Hatred Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Hatred
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Hatred review on PC

Hatred is certainly one of the most controversial games of last year or so in terms of its actual content and other people's reaction to it.

Because it promotes violence towards civilians and police as you're controlling a deranged protagonist, Valve tried to remove it from Steam Greenlight, only to reinstate it a short time after. After getting an Adults Only rating from the ESRB, and prompting Twitch to ban the streaming of such titles, the game is nearing its release next week, on June 1.

We shouldn't forget that, underneath all these controversies, there's a game, a twin-stick shooter that tries to do something interesting.

Does it manage to deliver a great interactive experience or should you just hate it for its controversial nature? Let's find out.

Story

Hatred puts you in the shoes of a deranged individual known only as the Antagonist. He is a regular long-haired guy in a trench coat with a simple goal: die in the most explosive way possible, while taking as many other humans with him.

You then go out of your New York City suburb home and start mowing down everyone in sight. Your journey takes you to different environments, some more open than others. During these adventures, the protagonist keeps sharing monologs about his philosophy, but more or less, they fall flat and just highlight the poor writing.

Hatred could have delivered a pretty interesting critique on violence overall, but as it stands, it's reminiscent of an angsty teenager that tries to recite things that cause a reaction from those around him.

Decimate civilians in Hatred
Decimate civilians in Hatred

Gameplay

While the story doesn't exactly live up to its controversial nature, the gameplay is much better. Hatred is a twin-stick shooter that is, of course, much easier to play with a controller but remains pretty decent on a mouse and keyboard combination.

You shoot and move around big environments, using a variety of weapons, throwing explosives, and causing a lot of havoc. The actual shooting mechanics are quite good, the weapons feel pretty different from one another and include assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, sub-machine guns, and so on. You can also throw grenades, molotovs, or flashbangs, and you can pick items up from the ground.

While only police officers come equipped with guns or explosives, civilians aren't afraid of picking them up from the corpses of the fallen law enforcement agents. Some citizens also rush into their homes to get hidden weapons, so you should be on the lookout to keep your health up or replenish your ammo.

The only way to refill your health is to execute wounded enemies, prompting some pretty varied animations that, however, get a bit old or showcase a few visual glitches. You can also kick enemies to make them more vulnerable, not to mention doors to bust into houses.

Besides the clipping through objects in the environment, the visuals also pose problems when it comes to recognizing foes and objects that you can interact with. You can press a button to highlight important things but you can't always keep it activated.

Levels are quite open but the game alternates with a few more linear environments in order to ramp up the action. You start with simple goals, such as killing a certain number of civilians, but as you explore, you encounter special situations, such as parties, funerals, or other such things. When you eradicate these gatherings you gain respawn points, which allow you to easily revive yourself in case of death. If you don't have any such points, you have to restart the whole level.

While you'll mostly just walk around and sprint in order to jump over fences or through windows, you can also drive police cars. The actual driving mechanics, however, aren't that great. The vehicles handle a bit too stiffly and it's really easy to crash into objects. You can, however, still run down enemies although there is still a danger for your car to explode.

Speaking of explosions, Hatred is filled with plenty of flammable objects and most effects are quite good, adding a bit more gleeful fun to the monotone black and white mood. However, it's a bit iffy just how quickly things explode, as some blow up easier and faster than others.

Enemies aren't that varied, but their AI is pretty smart, managing to spread around the environment and flank the player. As such, you need to always keep an eye on the minimap and ensure that your health isn't whittled down.

Execute people in Hatred
Execute people in Hatred

Visuals and Sound

As I've mentioned above, Hatred uses a black and white tone that, while it makes playing the game a bit tough in terms of enemy recognition, does look relatively good. Splashes of color are present in terms of explosives as well as the actual explosions. Animations are pretty good and character models for civilians are varied.

The soundtrack isn't that memorable while the voice acting is decent, although the actual dialog doesn't require that big of a performance from the protagonist.


The Good

  • Good twin-stick shooter mechanics
  • Big levels
  • Lots of intense moments

The Bad

  • Violence might not cater to everyone
  • Writing isn't that great
  • Soundtrack is unimpressive
  • Car handling is erratic
  • Moving around and distinguishing enemies is hard

Conclusion

Hatred is a good twin-stick shooter that manages to offer an interesting experience only through the actual theme. Besides that, however, it's not something outstanding. Developer Destructive Creations could have transformed its targets into zombies or civilians and escape the controversy, but it stuck to its initial idea, and while it's not executed all that well in terms of story, it deserves recognition.
story 5
gameplay 7
concept 7
graphics 7
audio 6
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 

Hatred screenshots (17 Images)

Hatred review on PCHone your skills in HatredExecute foes in HatredPlay as the Antagonist in HatredExplosions in Hatred
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