Puppet Combo is back with their latest Nintendo Switch offering Night at the Gates of Hell; a title that once again brings the player PS1 era survival horror (graphical style and all) mixed with strong fright flick influences; in this case providing a pastiche of Lucio Fulci’s seminal Eibon trilogy (comprised of 1980’s City of the Living Dead, and 1981’s The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery which were connected by the theme of opening gates to hell in a very Lovecraftian (and a dash of Clark Ashton Smith) manner).
Peppered with elements that truly provide plenty of tension (limited ammo, enemies that can only be dispatched by means of head shots) the adventure progresses nicely from gory, to scary, to downright (and suitably) fever-dream laden surrealism (thanks in part to the inclusion of an evil cult hellbent on opening more passageways to Lucifer’s Domain)… add in that palpable sense of sleaze so prevalent (and wonderfully so) in many of the Italian gut-munchers this game takes inspiration from… and the penchant for ridiculous characters and even more ridiculous dialog brings to mind not only the English dubs of the aforementioned films, but conjures the same spirit as maestro Bruno Mattei’s takes on the genre (such as 1980’S Hell of the Living Dead, itself a take on Fulci’s 1979 picture Zombie).
As you explore the rather-lengthy vignettes that comprise the game (set in the obligatory cemetery, as well as an apartment building, prison and more), you can discover plenty of world building documents that expand the story while providing clues as to what to do next, as well as a shocking variety of zombies to keep you on your toes as aiming is slightly different among the varieties to challenge your aiming acumen… plus finding knives that can provide insta-kills becomes an extra level of challenge (and a bit of a necessity) as things progress (and said progress becomes at times difficult owing to the limited nature of the save system present).
As with their previous Switch release, Stay Out of the House, Puppet Combo employs a filter to simulate the absolute dog shit image quality we’d often have to put up with to see any of the above titles, who’s main format was a multi-generations removed from the original source, bootleg VHS. I feel it adds immeasurably to the proceedings, and will definitely give those of us that were horror fiends in the eerie ‘80s a case of the ol’ nightmare nostalgia!
Simply put; if you are a fan of Italian zombie flicks (and the way we used to watch them) and PS1 survival horror, Night at the Gates of Hell will be just what the Doctor Butcher M.D. ordered!
