The Destroyer of Drywall
The original build of Power Drill Massacre was my introduction to Puppet Combo’s body of work way back in… wait, I think it was only 2021. Time really has lost all meaning.
In any case, even though Power Drill Massacre was unfinished at the time, it was a pretty good first impression. Originally released in 2015, it helped establish the lo-fi horror genre among the indie market. Maybe. I mean, it probably helped, but I think it was something that gradually emerged through the work of Puppet Combo and others.
What was I getting at? Oh, right, Power Drill Massacre has been unfinished for all these years. Soon, we’ll finally get to really bore into the delicious meats of the full version. Right now, though, we’ve just got the demo as part of Steam Next Fest. Which means… oh wait. We’re still waiting on the full version.
The Plaster Perforator
The demo will be very familiar to you if you played the original Power Drill Massacre build. It starts with an unseen car crash. You’re then placed in the role of a hapless woman. Rather than, I don’t know, backtracking to the road they were on, she travels up a mountainside to a derelict mill.
Huh? You’re locked in! Oh no! There’s someone who makes pig-squealing noises and wants to aerate your skull!
That’s about all you’re given. The old mill is a horrifying maze of concrete corridors, and the only thing you know is that you don’t want a battery-powered lobotomy. You’ve got no choice but to avoid the Driller Killer and find some way to escape the mill.
The Hole Horror
There are two possible endings to the demo. This is how it was with the original build of Power Drill Massacre. However, I didn’t realize that. I had only found the “good” ending, and didn’t even notice there was a different way to complete the portion of gameplay.
The good ending requires you to find three keys scattered around the mill and use them to unlock a door. That’s generally the whole of it. There are newspaper articles scattered around to provide context and backstory, but largely it just boils down to “you’re trapped with a serial killer and you’d rather not be.”
That said, it’s an effective approach to the formula. The tight corridors are marked with textures that seem to be intentionally misleading. Even those quite adept at navigating virtual environments can very easily lose their place. The Driller Killer could pop out at any time, and it’s hard to tell if you’re running straight toward a dead end. Power Drill Massacre doesn’t strive to be realistic. Instead, it tries to keep you tense and scared.
The Timber Terminator
The content in the demo largely resembles the build released in 2015. I actually checked with Mr. Combo himself, Ben Cocuzza. He told me that, yes, this is largely the same content as the 2015 build, but “The Code has been completely rewritten.”
That’s pretty obvious. Beyond the fact that Power Drill Massacre looks better (though still lo-fi), he implemented additional perspectives and control schemes. You can choose from first-person, “orbital” third-person, or cinematic angles. You can also use analogue or classic horror “tank” controls. The differences are appreciable, as it makes the game, as a whole, feel a lot more approachable and comfortable.
Unfortunately, this means we’re still waiting for a hint on what happens with Megan. What’s in the demo is a great look at what to expect from the finished product, but if you’ve been following Puppet Combo for any great length of time, it’s not revolutionary. If anything, it’s a great example of how much he’s improved at his craft since the first release. It will leave you hungry for more of Power Drill Massacre’s delicious violence.
