In its own way Hellpoint seems like a signature Soulslike, because despite all the mechanics it borrowed from its inspirational series, Cradle Games managed to make an original game. It's a game designed for lovers of the genre, although not for purists, and it has received constant support from the development team so it is expected that future patches will solve the performance problems.

A happy marriage of deep space horror and Souls-like ruthlessness, Hellpoint is a nice game, but there’s still some room to grow.

Hellpoint clearly does take inspirations from multiple other works, but some of these influences don’t go far beyond the superficial. The sci-fi horror vibe is appreciated, but for my taste the game doesn’t lean far enough into the dread and scares this could afford. Instead, it adheres fairly strictly to that familiar Souls-like quality, though it does admittedly do so successfully. Environments and the thrill of exploring them shine as a particular highlight, while combat is, if nothing else, serviceable. Some missed opportunities in world-building and being a bit too open-ended are among the few blemishes present, making Hellpoint a solid recommendation for those who aren’t afraid to try something a bit darker.

Hellpoint is a recommended game, even if not for everyone. If you are not a soulslike fan, spending about twenty hours in a less refined game than a "Souls-Borne" is certainly not a wise choice. If, on the other hand, you are a big fan of the genre, give it a chance as long as you are willing to ignore small but numerous bugs.

Hellpoint is still not a fully polished project, unpleasantly surprising with wonky hitboxes, terrible jumping mechanics and poor attack animations. It can still appeal to fans of Souls-like games, if they have already tried all the hits in this genre and dream of a dark story in the vast expanses of cold and boundless space.

Hellpoint ends up being for Soulslike fans who are just dying for more experiences within the genre, but if that doesn’t describe you, then you’ll be disappointed. The sci-fi nature of the game and its story offering allows it to find its footing right before it ultimately falls apart from its uninspired gameplay. There’s a decent experience to be found during some late-game plot offerings, but that will require you to be invested past the first boss, which is asking a lot.

Hellpoint tries to incorporate familiar concepts you've seen from more popular action titles such as the Souls series. Unfortunately, it also adds various ideas that turn it into a jumbled mess. Combined with cryptic presentation of information, confusing level layouts, clunky combat, and abysmally bad platforming mechanics, it's one game that you'll say "Oh, hell no" to.