Jupiter Hell – Review

Our Rating: 7/10

Jupiter Hell is a grid-based turn-based strategy game with roguelike features, influenced by the lore of Doom. It’s a mix of X-Com and Diablo with roguelike elements. Every movement cycle takes place in a very natural manner, with no interruptions from shift change notifications. You move your character, and as soon as your movements are over, the enemies move, and so on. The consistency is so good that you almost forget what genre you’re playing and think you’re playing an action game instead.

As we progress through the level, we will encounter opponents who will not hesitate to ambush us; negotiations are not the cast of Jupiter Hell’s strong suit; everything is settled with a clean shot or a nice explosion. Unlike other comparable games, the path in which we look is unimportant in Jupiter Hell; only our position counts, so if we attack or are ambushed from behind, the effect will be the same as if we assaulted or were attacked from the front.

Several variables come into play when it comes to hitting the aggressor with our shots and avoiding them. The first is the accuracy of the effective firearm. You must select the most efficient firearm from among the three weapons you can have in your inventory. Each of them would have a different level of precision, affecting how easy or complicated it is to strike the aggressor.

Green for defense and red for attacks

The next consideration is the weapon’s range; a shotgun differs from a pistol in that each can fire closer or farther. Weapons with a longer range of impact usually do less damage. When you select up a weapon, the peak and optimal ranges are displayed in range boxes; some weapons also display the minimum range, which is represented by two or three numbers that appear alongside the weapon’s information.

Coverage is another crucial factor in Jupiter Hell; it will be green for defense and red for attacks. The enemy coverage varies depending on who is currently active; you can change the active enemy by pressing the tabulator or T keys. Taking hits will make you more painful, and your character’s pain will affect their shooting ability. Waiting still or using objects such as medicines can help you to cope with the pain. Regrettably, the enemies are immune to pain and are always at maximum effectiveness. Finally, there’s the element of dodging shots; if you move, your chances of avoiding enemy attacks increase.

Jupiter Hell is designed for ranged combat, so close combat is discouraged, though it is understandable given that close combat attacks do more damage at the expense of leaving you vulnerable. When attacking, press the uppercase or left trigger to perform a hit. There are certain weapons, such as the dagger, that are specifically for such attacks.

Three kinds of heroes to win the battle

When we first begin the game in Jupiter Hell, we must pick one of the three character types available: marine, explorer, or technician. Each one has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Marines are the toughest; they start with fury and have a development tree geared toward more direct combat.

Scouts can infiltrate and collect data, and they have the stamina to trigger camouflage. Finally, there are the technicians, who have advantages against mechanical foes. You can develop all of them as you gain experience points by enhancing their abilities, and the customization options are limitless.

We have a list of over 60 weapons for you to choose from. Each one has its own set of characteristics, such as the type of damage it can cause, the precision it can achieve, and the range it can cover. The impact of various types of ammunition varies. Furthermore, we can enhance objects as we gather them. The same is true of armor; on a conceptual level, there is a well-thought-out weapon design that allows us to tailor the experience down to the millimeter and individual level. No two games are alike in this title.

Various items, such as medications, grenades, and items to strengthen firearms, are collectible throughout the journey. Not to mention the relics, which are the spoils of defeated enemies like hearts, fangs, eyes, and other viscera, which will help us survive each level.

Visually somewhat limited but very functional

Jupiter Hell’s production indicates are what they are; we’re not dealing with a AAA, which means the authors have prevented needless ruckus by concentrating on the functionality of the game’s features. We’ll start with procedurally generated scenarios; the advantage of this selection is that they always have a distinct setup, but it also means that artistic creativity is severely limited because the different phases are built by combining pieces as if they were lego pieces. In any case, there isn’t much room to visually delight or excite the user, and the levels become too similar to our eyes.

There isn’t much variation in the games, which take place in places like military facilities or caverns. The protagonist and other game characters are very small in size, which is a sensible move because it not only fits with the gameplay mechanics but also makes up the modeling and graphics of the characters, who, while worthy, do not have an exceptional level of quality. They complete their objective, and yes, they do not take you out of the experience.

Robotic feel

Jupiter Hell is not a technically intensive game; the camera is unadjustable, with an almost isometric plane, and there are no novel or surprising ideas. Our hero will remain in the center of the scroll as it scrolls. Because there is a battle fog, we will discover the scene as we move forward. The lighting effects are quite simple, and you can tell right away that they are pre-calculated so they aren’t influenced by what happens on the screen. The blasts are well-executed, but it’s clear that they work on grids, which gives the result a robotic feel.

We saved the best for last, a CRT monitor filter that has been implemented to the game, giving you the impression of playing on an old screen, but giving a touch vintage that fits like a glove to the seventies sci-fi environment. This image deformation is ideal for it; however, interlacing with black bands would have completed the effect.

Finally, we have responsive work on a graphic level that neither strips away nor contributes in terms of the playability of the experience. Something inefficient on an artistic level apart from the old monitor filter that brings some salt and pepper. A commendable effort, given the development budget’s scarcity.

Final Thoughts

Jupiter Hell chose a metal soundtrack with a lot of electric guitars and industrial percussion for the soundtrack. If you enjoy this musical genre, the booming sound setup will pump adrenaline into your veins; if you don’t, you’ll have to turn down the volume. This is because while it doesn’t play continuously, it takes center stage when it does.

The sound effects selection is quite good, particularly in terms of shots and explosions, where the developers have not been shy at all, with the more powerful the explosion, the better. The rest of the effects, such as gasps or screams, are not the stars, but they do a good job. Human voices are few and far between. The sound canvas’s pairing of all elements is very well balanced, and it manages to emphasize the sense of heroism against the horde that is so important in the game’s setting.

Jupiter Hell is a unique turn-based strategy game that features a deep mechanic that creates a multi-person experience. After a rocky development, DoomRL’s spiritual successor has delivered a slew of enjoyable games, successfully combining the roguelike genre with strategy. The first games can be challenging in terms of difficulty, but once you get into the swing of things, you’ll have a great time. Fans of X-Com games with an indie flavor will enjoy this game.