AGONY comes from Madmind Studio, an indie team comprised of veteran game developers that have worked on games like THE DIVISION and THE WITCHER 3 among others. I point out these two games specifically; though, because as I watched the Floating Forest gameplay trailer for Agony, there’s an engrossing sense of place that both those games do very well. It turns out, hell is a pretty fucked up place. Corpses are strewn about and hanging from trees. Weird creatures slink in and out of view, all the while a voice is baiting you into a confrontation with someone. AGONY isn’t dripping with atmosphere so much as it is soaked in it. There are parts of the game that look terrifying in a way I haven’t seen in a very long time. I’m a sucker for religious overtones, and this one is literally drowning in them. Hopefully the high level of creativity can be sustained throughout the game.

While AGONY can be stunning, character models could use more detail. Obviously, they’re not the star of the show, but it’s a thing I noticed, so I wanted to make sure I pointed it out. I do find the creatures to be really creative, but you can tell whats getting more attention. From a design aspect, it’s always fun seeing the concept of hell from a different perspective. At first, the imagery is reminiscent of DANTE’S INFERNO, but after 12 minutes of crawling around, AGONY feels so much more otherworldly and visceral.

Gameplay wise, there’s some light combat, and apparently, you’ll be possessing other beings to work through some problem solving. Personally, I’m hoping that’s a small part of the game. This isn’t a title that needs to rely on that to be interesting. I think I’d prefer something more akin to a walking simulator like EVERYBODY’S GONE TO RAPTURE. I’d rather soak in the environment than be distracted by needless combat and stealth sequences.

Either way, there’s a hell of a lot of potential here. Hopefully the team at Madmind Studio can come through. I know they’ve got my attention. AGONY is set to come out for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 later this year.

Agony is a survival horror game set in Hell. Take a trip into madness in the most terrifying vision of hell in the history of gaming.