Drive to Hell (PC) Review

Your girlfriend is on the wheel of a Cadillac(?), and you are on the mounted turret. The road up ahead is a straight line that leads to the bowels of hell, and is ridden with all sorts of demons that you'll need to pump full with lead (and rockets, and laser beams, and many more) - so '90s! Drive to Hell is a twin-stick shooter, with the left stick moving the car, and the right one aiming and shooting. The concept is as simple as the controls are: monsters appear, they either shoot at the player character, or try to hurt him by touching the car, with you having to avoid all that while killing foes and picking up power-ups - and occasionally unleashing a super move.

Yes, there's nothing here a shooter aficionado has never seen before. Is there a unique mechanic behind this typical façade? No, but that's not necessarily a problem, as this uses what little it has on its hands in a way that the whole package turns out to be enjoyable. Moreover, while the iOS roots and low budget are evident, with the art style in particular being very amateurish and somewhat forgettable (but far from ugly), those who have a deep love for indies won't really mind.

Gameplay-wise, there are three things one must keep in mind. First of all, the terrain is usually divided between two to three lanes, with everything besides the actual highway slowing the vehicle down - a very important element as your survival relies more in dodging than shooting. Secondly, wiping out enemies increases a multiplier gauge that improves your fire rate, but decreases with each hit you take. Finally, power-ups frequently appear, and briefly give you a different weapon, or items, defensive of offensive, which can be activated at will.

Sadly, enjoyable or not, these won't be enough for those who have spent countless hours with any other shooter. Simplicity isn't a bad thing, but maybe Drive to Hell is a bit too simple, which leads to its biggest issue: the repetition. The gameplay is fun, and the challenge is decent enough (with more difficulty settings available), but it all soon becomes tiring. All levels can be completed in an hour or so, yet this journey can also feel like a never-ending marathon, something that has a lot to do with how things never really change, as there aren't many enemies on offer, and the levels are largely the same - if you can call them levels.

This also hurts the replay value of the game. Survival, the first mode besides the main one, for instance, is basically the same thing all over again, with the only difference being that you select a specific stage, and try to last as long as possible. You can also unlock new vehicles with the collected coins, with each one having vastly different pros and cons, but that will only add a handful of hours to the core experience.

In the end, the only reason to keep coming back to Drive to Hell is the ability to play with up to four friends (in local co-op), which increases the on-screen mayhem by tenfold. In conclusion: if you are looking to kill an evening of two with a fun little shooter that has a strong late '80s/early '90s arcade vibe, doesn't take itself too seriously, and can be enjoyed with others… well, you can probably find something better, but this is quite good too - and cheap.