Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival Is a Great Survival Horror Game, With a Frustrating Element That’s Almost Disastrous [REVIEW]

Skip to content In 1986, cult horror writer Clive Barker published The Hellbound Heart, a novella that brought the Cenobites into the world. A year later, he adapted his own story for the big screen as Hellraiser, introducing the world to the iconic character we would come to call Pinhead and starting a movie franchise that has been put through the wringer more than some of the victims in those sequels. No one would fault you for not being able to recall offhand that there have been eleven Hellraiser movies total, or that Henry Cavill actually starred in a sequel about a demonic computer game; suffice it to say, it’s had a rough legacy despite a handful of films that remain all-time classics with horror fans.

Now, Hellraiser has found its way to video games, taking what fans love about the original two films and delivering something no movie can manage. In a world where almost every conceivable horror franchise has leaped to the asymmetrical multiplayer video game world, either as its own title or as part of Dead by Daylight (including Hellraiser), it’s a breath of fresh air that Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is a single-player experience designed to both revive the series and scare us at our leisure. Even though one element of the game is almost catastrophic, the overall product should satisfy survival horror fans with an experience they can’t find elsewhere, even if the influences are obvious.

Gameplay in Hellraiser: Revival fluctuates depending on the scenario. Some instances focus on puzzle-solving that feels more like modern Resident Evil, though that series’ influence is also clear in the game’s resource management and an inventory that can’t hold everything you find. The DNA of BioShock is here too, as using the Genesis Configuration (a variant of the franchise’s puzzle cube) allows for specific powers that feel similar to how that game’s Plasmids function. There’s even one mechanic like Doom, with glory kills that can recharge health and “suffering” (the power meter that allows you to use the cube)

There are some points in the game where you leave the real world behind, traversing the Labyrinth; the game forces you to simply survive where few tools will help you, and these are the sections of the game that feel the most distinct. The good news is that all these varying gameplay elements never overstay their welcome, and often make continued play feel fresh. If you’re tired of fighting dopey AI and would rather run from Chatterer and flying chains, you won’t have to wait long for the opportunity.

At its core, what makes up Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is obvious to fans with years of experience with horror titles, as the influence of other games from the genre can be seen by just playing through. Borrowing elements that harken back to other games while making sure to satisfy Hellraiser fans could have very well created a game with no discernible identity, but one of the great things about Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is that it’s not influenced by all those titles wholesale. Instead, these specific details all work together in a remix that is more than the sum of its parts.

As Aidan Lynch, you’re a man on a mission on behalf of your lover, Sunny, who finds herself taken by the hellish abyss that the Cenobites call home. It’s a story that is wholly original to the franchise but one that fits alongside the first two movies in its exploration of themes like obsession, desire, and even artistic expression. Compelling as the narrative itself is, though, the best thing about Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is that it’s built from the ground up on the foundation of the films. Having Doug Bradley return as the voice of Pinhead does a lot of heavy lifting, though.

Across the history of the movie franchise, Hellraiser isn’t a series that’s been able to command a massive budget, which means that the game’s ability to depict a truly endless dimension and other wild effects makes it a satisfying story to unfold for longtime fans. A good example of this is how the opening of the Labyrinth and its foggy, bright lights are recreated perfectly (alongside unseen threats that wiggle around corners, some even animated to appear like stop-motion monsters from the 1980s movies). It’s the devotion to getting all the little details right that makes the game so satisfying. One might assume that Pinhead and the other Cenobites have a small part to play, but their presence is felt in almost every moment, and they show up way more than you may expect.

One place that Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival builds on the infrastructure of the films and makes something its own, though, is in its truly disgusting sound design. Bones crunch, skin flays, blood flies, unknown green goop slaps you in the face; playing Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival with headphones might make you gag, but it also leads to some of the most compelling scares the game has to offer, as the terrifying maw of Chatterer ringing in your ears behind you can be terrifying. That said, there are also design elements that don’t always work; when the game has to create all-new antagonists, the hollowed husks that are the Unworthy are pretty uninspired in design and action.

There is one big fault to be found in playing Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, and it’s not specifically that the combat mechanics can be weird, though they can be. Fighting in the game depends on not only fluctuating between using your weapons and the cube itself but knowing what works best against which enemies. At times, the fighting mechanics work fine and lead to manageable encounters, though ones less fun than the puzzles, but when the game’s boss fights roll up, they derail the enjoyment almost entirely.

Though there are only a few boss fights across the game itself (and a few mini-bosses that are actually totally fine when they unfold), they are largely so tedious and uninterested in confirming the next steps that it not only becomes annoying to figure out what the game expects you to do but begins to sour the entire experience. Finally conquering these antagonists feels less like an accomplishment and more like a sigh of relief that it’s finally over, and you can get back to the actual fun parts of the game.

It’s shocking in 2026 that Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is a single-player game rather than an asymmetrical multiplayer title, but it’s even more surprising that a game in the Hellraiser franchise is actually great. Seeing a team put time and care into creating a new story for a series that naturally belongs in the mythology and is actually fun to experience feels like a minor miracle, even with some occasional frustrations. Fans of the franchise can rejoice that this title is worthy of Barker’s creation, but newcomers may find that the taste of Cenobite pleasure being offered has them hooked.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is available now across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC platforms. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review and was experienced on a PS5.