Succubus is a game that, like Agony, wants to push some buttons. It’s gruesome, absolutely disgusting, unnerving, and could offend many for what could be considered poor taste in a certain action. Yet, it’s so devilishly evil and brutal that it’s also quite lovable.

Now I wasn’t a big fan of Agony, among quite a few other people, but there was something there. A solid foundation, great sense of art direction, and the basis of a compelling narrative set within a beautifully distinct version of Hell. Succubus sets to right a few wrongs (or sins) of the previous game from Madmind Studios.

What’s it about?



Succubus is a much different beast than Agony and focuses on action rather than stealth. You are one of the infamous enemies from the original game, a Succubus named Vydija, a war-torn, bloodthirsty, and demented hell creature that will do everything (I do kind of mean that literally) in her power to climb up the ranks and become the most powerful creature in Hell.

While there is not much context given to the situation at hand, you do learn snippets of what has happened between the course of Agony and this new instalment. It seems like since the tale of Agony, came a new ruler and the opportunity for the Succubus to be queen. However she rejected this immense status in order to obtain more. In the process of obtaining the ultimate prize, ruling all over Hell, the Succubus is betrayed and left to harsh wilderness of the abyss.

Hell is a very dangerous place, but it will be no match for the vengeful and bloodthirsty Succubus.

So it’s fairly standard revenge tale, throw into some twisted form of “From Rags to Riches” story Arche set in the deepest recesses of Hell. But it does have a compelling location, a warped sense of entitlement from our leading lady which is entertaining to observe and overall a gripping trial of brutality and mayhem.

What I did appreciate were the environmental elements which really create some terrific world building. I witnessed creatures of all statuses being torn apart and much worse by those further up the ranks. There were some neat environmental story-telling elements in play and I could gage the Succubus’ motivations pretty quickly and why in general, they’re such brutal creatures.

There are other things such as a shadowy figure helping you through your journey in Hell and other snippets of events happening in the meantime. It’s simple, yet the mystery and themes of power make this pretty compelling at times.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more about this rather devilish Succubus and her final goal. The only thing I didn’t like that much was her voice. It just sounds silly and I get what they’re going for, but it sounds all wrong.

The harsh, gravel-like voice feels like they’re going for a female Dr claw from Inspector Gadget or the lead villain from Power Rangers after she smoked like 1000 cigarettes a day for ten years. I personally would have gone for a more refine and elegant voice. Something like how Tom Hardy did his Bane voice, which sounded silly but sweet and charming, then he came across as a total brute. Contrast does work and it could’ve been implemented here.

Gameplay



Now dear gamer, if you’re into brutal fighting and hard-core nudity, Succubus is the game for you … sicko.

Combat is simple but gives you plenty of variation in the tools you wield to doing some serious damage. Everything looks the part, from the sicking, yet beautifully designed weapons, the insane finishers and the meaty dismemberment system that allows you to slice and dice.

While it’s not as advanced as some games like Doom Eternal or Shadow Warrior, Succubus does a good job of making some epic displays of gore and dismembered body parts.

You’ll mainly be fighting enemies in a number of combat arenas, where you enter, the enemies enter and things go from there. You have basic weapons that can hack and slash, powers such as fireballs to launch at enemies and objects in the environment and a truly kick to push enemies onto painful and pointy spikes! It reminded me a lot of Dark Messiah, where the combat was a little goofy and felt floaty, it was, however, very engaging and fun to play.

Succubus again might not have the refinements of certain AAA games, but it’s not a AAA game and overall the designers have done a terrific job at making the combat feel visceral, bloodthirsty, and has plenty of bite. Finishers and executions look pretty cool and everything is fast and frantic enough to ensure a tight level of chaos is leading you on. I do enjoy the frantic and over the top nature to Succubus and combat was extremely satisfying from start to finish. Combat is something that evolves as the Succubus will be able to purchase armours and new weapons when they earn enough damned souls. All weapons and armours do look great and fit in nicely to the warped, perverse and weirdly sexual nature of the game.

My only feedback would be that the combat arenas seemed a little flat, lacking elevation or gimmicks that make them more frantic and brutal. Indeed you do get spikes and I’m hoping that later in the game there will be more variation in the designs of each arena.
Platforming is also quite lackluster and there’s very little, well no threat at all while climbing certain terrains. Again, I hope there will be at least a couple of moments where you need to climb and avoid spikes or fire or even be chased by something.

What else?



The hub world is pretty cool and I do like how you can purchase weapons, armour and some other bits I won’t mention now, adding to a great sense of progression. Armour and weapons look great and I do like having the Succubus get a chance to chill on her throne, take a nap or wash herself some bugs … yeah, this game is definitely going to bring on some fetishes alright.

But, hey, that’s cool! Because everything in a disturbing way looks really beautiful! The world looks great, monsters and items have a nice level of detail and polish and all the errors of Agony seem to have been corrected! There are better facial animations, gore effects, and now, you can rip off private parts! Sweet.

Oh yeah … that scene …

Now I will mention that the Succubus will do some sick s*** in order to survive. Such as beating a pregnant woman to death and eating her unborn child …. Wow. Yep, the game goes there. I mean, I know it’s just a game but damn. That’s dark. There are other things as well which I won’t ruin but Succubus isn’t fooling around. If you’re not so into that then cool, because Succubus has you covered and you can alter certain aspects of the game, such as covering up nipples, private parts and lessen the gorier/darker aspects. So you can be a monster, but one that’s not such a douche!




Overall

I’m really looking forward to seeing the full product out when it's ready! Succubus sets to right the wrongs of Agony and I can see that has been achieved for the most part. The change in direction is great, being lots of fun and taking full advantage of what worked in the previous game and expanding upon it. The game looks great, sounds great (except for the Succubus voice) and it’s solid action/adventure fluff that will satisfy any sadist ... I mean gamer. While this is a prologue/preview, I do hope arenas get more interesting in the later game, there being more intensity to platforming sections and maybe just sort out that voice. Otherwise, Succubus is worth checking out upon its release.

++ Visually impressive and immense world design
+ Fun, brutal and bloody combat
+ The Succubus is a fun leading character
+ Improvements made from Agony
- Combat arenas seem a little flat in the early game
- The Succubus’ voice is a little silly
- Climbing and platforming seems uneventful

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