Sometimes, playing a game that makes you want to bash your head against a wall is strangely enticing. Games like Only Up! or Chained Together make the idea of suffering, whether alone or with friends, a blast. Kick ‘n Hell takes this idea, throws it out of the window, and kicks you in the face for thinking that these games are better. Not only can you jump here, but you can dash, and you can… kick exposed brains that, for whatever reason, send you rocketing into the air. As a Martial Arts Master trapped in the depths of the Underworld, it’s time to kick, jump, and beat the crap out of snakes and other creatures while trying to get away from Satan and his eternal game. Good luck. You’re going to need it, even if you’re a master of other Foddian-type games.

Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting. Those Brains Send You Flying Fast as Lightning. ‘Kick ‘N Hell’ Is Very Weird, but it Rocks

Kick ‘n Hell is a bizarre game. How did we get here? What did we do wrong in our regular life to end up in the Underworld? Why is Satan such an ass to us more often than not? As you kick brains, snakes, and anything else that gets in your way, you’ll slowly uncover the mystery. But before that, you’ll need to prepare yourself for one of the most brutally difficult Foddian-type games out there. I’ve beaten Chained Together twice, once on my own and once with a group of friends. The challenge offered there has nothing on Kick ‘n Hell. You can’t just depend on kicking skulls to go flying. That would be far too easy and would take away from the frustration and fun of the game.

Rather, you’ll need to carefully plan exactly where you want to kick these brains. The tutorial does a great job of explaining how this works. The angle of your launch is completely dependent on where you decide to kick the brain, sending you too far, not far enough, or just right. There’s a surprising amount of thought put into something like this, but I guess it makes sense. Seeing as it’s brains and all. It makes it much more skill-based than other games in the same vein, and the only person you can blame is yourself. Most of the time, at least. Satan is still a jerk here, and he’ll do what he can to make your ascent to the top as miserable as possible.

I Would Suggest Going the ‘Apprentice’ Route the First Time You Play. You’ll Thank Me Later.

There are two different modes available in Kick ‘n Hell: Apprentice Mode or Champion Mode. Apprentice Mode will let you save your progress and restart from a checkpoint if you’ve found one. Champion Mode, on the other hand, is much more brutal and challenging. If you fall, you’ll need to continue from where you land. No checkpoints, no saving, you can only try to complete this mode in one go. I tried this at first, overconfident in my Skull Kicking Skills™, only to find out I’m not the martial arts master I thought I was. Eventually, I’m going to embark on this challenge. But Kick ‘n Hell isn’t afraid to kick you while you’re down, mocking you and making you climb the challenging ascent once again.

Kick ‘n Hell isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a brutally difficult challenge that is going to require you to be on your A-game from the second you start. I strongly suggest turning up the DPI on your mouse. Flipping around quickly is detrimental to your success. It’s an interesting concept that’s executed extremely well, and may be the perfect way to spend a weekend or two. Now, we just need co-op kicking action, and I’ll be fully on board. See you on the leaderboards.