Infernal Radiation Switch Review – Just Let It All Burn

Well, it appears the world of Halloween Island is burning with hellfire, and it is up to a very special cardinal of the church to cleanse the situation with his prayers and some holy water in order to save the world, I guess. Infernal Radiation is a bizarre RPG with some Pong-like elements that cause more confusion than entertainment.

So is this trip to Halloween Island worth your clerical skills? Or should you let the place burn for just existing? Let’s find out!

You play as Cardinal Godspeed, a cleric of the church with some bizarre abilities that allow him to shoot projectiles in order to exorcise demons. Apparently, demons can also shoot projectiles as well, but we will talk about that later.

The story of Infernal Radiation takes place on Halloween Island (Clever name), and everything is up in flames. Cardinal Godspeed has been summoned to help expel the evil inhabiting the area, and it does not seem like he is welcomed by anyone either, including the priest of the local church.

It is honestly a nonsensical and convoluted story that does not really inspire its players to see it through. None of the characters are likeable, and the dialog is made even worse thanks to the gibberish being spoken and the frequent spelling and grammatical errors in the speech bubbles. It does seem like there is a good story to tell here, but there are too many little problems that make it difficult to enjoy.

As strange as the story is, though, the gameplay is even weirder. Combat is subjected to one-on-one battles with random individuals, mostly demons, that pop up seemingly out of nowhere, as there are rarely any moments of a clear encounter approaching. This is particularly thanks to the fact that there is no camera movement, so the game is static and we can only see up and down an area like a classic beat ’em up instead of looking around like a normal 3D title.

When a battle… I mean exorcism is initiated in Infernal Radiation, the music kicks up, and it feels like Cardinal Godspeed and the demon are at a rave. It is strange and just does not mesh well with the overall atmosphere and vibe of the game. Combat is basically an off-beat rhythm game of sorts thanks to the music that feels like a Pong-like title where Cardinal Godspeed needs to reflect enemy projectiles back and send his own projectiles when opportunities arise. The only problem is that you can only block and attack when your aura is glowing green, which prevents you from spamming any actions. Rinse and repeat this until you win or die, at which point you can just try again.

The system works fine and is a rather interesting gameplay mechanic, but everything just feels a bit off. It feels as if there are multiple interesting ideas here from completely different meetings, and all of the ideas got thrown in together to create this hodgepodge of a game.

It is really quite difficult to judge Infernal Radiation fairly, as it feels like multiple mediocre parts that do not really add up. The combat is fine, but it doesn’t make sense with the story or aesthetic. The story is a mess, but it is made even worse by the poor grammar and misspellings. The music is genuinely great, but it feels wildly out-of-place. Finally, the graphics are actually rather nice, but they often present bland areas that look unfinished.

At its full price, I cannot recommend Infernal Radiation. It is just not a very enjoyable experience, and there are far better indie games out there around the same price. However, if you are feeling bold and experimental, this is a strange break from the norm if you can get it for a heavy discount. Just do not expect much, as this holy war needs a lot more Jesus and a whole lot less holy projectiles.

Infernal Radiation Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Ultimate Games
Developer: Asmodev
Release Date: May 5, 2021
Price: $9.99, £8.09, €8,99
Game Size: 606 MB