Helltaker

One day, you, the Helltaker, decide on a whim to build a harem of demon girls, so you literally march into hell to make it happen. It sounds like a meme, and it kinda is, but it's a meme executed with insane style and a surprising amount of heart. The gameplay is super straightforward, it's a grid based puzzle where you move around, push rocks and dodge spikes to reach the demon girl at the end of each level, but dude, the way it's presented is everything.

Let's talk about the vibe because it's a huge part of the charm. Łukasz's art is all sharp clean lines and this stark black and white with these pops of red that just looks slick, and Mitssies's music it's just this absolute banger of a synth track. Each level is short but you can get stuck for too long since the puzzles get legitimately tricky. You'll be staring at the screen figuring out the exact order to move so you don't get impaled or run out of steps. It's simple, but it makes you feel like a genius when you solve a tough one.

The girls themselves are undeniably the best part. Every demon girl you meet has her own personality, from the bossy CEO Lucifer to the adorably tired Pandemonica. The writing is snappy and hilarious and the short conversations you have with them after beating their puzzles are legitimately the reward. You wanna see what this grumpy demon or this nerdy angel has to say. It's not just about collecting them, it's about these little character moments that give them so much life.

Now for the 3DS port, is kinda wild that someone even made that. It's a solid effort, like, all the puzzles are there and it feels almost like the real deal, but I hit a major snag: I got to the final fight with Judgment and you're supposed to break her chains to progress, except… you can't. It seems like that part just wasn't programmed in, so the game softlocks right there. It's a bummer 'cuz you're so close to the end. There were a few other janky collision issues here and there but up until that point, it was a surprisingly faithful way to play the game on a handheld. It's a shame it's technically unbeatable.

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The demon girls are waiting and they ain't recruiting themselves, so pick your approach! I've got a solid 3DS port that plays great, just a heads up it hits a dead end at the final Judgment fight 'cause the chains won't break. Or, you can roll with the Genesis demake for a more retro experience. Either way, hit FBI's Remote Install and let's see if you've got what it takes to build that harem.

Helltaker (Port)

DEMON GIRLS (Demake)