In the Indie GIF Showcase, we dig up the best-looking new and upcoming indie games and explore what makes them special. Are you developer with a game to submit? Use this form.
Hellscreen is a fast-paced Devil Daggers-esque FPS with no shortage of quirks. For starters, one-man developer Jamie Degen describes it as a game where "death upgrades the player," which is especially interesting given how easy it probably is to die when beset by flying, flaming skulls and god knows what else.
More obvious is Hellscreen's cyan-on-red aesthetic, which positively bleeds contrast. A blood-red sky blankets its eerie map, pillars and spires sprout from its pebbled blue stone, and gunfire is accompanied by comic-book muzzle flashes. It's a world low on polygons but not on detail, and looks almost like a fever dream in its hazy hellishness—which probably has something to do with the fact that the art of H.R. Giger inspired much of it.
And did I mention the rear-view mirror? Because Hellscreen has one, which is a fascinating addition for any first-person game, let alone one so clearly reliant on environmental awareness. It's easy to imagine the effect this extra perspective could have on combat—namely, constantly looking back and forth to mop up surprise enemies—and it will be interesting to see how it feels when Hellscreen releases mid-2018.
