Written by By Camilla Aivazas, CNN London
Players of the new arcade game Hellbound by HaipV Games say the plot is a “deeply disturbing and surprisingly comedic story,” while the Times of London says it is “a deceptively clever take on the video game genre.”
Following on from the 2012 arcade classic Squid Game by Pixcart, Hellbound is described by HaipV Games as a game about “two men who take a job as city dwellers and unwittingly stumble onto a horrible secret.”
The plot follows an unfortunate couple (the husband and wife) who move into the same building and discover a series of disturbing and bizarre discoveries. At the start of each hour-long game, players move their character through the basement of the building and turn up the volume to find the contents of the games hidden. The more you press the button, the more they become revealed.
Players can then rewind the game to a different point in time, to avoid certain deaths, like limb snapping or exploding head. Players can then guess the remainder of the game. In real life, the noxious effluvia fills the room and can be inhaled by the unsuspecting human being.
Users face a series of deathly obstacles: getting into the basement, making it out through a maze and deciding if you want to turn on the bathroom heater or the bathroom tap. By not turning the heat on, the game features more incapacitating burns, burns on flesh and corrosive chemicals.
CNN’s Richard Quest and contributor Camilla Aivazas visit Armoured Air Vehicle (AAF) Facility at Taji in Iraq. Credit: Treiritz Verlag
Some have suggested that not turning on the sink may signify one’s intention to get to the next room. However, the company behind the project says this isn’t true. The cleaner would in fact raise the water temperature to attempt to stop the pipes and allow it to flow under the floor tiles, but at the same time would damage the plumbing under the floor tiles.
“I know some people question why, but it is an actual issue that occurs after a game has been finished,” the company said in a statement. “If you miss this water flow, it will damage the sewage system.”
The game consists of six stages and was created by a team of “nearly 10 people.” All backgrounds and artistic elements have been hand painted.
The Central Works Gallery in London is hosting Hellbound in exhibition until September 9.