This year's Painkiller reboot has disappointed players and critics alike. Adrian Chmielarz, the creator of the original game, also disliked the project.
In an interview, Chmielarz stated:
I know Anshar studio. Great guys who try hard. Their Painkiller is like a "disguised" original: the name remains, but the spirit of the game is lost.
He noted that he only played the beta version and "disagrees with every decision" of the developers:
This is a completely different game. I will never understand why they take a brand and then turn it upside down. There is no trace of the DNA of this franchise in your game. It surprises me.
According to Chmielarz, even the previous sequels failed to fully convey the spirit of the original, shifting the emphasis from horror to action. In his opinion, the new Painkiller would have lost less if it had been released under a different name:
They could have sold more copies, and the perception would have been better. Using the brand even hurt the authors.
As a reminder, Chmielarz is currently working on the Witchfire shooter in the spirit of Painkiller.
