Eyes of Hellfire Review – Cooperative Horror RPG with Irish Folklore

“Eyes of Hellfire” is a cooperative multiplayer horror game from Blumhouse Games and Irish indie studio Gambrinous. Drawing inspiration from real Irish folklore, it pits up to five players against a terrifying secret society, the Hellfire Club, and the ominous figure wielding the titular “Eyes of Hellfire.” Designed like a horror tabletop RPG, the game challenges players to manage resources, strengths, and weaknesses while racing to escape—and on top of that, each character bears a secret curse that complicates survival and teamwork. The result is a tense, unpredictable experience that tests friendships as much as strategy.

Players explore the Hellfire Club Lodge through five unique characters, each with distinct stats and abilities. Yet, no choice is straightforward: upon selecting a character, the Lodge’s Host imposes a deadly curse, forcing players to complete a secret task—often at the group’s expense—to survive the night.

True to its tabletop roots, “Eyes of Hellfire” revolves around deck-building mechanics. Players draw from decks containing Search, Move, Fight, and healing cards, which dictate every action—from exploring rooms to battling supernatural foes. Each turn, players combine their cards strategically, spending Vigor points to swap cards or perform special actions. Once everyone is spent, a turn ends, decks are reset, and the party prepares for new challenges—but not before facing one of the game’s trickiest mechanics: the social survey.

Between turns, players vote on who best fits a given criterion, often imposing harsh penalties on the “winner.” Strategic cooperation or deception can sway outcomes, but failure punishes the entire group. Randomized map assets—traps, enemies, or environmental hazards—further escalate the difficulty, ensuring each run is unique and unpredictable.

The Lodge itself is treacherous. Traps can drain cards, Vigor, or incapacitate characters, while combat encounters can compromise a character’s Control, causing hallucinations or erratic behavior. The combination of deck-based mechanics, randomization, and environmental dangers creates a deep, challenging survival experience.

Visually, the game leans into stark, folklore-inspired aesthetics—grays, blacks, and whites dominate, punctuated by sudden bursts of red to heighten terror. Story cutscenes appear as text-driven narratives that often foreshadow action. The audio, minimal but effective, emphasizes unseen threats, and proximity-based voice chat forces players to stay together—or risk silence when apart.

“Eyes of Hellfire” thrives as a game meant to be experienced blind, ideally with friends. There are no public lobbies; cooperative play is essential. A Friend Pass allows up to four players to join for free, though only the owner retains character progression, achievements, and unlocks.

Despite its strengths, the game has notable drawbacks. Its 3–5 player design struggles to scale for smaller groups, making progression slow and sometimes frustrating. A single trap or enemy can derail an entire session, and repeated turn-ending can feel tedious rather than challenging.

Still, “Eyes of Hellfire” is a bold experiment in cooperative horror, blending tabletop strategy with survival mechanics. Currently, Early Access offers the first Scenario, New Guests, but a developer roadmap promises new characters, curses, bug fixes, balancing, save games, and voice acting—meaning the Lodge will only grow more haunting with time.

If you like this review and want to see more like Eyes of Hellfire, you can click here.  My snapchat is Cara_lynn97. Twitter and Instagram are the same. I stream on twitch multiple days a week! Be sure to follow me to see the live playthroughs of games and anything else I might do and post online.