Game Review: Evasion From Hell (Xbox Series X)

EpiXR Games’ Evasion from Hell is a first-person puzzle/platformer game with a cool concept, some imaginative visuals, and plenty of hellish atmosphere.

This is because the game takes place in Hell, specifically the nine circles of hell, where you are tasked with making your way through the circles, going upwards until you can make it back to world of the living.

How cool is that? Chances are, before you even turn your console on, you’re picturing something pretty special. Of course, no game can match the imagination, so inevitably Evasion from Hell falls short, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game.

There’s no story, you simply have to work your way through each circle of hell, and when you do, the game ends. Each circle is a level itself, and requires you to explore different paths with different platforming challenges, to find a crystal. Once all the crystals of the level have been collected, the portal out of this level opens and you move on to the next circle of hell.

It’s an easy to grasp concept, and it doesn’t take long to get accustomed to the gamplay, as control is limited to just jumping. Which you’ll be doing a lot of, as the crux of gameplay is platforming, and the game gets significantly more challenging as it goes on. Although it’s not always because of the level design, but rather the awkwardness of having to make precise jumps from the first-person perspective.

Evasion from Hell knows you’re going to be falling a lot, so there is no death. Fall into something that should kill you, and you’re placed right back at the start of level, with any crystals collected already, safe. Thank goodness for that, because some of the paths in some of the circles are extremely tricky. Featuring disappearing and moving platforms, double-jump tokens that require leaps of faith, traps, and more. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself stuck at one or two for a while as you try to perfect your platforming skills.

How does it look and sound though? After all, the nine circles of hell should allow for some imaginative visuals and music, right?

The answer is yes and no. Evasion from Hell is a cheap game, and that brings with it limitations. Limitations that are visible to the naked eye and somethings quite ugly to look at. That being said, the use of colour enhances a lot and there has been effort made to make sure each level/circle looks different. Again, going back to what your imagination conjures up, Evasion from Hell could never match that. The same goes for the music, which has a relaxing vibe to it, with elements of sinister ambience. It’s perfectly fine, just not that interesting overall.

Which sums up the game, a perfectly fine platformer with puzzle elements, that has enough of a challenge to make you work for all your achievements/trophies. There’s nothing ground-breaking here, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable.