Highway to HellSign: Investigating the Paranormal RPG

HellSign is Ballistic Interactive's investigative RPG which places you in a reality where things aren't quite right. You're a "hunter", and your goal is to protect the world as we know it from all sorts of supernatural monsters, but even then things aren't always what they seem. Sound interesting to you? Well it certainly did to us, and that's why we caught up with Pete Skyking - Ballistic Interactive programmer, audio, technical game designer - to talk about the concept in more detail and find out what fans can expect from the early access game.

"We began by mind-mapping an array of all the games, TV shows and interests we had (think Supernatural, Grimm, The X-Files, and the Devil May Cry anime), followed by a bunch of artistic styles and differing game mechanics. From this we basically created about ten different games which we would love to play (and hopefully would intrigue others as well), and the end result was HellSign as you know it," Skyking explained.

Even from taking a cursory glance at the game, you can see the aforementioned influences coming through, as darkness reigns throughout and you're tasked with hunting these creatures down and dealing with them. This isn't a rip-roaring fantastical adventure where you're regularly battering zombies and demons though. Instead, it offers a slightly more challenging take on the monster-hunting concept.

"We believe that games should be challenging and rewarding, so we wanted to create the most immersive experience we could, giving players the flexibility to dive in and hunt the supernatural how they wish," Skyking told us. "Sure, they can go in guns blazing, but that's probably going to be a hell of a lot harder than figuring out how to trap the creature, or what ammo might weaken it."

In this world that Ballistic Interactive has created, your role as a hunter is in fact rather important, but that doesn't necessarily make you particularly special. Just as our modern society needs plumbers, bus drivers, and builders, so too does it need hunters in this alternate version of Australia's outback in the 1980s.

"With so much paranormal weirdness going on, hunters can be found throughout the world, taking down these creatures and working just like any regular job to pay the bills," Skyking told us. "A hunter is just another profession to pay the bills. There are scouts, researchers, black market dealers, etc., and all these professions are no different than our current professions in today's world, albeit they tend to live their day-to-day lives having to deal with a lot more dead stuff. With Hunters, the big difference is that they attract the supernatural, so although they cleanse the land of beasts, there is a strange stigma to them from the rest of the population."

Hunters aren't just required to go in and blast away at enemies though. It's more than just killing, it's about investigating so as to improve your chances of success. There are nine classes to choose from at the start of the game, and by using these to your advantage you can make sure that you're always prepared. There are even tools to help you track down monsters, like a parabolic mic and a thermal scanner, not to mention traps if you fancy being a bit more sneaky with your takedowns. Then there are jobs, as Skyking explains:

"You will have the choice to pick from differing contracts as you gain reputation and progress throughout the game. Each of these contracts is a new job, at a new dynamically generated location, which lends to the loop of investigate, hunt, earn rewards, upgrade items/skills/craft equipment/gamble, repeat, all while ensuring each hunt feels like a new and surprising experience with the supernatural."

No hunter would be complete without the Cryptonomicon though, which again plays into the investigative element of the game very nicely. This is all about cataloguing the monsters you discover, and it's only by studying them that you can understand what it takes to defeat them.

"The Cryptonomicon is your guide to everything supernatural. It is your highest commodity and no sane hunter would leave the house without it. It details everything you need to know to investigate and fight the supernatural such as cryptid entries, weaknesses, clue & evidence deduction, etc. As you find clues on your contract missions, you will need to refer to the Cryptonomicon to deduce what exactly you're up against."

It's no secret that HellSign is a dark game in many ways, not only because of the fact that you'll be taking on various monsters on your travels but also in a literal sense. You're always stealthily creeping around in the dark, with just your footsteps and a torch to keep you company, but despite the very spooky ambience, it's not a game that's focused on scaring you.

"No it is not horror-focused per se, however, due to the nature of the game, and the randomly encountered creatures coupled with ambient music and SFX, some have had quite the scare while playing," Skyking explained.

One might have thought that at the end of this all you'd be considered a hero for taking down these supernatural menaces in the night, but one of HellSign's most vital pillars is actually the lack of this concept of good vs. evil. Things aren't as black and white as that, and in fact, you're not so much a hero as a mercenary, much like Geralt considers himself in The Witcher series.

"If we're talking about 'good vs evil', then that is not HellSign. We've actually gone the complete opposite route and want it to be known that you are not 'saving the world.' There are a lot of grey areas and you will have to make decisions between the lesser of evils. At its heart, you're not the hero in HellSign - you're just a hunter working their day job in order to make a paycheck."

Before we parted ways with Skyking we asked about Steam Early Access too, and why the game launched this way, which turns out to have a simple answer:

"Honestly, it sounds cliche, but we really just wanted to get HellSign into the hands of the community as soon as possible. After three long years of non-stop work, we realised that we need the community feedback to make this the best supernatural experience possible!"