Painkiller: Purgatory HD now available for Android

High-end handsets and tablets increasingly mimic the capabilities of a personal computer. It’s only natural that one of the most popular aspects about a PC, gaming, is also finding its way to the “smaller” platforms. We’re not just talking about hugely popular made-for-mobile games, such as Angry Birds or Draw Something. We are now seeing a prevailing trend of adapting “classic” PC games for mobile play, as well.

There is already a long list of PC games that have been successfully translated to mobile gaming, not to mention the even longer list of computer games that can be enjoyed on a mobile device via emulators. Joining this list is “Painkiller: Purgatory HD”, based on the classic 2004 horror first person shooter of the same name.

Brought to you by MachineWorks Northwest LLC, the same software house that released a mobile version of Duke Nukem, Painkiller for Android features a lot of the elements found on the PC version, adapted, of course, to mobile platforms.

The plot of Painkiller: Purgatory HD is similar to the classic PC version. The story follows the life of Daniel Garner, who is killed, along with his wife, in a car accident. While his wife passes on to heaven, Daniel is stuck in purgatory. In order to receive redemption and purification, he has to kill Satan’s minions and avert a literal holy war. However, while the story-line is interesting, the game is basically about shooting any and all monsters that get in your way.

The mobile version features (from the developer description):

• Over-the-top weapons with alternate firing modes
• Dark, gripping atmosphere
• Painkiller’s trademark marathon giant boss battles
• Incredible, high-detailed art
• Three levels of difficulty: Insomnia, Nightmare, and Trauma
• Unlock twenty all-new achievements
• Original soundtrack and sound effects

While the game has received mostly positive reviews so far, there have been a a lot of complaints about the default double-joystick controls mode, although that can be changed from the settings. As with any new release, there are also some bugs and glitches, but the developer will hopefully take care of these minor, yet annoying issues with the next update.

Here is a short video of the game, played on a Samsung Galaxy S2, courtesy of AndroidGamingNL

“Painkiller: Purgatory HD” is now available for download from the Google Playstore here, or from the Amazon App Store here, for $1.00.