Painkiller

When People Can Fly and Dreamcatcher Interactive released Painkiller in 2004, it surprised players with its dark atmosphere, Serious Sam-esque combat and arsenal of weapons. Several expansion packs and add-ons followed, some of which were standalone. The last of these was Painkiller: Recurring Evil (2012), developed by Med-Art and published by THQ Nordic. The shooter series is now returning in a completely different form, as a co-op shooter for up to three players which can also be played alone with moderately capable bots.

In Painkiller, players must battle Azazel's invasion of Earth to earn salvation. The main game mode is Raids. Here, players progress through a fairly basic "story" across nine levels, split into three chapters/biomes. Because there are only nine levels, it won't take you long to see everything this shooter has to offer. Players earn Gold (found in levels), Ancient Souls (rewarded for finishing Raids and Challenges) and Experience in the Levels. These currencies can be used to unlock new weapons, weapon upgrades, tarot cards and skins. The four heroes — Ink, Void, Sol and Roch — each have unique perks that boost energy, health, power and damage. They can be customised with over 40 abilities and weapon properties categorised as offensive, defensive or utility. There is also an additional game mode called Rogue Angel. In this roguelike experience, players battle through seven randomly generated arenas. Each run starts afresh, with no gear, upgrades or weapon mastery carried over. This mode is quite good, but could be improved.

Painkiller; © 3D Realms, Saber Interactive, Anshar Studios

The game's structure, coupled with the relatively small number of levels, suggests that this game has little in common with the original Painkiller. The same is true of the combat: the new Painkiller feels like a mixture of Doom Eternal and Warhammer: Vermintide or Darktide. Players fight hordes of interchangeable and largely forgettable enemies, collect colourful power-ups, and move quickly and acrobatically through the levels by jumping, hooking, and dashing. They can also obtain ammunition for other guns with the Painkiller, a shredding melee weapon.

The shooter gameplay itself is executed competently, but it doesn't capture the essence of the original Painkiller. Instead, it's a chaotic, repetitive game that has lost the oppressive, dark gothic horror atmosphere of the original. Much of it feels interchangeable. Some weapons also lack the necessary punch, especially since the restriction to only two weapons per run feels unnecessarily restrictive, particularly given the limited number of weapons available from the outset. As a co-op shooter, however, Painkiller is not bad at all and can be quite fun. Due to its scope, though, it cannot compete with Darktide or similar games. Its performance is good compared to other Unreal Engine 5 games and the metal music fits well, but the game still lacks a certain something.

Painkiller is a game developed by Anshar Studios, which is based in Katowice, Poland. The studio is known for Gamedec, as well as for its work with clients such as Larian Studios (Baldur's Gate 3), Bloober Team (Layers of Fear), People Can Fly (Outriders) and The Farm 51 (Get Even). They developed Painkiller for publisher Saber Interactive and its 3D Realms label.

Painkiller was released on 21 October 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, priced at €39.99 or €49.99 for the Deluxe Edition.

Conclusion

Painkiller is a solid but repetitive and somewhat generic co-op shooter that has been given the wrong name and doesn't really live up to what you would expect from Painkiller.