Two years ago we talked about the debut project of the Polish studio Madmind. Agony, despite all the scandals that accompanied the release, was remembered only for the setting that challenged all norms of morality and ethics. The designers, who came up with a rather convincing version of hell, had a lot of imagination, but this was not enough for a good game.

Succubus - the second attempt: dedicated to the same travels among the disgusting hellish beauties slasher, where the main role is played by the beautiful and deadly demoness of lust and debauchery.

The release date of the game is still unknown, but on July 22, an introductory chapter with the subtitle Prologue appeared in the public domain, which received a warm welcome among the players. We also got acquainted with it, and we got an extended version of Prologue , which includes a little more content.

In the last game Friv5Online Games Studio, it was also possible to play as a succubus (after the first passage of the campaign), but this opportunity did not make much weather and was unable to pull out the frankly weak gameplay. Succubus , judging by the promises of the developers, will be a large-scale work on the errors of "Agony": a clear storyline will appear and, most importantly, the gameplay will radically change. Instead of walking and rare battles with the inhabitants of the underworld, we are waiting for a full-fledged action movie using magic and the environment.

In the Prologue press releaseavailable hub location, two missions of a single player campaign, two arenas (levels not related to the main plot, where you have to fight off numerous enemies), four types of weapons and five costumes. Quite a modest set - there is enough content for literally a couple of hours, although in arenas you can fight as much as you like, trying to rise higher in the rating table.

At first glance, we have the same Agony, of course, this is due to the level design - just like last time, I really want to know which substances help stimulate the creative process of the authors. Hell is still magnificent in its ghoulish beauty, which is useless to describe - you better take a look at the screenshots. By the way, in dynamics, directly during the game, all this looks a little worse - the graphics here are far from advanced, which is especially noticeable if you take a closer look at the characters and the environment.

If you really find fault with it, then you can write down some clumsy animations in flaws, and do not react in any way to the blows of sinners chained to the walls. But, despite all the claims, the local hell is very bright.

The problem is different. The developers again lack a sense of proportion, which should keep from trying to dump all this frighteningly disgusting mixture on the player at once. Violence, murder, nudity - all these "bloody tits" pour from the screen in such a thick stream that after ten minutes they are completely unimpressive. It is unlikely that the point is that we have before us a demo, in which you need to show all the best. Agony suffered from the same ailment .

The enthusiasm that there is no censorship here is not entirely understandable, since it is not yet clear what the developers want to achieve by the complete absence of a framework. Yes, there are really cruel scenes, but they are used thoughtlessly: for example, the process of replenishing health with the help of a pregnant sinner is impressive, but when it starts to repeat itself often, you treat it all as a treatment with a simple first-aid kit. Cruelty for cruelty, pornography for pornography's sake.

After obscure walks through the underworld in Agony , Succubus focuses on battling numerous enemies with a variety of melee weapons and magic. The emphasis is precisely on close combat: only one of the four types of weapons can be used to accurately throw at the target - these are blades. In addition to them, there are swords, scythes and hammers. Like armor, they can be exchanged in the hub location for the souls of the murdered inhabitants of hell. As for magic skills, their set depends on the costume worn on the heroine. Basically, these are spells related to fire, like an ordinary fireball.

Enemies in the "Prologue" are presented in three varieties. The usual "meat" is numerous, but weak and brainless sinners-people. Special opponents, including onoskelis, are no longer so simple and can, for example, dodge and run fast. Finally, the bosses can only boast of a large supply of health, but I will not categorically declare boredom in battles with them - since there are only two of them in the demo, it is too early to draw conclusions.

But we can say for sure that the process of the battle itself leaves much to be desired. You just call out crowds of ordinary enemies, and there is no interesting "impact" from successful hits. It is not necessary to aim at individual parts of the body, the "dismembered" and blood flows interfere more, obscuring the view - sometimes on the screen you cannot make out anything in a jumble of severed limbs, blood and evil mugs. In addition, all this beauty also manages to slow down, which does not add fun during massive fights.

Effective finishing moves slightly dilute the monotony, but even here the habit of opponents to crowd can get in the way - sometimes you execute not the right person, but a neighbor who has unsuccessfully turned up under attack. I have already said about bosses, I will only add that the correct tactic in battles with them is to wait until the rage scale is filled, which makes our demoness faster and stronger. In this case, even the most powerful enemy can be dealt with without any problems.

So far, I liked the fights with those very special opponents that are stronger than trifles, but do not reach the rank of bosses. They are moderately dangerous, there are not so many of them, and they behave a little more intelligently, giving at least some interest from attempts to outwit them.

There are several options for finishing off, depending on the enemy and the weapon used.

***

It is possible that during the passage of the entire campaign Succubus will reveal itself much better, and the small locations available in the "Prologue" are just a prelude to something more interesting. Despite the incomprehensible to me personally savoring "meat" and nudity without any idea, inherited by Succubus from Agony , it is noticeable that the authors are trying to add something new. There are hints that more attention will be paid to the plot (although in the demo you hardly notice it), and the step towards more active gameplay itself looks right.

Do you like a visual style that goes far beyond the usual morality? Then Friv5Online Studio did its best for you. But for those who expect a slasher from the game first of all, I advise you to familiarize yourself withPrologue to decide if the gameplay proposed by the developers is worth returning to the underworld.