. Alastor of Chapter 4 of Painkiller? Who the hell is he and why should I give a damn?

Some text, more judicious use of cutscenes or perhaps a taunt during a checkpoint save could go a long way in establishing what a complete utter bastard a boss is. Make the effort and it will be appreciated.

I completed the third chapter of Painkiller today.

Each chapter of the game features multiple levels with unique settings but the gameplay is pretty much the same thing every time. It’s always quiet when you begin. You have a moment or two to admire the beautiful graphics of the setting.

Then you take one step too many and all hell breaks loose. Doors slam shut, sealing you in. The guitar-heavy battle music signals the emergence of demonic hordes from their hiding places. There’s barely time for a “Oh, shi-i-i-i-i- …” before they’re on you.

The waves seem interminable. Too many, way too many, you think as you back off to buy more time. Well, keep clicking that mouse, buckaroo, and you just might make it to the next checkpoint.

Giant-killer

Each chapter concludes with a boss battle and as I previously noted, the bosses in the game tend to be gargantuan.

Like most bosses in games, the ones in Painkiller happen to be tricksy. They each have unique special attacks that are so overpowered I’m often left laughing in a you-gotta-be-kidding-me way.

Once you figure out the bosses’ attacks and how to avoid them, you have to figure how to hurt them. This can be a little frustrating and involves a lot of trial and error not to mention deaths and reloads. One boss can only be hurt at at a specific moment while defeating another might require aiming at a specific part.

I would have much preferred straightforward shootouts but considering the rest of the game features frenzied shooting ‘n’ scooting the change of style is probably for the best.