Hellraiser(2022), a review. A modern take on the Cenobites and the realms of pleasure and pain beyond our own. A different look and feel to the classic Pinhead is interesting but lacks some of the earlier menace.

 

Hellraiser (2022), a review.

    I have watched the original Hellraiser several times over the years. I loved The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. I hoped this film would capture some of what made the original film so thrilling to watch. And it does, somewhat. The film keeps much of what makes the Cenobites disturbing, though there are changes, and some are better than others. The film does expand on the lore surrounding the Lament configuration and what the box is capable of, but it changes who the Cenobites seek out. Thankfully, much of the lore remains unchanged, keeping what previous fans were familiar with. Unfortunately, this reboot/sequel lacks some of the horrors that the original films had, and in many ways, it seems tame by comparison. That doesn't make it bad, though I would have preferred a more startling element to the horror. The acting is serviceable to good, though never great, and an air of inevitability surrounds the unfolding events.

    The film follows Riley, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction. However, the film opens up with events 6 years before following Riley. A woman buys something from a man on behalf of someone else, the conversation hinting that this figure is rarely seen. We move to a party at a mansion, figures engaging in orgies, as a young man nervously wanders through the building. He meets the woman from earlier, Menaker, as she sits nursing her drink. They talk, and she invites him to meet her in another room. This is a setup, and he falls for it. Drawn to a strange puzzle box in the centre of the room, Joey begins to examine it. As he moves the pieces, another man approaches, and they begin to talk. The man reveals himself to be Roland Voight, the host, and he watches with interest as Joey begins to move the pieces into place. With a click, he completes it before a blade pierces his hand. In pain and shock, Joey pulls his hand away and drops the box. Voight is pleased by this, the blood seeping into the box as it changes formation. Joey is trapped there as Voight places the box on a pedestal, calling out, beseeching something unseen. In the background, Joey is caught by hooks and then torn apart, undoubtedly a victim of The Priest. 

    Six years later, Riley is a recovering addict living with her brother and his boyfriend. She is seeing Trevor, a man she met in her twelve-step programme. Her brother Matt does not approve of or like him but knows there is little he can do. It is a point of contention between the siblings, and Matt feels the strain of supporting her. Riley is not a likeable character, to begin with. She is selfish, abrasive, and unable to see the damage she inflicts on others. These are traits that are common with addicts in films. The events of this film play out as an analogy to addiction, and the subtext is there, though it attempts to be subtle. Riley doesn't seem to care what Matt wants, only that she feels that he is judging her, he wants to save her, and that she doesn't need or want to be saved. Feeling pressured by Matt, she complains to Trevor, and he suggests stealing something from a lockup, hoping to make some money from whatever is in there. And all they find is the strange puzzle box from the film's opening minutes. Drunk and high, Riley returns home. Riley and Matt get into a fight, and he tells her to get out, that he is done looking after her. Angry, Riley does that, going to her car, where she ends up taking some pills. Under the influence, she moves the box through the first configuration, falling unconscious before the blade can pierce her flesh. Safe from the Cenobites, they speak to her, saying that she must give them another. Matt wakes from a dream and goes looking for his sister. He finds her but cuts his hand on the box. With his blood taken in, he is marked as the sacrifice to the Cenobites, and they come to claim him. 

    Riley realises that Matt has been taken, though she doesn't know by what, and she attempts to find out more about the device she has found. She is sure it has something to do with Matt's disappearance and is determined to find him. With Trevor's aid, Riley learns more about Roland Voight, including his sudden disappearance six years ago. Dragging Trevor with her, the pair go to his mansion to find answers. Throughout this, Riley sees the Cenobites in flashes, even dreaming about her brother asking her to bring him back. They learn of Voight's lawyer and go to see her with the box in hand. She tells them little beyond that Voight was a terrible person, and she loses it at the sight of the box. Amid a struggle with Riley, she gets cut by the box, dooming her to a visit from the Cenobites. She is taken by them shortly after, taken to pain by those that revel in it. And the encounter is as expected, the world shifting to reveal the places behind and alongside our world. This element is familiar, appearing in both the books and earlier films.

    The film moves forward, with Riley and the others seeking answers at Voight's mansion. And they find them, but they find worse things than that. In time they discover that they have been set up, drawn here by another. Separated from the rest, their friend Nora is stabbed with the box by an unseen assailant. They rush to get her help, racing from the mansion in the van, but the roads change and shift as the Cenobites give chase. Nora is taken even as they try to flee, taken from the back of the van, with only a pool of blood left behind. The Cenobites aren't done, trying to force Riley to serve up one of the others. Chased back to the house, they manage to find safety for a time. But the Cenobites are patient, and there is danger in the mansion as Voight reveals himself. They race to a conclusion, with Trevor being taken and Voight begging to exchange one gift for another. Riley and Colin escape after Riley refuses to accept the Cenobite's gift. Voight is taken by Leviathan, exchanging sensation for dominion, becoming a Cenobite.

    I have to give the film credit, as Riley has a good character arc. She goes from annoying and selfish to moving on to consider the damage her actions cause, refusing to sacrifice Colin no matter the temptation. It is subtle at first, but it becomes more evident as time goes on. This character growth is one of the better elements of the film. The Cenobites themselves are a mixed bag. The new designs are interesting but don't seem as terrifying as earlier versions. This is most noticeable in the form of the Priest, or Pinhead, as they are better known. This version isn't as menacing. Doug Bradley had better delivery, in my opinion, but that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy this version. This one is more patient, a silent menace that stalks them from a distance. This isn't as gory as I expected it to be, though it does have its moments. I give this film a 6 out of 10. It is a better-than-average movie that never quite reaches greater heights.

Rebel's Creed by Daniel B Greene, a review. The second instalment by the Dishevelled Goblin and a marked improvement on the Novella. Deepening the lore and expanding the world of the Almighty and the Anointed.

 

Rebel's Creed, a review.

    The first outing by Daniel, Breach of Peace, was a novella. It had been his intention for the next to be one also. That changed with the writing of Rebel's Creed. This outing is a novel over 350 pages in length with a deeper story and far more lore than the first book. It is also a direct continuation from where the novella finished, picking up with Khlid in dire straits and in the hands of the Anointed. In this book, we learn more about the Empire and the Anointed herself, more about what the Empire's plans are, and those that stand against them.

    Khlid is bound and trapped, her body experimented upon by her captors. Flooded with the Drip, she is already being changed by it, the first real success beyond what had happened to Chapman before his death at the Anointed's hand. We get a little more as the experiments continue, and the story changes to the new protagonist of this story. Holden is a mess, he believes none of the accusations against his former mentors, and here we see how manipulative the Anointed can be. She uses her position, power, and her obvious charisma to spin a tale that the grief-stricken Holden will hold onto. It is an obvious play, one seen in many novels, but here it is done well enough that Holden is never entirely taken in by her but is invested enough to go along with what he is told. It is an interesting back and to between them, and it gives some insight into both characters at this moment in time. This is just the setup for what is to come, the story taking a turn I did not expect.

    We learn more of what happened to Chapman leading up to the murders and everything that then, subsequently, followed. It was nice to get more backstory to the abrasive Chapman, who in the earlier novella felt like he needed some fleshing out. Here Daniel does that well, showing how Chapman became involved with the rebellion and his true place within its structure. Sure, there are some cliches, but there are some interesting turns, and we see just how much of an arse Chapman can be, whilst also seeing some of his struggles, humanizing him in a way that had not been done previously. In a twist I was not expecting, we see just how undermanned the rebellion is, just how small a force is set up against the mass of this formidable Empire. I would have liked to have spent more time with Chapman, but we get enough here to see how his direct involvement led to everything in the novella and the events occurring in the present story. At least now we understand a little more about the Drip and its study.

    Back to the present day and we see a much-changed Holden. No longer is he part of the Seventh, that precinct has now been left to rot, having been moved to the Eleventh Precinct, where life is proving far from easy. We catch up with him as he is being beaten by several of his fellow officers. Holden had made the mistake of reporting officers from the Fifteenth Precinct to his sergeant, a man he had believed he could trust. Gone is the prospect of him becoming an Inspector. He has been placed in the Eleventh to keep him out of trouble and out of sight. A place where there is little support and no real chance of him making himself a nuisance for those in power. He isn't entirely broken, but he isn't far from that point. Throughout this time, he has held on to his belief in Khlid and Samuel, that they were innocent and all blame lay at Chapman's feet. Though beaten down and increasingly jaded, there remains a fire in Holden, a need to discover the truth of the events at the Seventh. When the chance comes to truly learn what happened to Khlid and the Seventh, Holden will stop at nothing to get those answers. Once he discovers she is alive, he will not stop until he frees her from her captors.

    The book's pace remains quite fast, at no point did I feel like the story was stuck in place or there was too much filler. Holden, and his relationships, felt real and none too forced. Though, I have to note that some of the dialogue didn't quite work for me. I think that issue is down to Daniel's style and could well work for others, it just didn't for me. In the scene between Flip and the Anointed, Avi Cormick, I felt like the interplay was a little off. The chess-playing broke up the scene more than I would have liked, but I could see what Daniel was striving for as he described the scene. I enjoyed the slow evolution of Khlid, the development of her new form, and the power she now possesses. Even those experimenting upon the former Inspector are unsure as to what effect the Drip was truly having. More than anything I enjoyed seeing Avi unleashed. Seeing how dangerous and powerful the Anointed truly is, raised things up a notch for me. Rebel's Creed is a marked improvement on The Breach of Peace, Daniel's writing is becoming stronger, and I hope to see that develop further with his next entry into the series.

    I'd give this book a solid four out of five stars. There is room for improvement, but it is a very solid entry. I can't wait to see what comes next as we sail for the land beyond the Endless Ocean. I'd recommend any fan of the first entry to give this book a look, and for any fan of fantasy to give this book a read.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, a review. The sequel to the popular Kingmaker remains true to the formula with epic gameplay and story but more than a few flaws.

 

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, a review and look at one of the best RPGs of this year.

    After backing and loving Pathfinder Kingmaker, it was an easy decision to follow suit for the sequel. I was one of many that backed Wrath of the Righteous and enjoyed the alpha and beta stages. This is a very different story from the first game, with higher stakes and a more defined goal right from the outset. The game is bigger in many ways, with a more expansive class list and greater options to define your character as you begin your journey into Golarion and the city of Kenebras.

    For any RPG fan, it is always important to have several options to define your character to your own liking. The greater the ability to personalize, the better. The game has expanded on those available in the previous entry, and now there are over twenty-five classes to choose from, each with its own subclass. The variety is staggering, with several races on offer, with some having their own further subtypes. It took me a while, but I have tried several, and the Kitsune is one of my favourites by far. Certain races have unique roles amid the classes, providing you with a path that will not be available to any other race in the game. This will open up possibilities to an entirely new way of playing through your game, further expanding on how the game unfolds for you. And that is one of the main factors in this game, a unique playthrough. This is not unusual for any decent RPG, it is also prevalent in the tabletop games about which this is crafted. Being more of a D&D fan, it took me a while to understand the many complexities and offerings that Pathfinder provides, but soon enough, I found myself enjoying the number of options on display. I have to be honest that I have created far too many characters. Trying out the many classes since playing the beta and into the released game. The character creator is great, but I did find that the character models did leave something to be desired, with little in the way of face and hair options and with no way to alter features. I would have liked a way to change height and weight, but that seems not to be the developer's priority. It is a minor annoyance overall, given the type of gameplay style on show. The character creator is one of the highlights of this impressive game.

    Having backed the game I have played through both the alpha and Beta stages of the game before enjoying the full release. I have spent well over a hundred hours in-game, playing through the earlier chapters of the game in various playthroughs. The released game is far less buggy than the previous stages, but it has been plagued with several bugs that have impacted my game, one or two that even crashed my games. Thankfully, Owlcat has made an effort to patch these bugs and keep on top of issues that have arisen since the release. That doesn't lessen the impact these issues have had on my enjoyment, but I am satisfied that they are at least working to resolve them. Some of these issues have already been resolved upon writing this post, but I am aware that some players continue to deal with problems.

    The game itself is fun, like Kingmaker before it, it has a good enough story to keep you engaged. With the fate of the Worldwound hanging in the balance, the demonic forces pushing ever at the crusaders, you come into play. An unknown dropped into this conflict and then gifted with unusual powers as you rise to lead the Fifth Crusade. The game does a great job of making you feel powerful and gifting you with Mythic abilities that change how you play the game and how the game reacts to your growing abilities. There are at least eight Mythic paths to choose from, with a ninth being hinted at. These paths have their own unique story influencing points, the game reacting to the path you choose by having specific dialogues, quests, and NPCs opening up to you as you move through each act. Speaking of NPCs. Your companions in this game are far less black and white than in the previous entry, with developing complexities and some hints at what are their true motives. Woljif, Seelah, Lann, and Ember are my favourites, but I found I liked all of them. Not so much their actions but their general portrayal and the stories behind them. It would have been nice to flesh them out more. With something more akin to how it was done in Kingmaker, but overall they are all believable and unique. Like any good RPG, there are many weapons, armour, and trinkets on offer for the player to increase their stats and equip on their character. There is a massive array of spells on offer, along with abilities that change with whichever class you have chosen to play. The game also has several prestige classes that can alter the direction of your classes and playthrough. I have to mention the Crusade system, as it does contribute to the overall gameplay. Whilst not the most inventive system it can be fun to play through if you want to manage armies and hunt down rival factions. It is worth noting that this system can be put on automatic. So that you can have very little interaction with it if you wish. The game has five acts in total, and though I have not yet completed it, I am enjoying it immensely. 

    So to summarise, if you enjoyed Kingmaker you'll most likely enjoy this entry. The game is solid and expands on the previous entry with new systems whilst expanding on those that were in use in Pathfinder. It is not without fault but if you can look past them you will find this game is worth those minor niggles. Any avid RPG fan could easily stack up hundreds of hours as they try the many races and classes, looking to create their own unique playthroughs.

    I give this game an easy 4 out of 5. It is a worthy successor to Kingmaker and I can't wait to see what Owlcat Games does next with the series. So if you're a gamer and enjoy RPGs give this one a go. And if you're not an RPG fan, give it a go anyway, it might surprise you.