Ash, the princely undead rabbit-ruler of Hell, has a small problem: there’s photographic proof of his, ah, preference for duckies, and it’s gone online. Time to erase all the evidence — and viewers of said dirt.
Arkedo’s vision of the fiery afterlife is an irreverent, colorful, and cartoon-y realm full of nonsensical characters and scenery — and tons of animated blood and gore. Armed with your drill (a sort of bladed hamster wheel) and an expanding collection of weaponry, you’ll carve through strange caverns and even stranger creatures to explore the far reaches of your domain and finally confront the holder of your incriminating snapshots.
It’s an eight-hour journey filled with plenty of snarky humor, diverting mini-games, and fanciful, beautifully detailed environments. The game’s nostalgia-evoking, too, with discreet pokes at other Sega titles, plus a collection of sounds that tap into memories of old-time arcades and 2D sidescrollers like Super Metroid. Our favorite combination of all these elements is the irreverent take on Japan and its obsession with happy, cute things in the aptly named “Happy Cute” area: its Super Mario Bros.–esque brickified levels are washed in candy-hued shades, with horrible J-pop playing in the background, adorable enemies all waiting to bring down your health meter, and some ultra-fluffy animal guns that spray deadly jellybeans.
Bosses require some strategy, but aren't too hard to beat once you've figured them out.
The photographs you're trying to purge from the public eye.On the downside, the gameplay’s pretty repetitive throughout. The whole time, your goal is to find and slaughter foes until you unlock the next gate in the area; only a few boss battles break up the monotony, and for each monster you dispatch, you also have to beat a mini-game before you earn the kill. Deciding exactly how to snuff, say, a sentient butt (!) takes a bit of thought, and you’ll get to use some strategy when facing bosses, but it’s generally an easy, bloody path to the end. Overly bright, flashy graphics can cause eye fatigue after a while, too. As a diversion, you can put defeated monsters to work on “The Island” (a tropical getaway for Ash, a workhouse for his minions) from the main menu to earn little treats, but this side game doesn’t produce many benefits over the course of the game, which bummed us out.
Still, Hell Yeah!’s cheery approach to slaughter and its goofy riffs on nerd culture make this gorgeously amusing version of Hell worth a visit.
Put your defeated monsters to work like the proper despot you are.PUBLISHER: Sega • DEVELOPER: Arkedo • ESRB: Teen • MULTIPLAYER: None • ACHIEVEMENTS: Mostly guaranteed • COST: 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15) • RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2012
+ Amusingly snarky, sharp humor; beautifully detailed, nostalgia-inducing environments.
+ Whimsical locales, creatures, and weaponry.
– Lack of variety in gameplay can become tedious over the long haul.
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