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Given we report on many different things throughout the week, with only four slots each day, we sometimes miss some news. It is inevitable. Sometimes that news is worth missing out on, and other times, it is a shame that we don’t always get the chance to write it or have the space to publish it. This is where tinyBuild’s new “Souls-like” game, Hellpoint, comes in, a sci-fi horror game with similar aspects to the Souls games by FromSoftware that’s been catching eyes. Not just those you would expect, but even those that abhor the genre.

When it was brought to my attention I knew who to call; No, not them, or one of the blokes in a blue police box, I brought it to Alexx’s attention. There was just one problem. You see, Alexx and Lisa’s time for Souls games and their ilk is that of my time for anything Harry Potter-based. Though this time around, unexpectedly, the two of them were up for a sci-fi RPG “Souls-like” with all the amenities involved. In short, I had to check I was still in the same reality I thought I was in a week before.

Now, two months on and days away from the original release date, the game has been delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders. This, presumably, means the Canadian-based development team has been forced to shift to remote working conditions. In a press release published on Thursday, April 9th, the publisher said: “Today, developer Cradle Games and publisher tinyBuild have made the difficult decision to postpone the upcoming dark Sci-fi RPG, Hellpoint.”

“Now, the game is scheduled for release by the end of Q2 2020,” the press release goes on to state. Though for the last two points, before the intended release was planned, the game has had a free demo available on Steam called The Thespian Feast, with middling success. The press release would continue to say, “Cradle Games are planning to use the extra development time to incorporate all the feedback they have received from players of the recently released free chapter, The Thespian Feast.”

The creative director, Matt Boudreau, continued to reiterate this sentiment with “In light of the unprecedented events facing the world, we have been forced to postpone the launch of the game.” He also stated that the team would not only polish the game in the time they have now gained due to the unforeseen circumstances forcing them to postpone, but also take the feedback from the demo as well. He also continued to thank those that have given feedback with such enthusiasm and energy.

Hellpoint is set following a cataclysmic event referred to in-game as “the Merge,” in a dark sci-fi setting where you, “The Spawn,” will explore the derelict space station, Irid Novo. An in-game system will act as a D&D-style dungeon master, changing the world following death, varying events as the station is held in place around a black hole. If that 2006 Doctor Who plot wasn’t weird enough, the aesthetic is a mismatch between Destiny, DOOM, and somewhere in there, I’d say a bit of Warframe too.

A mental plot, weird art design, and vague triple-A verbiage aside, I’m excited for the “Souls-like;” Which is like saying a cat likes catnip. Given Alexx and Lisa have a complete repugnance against all Souls games and their imitators, it’s interesting that they both want to play it. Hellpoint is set to release during Q2 of 2020, with the press release stating it “is still set for a simultaneous release on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and [Nintendo] Switch.“

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