Succubus is a first-person action game from MadMind Studio, the creators of the controversial “Agony” videogame and its subsequent sequels. And much like its prequel games, this also focuses on the torturous hellscape of the Underworld, governed by disgusting hell beasts, and littered with the souls of the damned.
I will say before continuing, a slight warning for those faint of heart before reading, even though I played the censored version, looking this game up online you may find its more disturbing parts from a wide search, and its… creative use of healing and some more risqué cutscenes. From this I will offer a warning, the full, uncensored version has sexual content, disturbing imagery and a LOT of gore, some of it makes someone with a iron stomach like me even wince.
So for now, I will follow the censored version of Succubus, as it has all the same gameplay, just stops or fades to black before going into its darker scenes.
Focusing purely on gameplay, the game is a solid hack-and-slash, focusing on stage by stage progression, each with extra objectives and challenges to diverse gameplay, but not to a extreme degree. One such goal is simply pushing enemies into hazards, or killing specific enemies in changing scenarios. In terms of enemy design, there is a decent selection – flying, tanks, small, and nimble – the list is extensive, but generic.
I feel that the game could have been a lot more immersive and interesting to use more enemies from hell lore across all religions, not just the generic well known varieties. Succubae, Valkyries, imps, and the such, but all conform to humanoids with little imagination.
The bosses, however, do offer some unique encounters. Unfortunately, these fights are few and far in between. And even then, it mostly boils down to a “war of attrition”, with either side having a race to see who depletes whose health bar first.
The main appeal I found is with the game’s weapons. There is a wide selection of weapons available very early on, and with almost every level giving me a new toy to play with. (It was always nice to experiment.) Not only that, but the weapons also give a selection of spells of decent variety, from shields to mimics, even to flame strikes that decimate enemies.
The spells add a needed spice in the experience, but spice is not enough to hold taste for long, and by the later stages, I was getting more bored and agitated to the game’s same “arena, corridor, arena, corridor” approach to its level design.
As a final little nod to gameplay, there is a health mechanic which any who played the recent “DOOM” series will recognize as “glory kills”. It’s a way to kill low health enemies with a flourishing animation, and health a set amount of health upon finishing.
The locales are interesting, but overall what you would expect from a “hell level”, just expanded to a whole game with little added diversity? The lack of level variety is telling, in my honest opinion.
There are some glitches that do appear here and there, but they are small and infrequent. And none are even close to being game breaking. (Although one is hilarious with the character creation with one of the hair options.)
Graphics in the game are solid, nothing to write home about, but the amount of gore and character detail is impressive, especially in the “create your succubus”, which has a rotund set of options to choose from, from hair to body paint “and some extras in the uncut version obviously”.
Lastly, it’s writing of the “story” is basic to say the least, a run-of-the-mill revenge plot, a basic narrator leading you through the levels, with no real actual depth to be found.
Alongside its more gruesome moments in the uncensored version, yet lacking in extra content in the normal version, it’s hard to give a high recommendation. Succubus is enjoyable, but not deep, with entertaining elements, but ultimately becomes boring over long play sessions.
