Helltaker

***Helltaker*** is a freeware indie puzzle-adventure game with dating simulator elements. It was made by Polish developer vanripper (real name Łukasz Piskorz) and released on May 11, 2020 for Windows, macOS, Linux and SteamOS. It is described as "[a] short game about sharply dressed demon girls."

## Plot

One day, The Helltaker has a dream about starting a harem of demon girls. After waking up, he decides to do this, despite knowing Hell is dangerous.

## Gameplay

In each stage, the aim is to push stones and skeleton soldiers around a two-dimensional top-down grid, like in _Sokoban_. There is a limited amount of turns, and the player must avoid spike traps and collect items. They then talk to the stage's demon girl. She asks a question, for which the correct answer is based on her personality. If the player guesses correctly, she joins the player's demon harem. If not, a bad ending, such as death, will happen, taking the player back to the start of the stage.

The final boss level, which features the demon _Judgement, the High Prosecutor_, includes phased bullet hell-like mechanics with chains across the screen.

## Development

It took about one year for Łukasz Piskorz (known on Twitter as "vanripper") to make the game. He says Helltaker is similar to the _Leisure Suit Larry_ video game series because the main characters of both games have similar features.

The game can be played for free. An art book and the recipe for the pancakes that appear in the game are sold separately.

Although the game is only officially available in English, Piskorz has translated it to Polish, and provides instructions for others to translate it.

### Protagonist

- The Helltaker
- A man who goes down to hell to make a harem of demon girls. He wears sunglasses and has a muscular body. He is killed after talking with the demon girls. He is good at making pancakes.

### Demon and angel girls

- Beelzebub, the Great Fly
- She is the first character in the game. She appears as an insect or behaves like a fly, e.g. using a handkerchief similarly to how a fly cleans itself. She also wears fly-themed trinkets, bracelets and jewelry.
- Pandemonica, the Tired Demon
- She is a customer service representative who wears glasses and likes coffee. She becomes sadistic if she is annoyed, for example when The Helltaker makes her bad coffee.
- Modeus, the Lustful Demon
- She is addicted to sex and sometimes naïve towards romance and other concepts.
- Cerberus, the Triple Demon
- She has three bodies, all controlled by a soul that lives insie her. She has canine-like ears and teeth, and is one of the more excitable demons. However, she has a dark side, where she still appears innocent.
- Malina, the Sour Demon
- She is Zdrada's sister. She is a "salty nostalgia gamer" with a love for turn-based strategy games. Her sister, Zdrada, makes fun of this, saying Malina gets sexually excited by them. She is named after the Slavic word for raspberry, and loves to drink alcohol, which she drinks when she is stressed.
- Zdrada, the Bitch Demon
- She is Malina's sister. She is a heavy smoker. Her name is the Slavic word for betrayal, which, in Polish, can also mean treason and adultery.
- Azazel, the Curious Angel
- An angel who goes to Hell to collect information on demons. She often writes notes.
- Justice, the Awesome Demon
- She is blind and wears sunglasses. She is laid-back and was the High Prosecutor of Hell before Judgement.
- Lucifer, the CEO of Hell
- She acts as the queen of hell and likes pancakes.
- Judgement, the High Prosecutor
- She is the High Prosecutor of Hell. Other demons ask her to spare The Helltaker, but even Lucifer cannot. She is the nicest demon in the game, as she only pretends to be sadistic to fit her role.

## Reception

As of 7 June 2020, the game has 21,143 reviews on Steam, with an overall rating of "Overwhelmingly Positive".

## Infobox (video game)

- **title**: Helltaker
- **developer**: vanripper
- **publisher**: vanripper
- **genre**: Adventure game, adventure, puzzle, dating sim
- **modes**: Single-player video game, Single-player
- **engine**: Unity (game engine), Unity
- **designer**: vanripper
- **artist**: vanripper
- **composer**: Mittsies


## Infobox (album)

- **name**: Helltaker Soundtrack
- **type**: Soundtrack album
- **artist**: Mittsies
- **released**: 31 May 2020
- **genre**: Electronic music