*MSRP: $34.99 (Steam) – https://store.steampowered.com/app/628670/Hellpoint/
Hellpoint is a pretty difficult action adventure game that revolves around exploration and combat. This game is pretty much Dark Souls, but in space. The combat has a high learning curve, with every action requiring stamina, and every mistake punished by potentially lethal damage from the enemy.
Spamming actions will deplete stamina and result in a quick death. Side note: I was being petrified in this boss fight. 
There are a lot of hidden areas to explore via jump puzzles.
Every action has to be methodical, as spamming anything will just use up stamina and leave you open to a chain of attacks from the enemy. This oftentimes leads to your quick demise and a loading screen. Death is only a mild inconvenience in Hellpoint as you only lose whatever Axions you farmed, the game’s upgrade currency. If you manage to stay alive and travel back to your location of death, you can recollect your lost Axions.
The combat, although difficult, is incredibly rewarding once you defeat enemies and bosses you had difficulty with. In addition to the combat, the game has a lot of exploration and jump puzzles to solve that often times leads to little bits of lore, npcs, or items. For example, I found a zombie that had stomach problems and couldn’t eat other people. I don’t know how this is going to end, but color me intrigued.
Overall, Hellpoint is a solid action adventure game. It’s pretty difficult but also fair for the most part. The narrative is light enough to keep the focus on the combat and exploration. Discovering hidden areas is actually pretty fun and encourages the player to fully explore each level. The Axions and upgrading your character’s passive stats do make combat encounters easier to survive if you want to go the grinding route. Fans of Souls like games have another solid title to look forward to.
Ducky Obrien 