Hellhole is a very short Donut County clone with none of Donut County's charm. The game uses the "Hellhole" players send objects into as a metaphor for the way humans treat the world as disposable, tying in an environmentalist message to the whole experience, but it does so awkwardly—a portrait of a woman who ages more and more with every appearance pops up in-between levels to scorn humanity for its inconsiderate ways, starting with the very first people to settle down and start farming. Despite tying into the gameplay aspect of burning stuff, the climate change approach is handled poorly, leaving behind an aftertaste of nihilistic doomerism and anarcho-primitivism. Combined with the stubborn and janky physics of the hole and objects it's supposed to consume, Hellhole ends up being a joyless experience.

Reviewed on Jan 23, 2023


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