Written by Jonathan Lee, April 22, 2018, 8:00 PM. Tweet to: @Writerscube
Created by the Croatian game development team of Pine Studio and published by Headup Games, SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell brings you levels of hectic, puzzle/platforming craziness that only gets harder and harder as you progress through each level of Hell. SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell is quite literally what it sounds like! Imagine the frantic FPS pacing of Quake or Doom, but you have no guns and you’re racing against the clock! (A big thanks to Headup Games for providing me with a review copy!)
But why would you be running like a madman through Hell in the first place? Because you play as Marty, a regular guy who just wanted to enjoy his beer when his fine day gets crashed by demons. Not only that, but after both parties get pretty beaten up, the demons steal Marty’s most prized possession: a load of his rare, limited-edition beer! Not to make a pun, but this is where you go “hell no!”
You’re not going to just let them take your limited edition beer, are you?
What’s In The Game?
It’s not just about running at breakneck speeds. You’ll be dodging fireballs, swinging axes, and of course, loads of pitfalls. With a demon hand grafted to your arm, you’ll also be throwing fireballs, activating switches with them, and at points, you can even change gravity to make yourself float when you grab a certain pick-up.
There’s a surprising amount of depth of design that comes with all the various challenges and tools that you’ll get to use as you speed your way through this game. The ever-increasingly-complex level design was also impressive.
Graphically, the game doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but I’d give it a pass and the graphics aren’t what the game’s about. The story isn’t exactly James Cameron material either, but again, that’s not what defines this game. Pure and simple, this game is about the fun of the challenge! There have been time trial modes in all kinds of games, whether you’re looking at a racing title or even Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Megadrive. It’s the thrill of trying to beat your old record, or even better, beat someone else’s high score. And you know what? You can! There’s a high score table for each level with the time records of other players. And it’s all yours to conquer.
Final Thoughts
This game was made with a particular audience in mind with the intent to tickle their nerves of nostalgia and reignite the thrill of beating the top score. Pine Studio did an excellent job of nailing that, and making it hellishly entertaining. As Pine Studio continues to expand their gaming portfolio, I think they have a strength in their ability to stick to the core charm of their games, as shown in SEUM: Speedrunners From Hell. I’m definitely curious to see what Pine Studio creates next as they seem to be expanding from their main body of point-and-click adventure games and puzzle adventures. If you’re looking for something to give you a quick 30-minute competitive fix to knock on the high score board, or you’re just looking for a fun puzzle that’ll also get your heart pounding and your brain working, this is an easy pick!
Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank the folks at Headup Games for giving me the chance to check out this hellishly wild ride of a game!
So, folks, you ready to run like hell in SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell?
