Hellbent

About

Hellbent drops you in the cockpit of a spaceship defending a planet under siege. You navigate vertically scrolling levels as Captain Drak Hellbent, adjusting altitude to dodge buildings while targeting enemy installations. Shooting aliens and avoiding obstacles like laser grids require quick reflexes. Each stage demands balancing fuel and shield levels by collecting power-ups hidden in structures. Precision matters, fly too low and you crash. The challenge grows as later levels pack tighter layouts and faster threats. The game’s tight controls and escalating difficulty make it stand out. Its 1988 release brought arcade-style shooting to Amiga and Atari ST/STE with detailed pixel art for the era. While shortlived, Hellbent’s focus on timing and resource management earned it a cult following among retro gaming fans. The mix of vertical shooter action and strategic altitude shifts keeps each level tense, even decades later.

Storyline

In Hell Bent, set in 3530, the player takes the role of Captain Drak Hellbent who has to drive off aliens which invaded his home planet Aldonicha. The goal is to destroy a set amount of ground targets in each of the ten vertically scrolling levels. To do so, the player has to change the altitude of the space ship - but flying low creates the danger of crashing into another building. Fuel and shields can be replenished by flying over especially marked buildings. Of course there is also alien opposition which is dealt with by shooting them. Later levels introduce additional challenges like laser fences which have to be passed through with the correct timing.