Hells Bend on Wounded Knee

Hells Bend on Wounded Knee is a playable lost beta, with a story that takes about 5–10 hours from the start to the end credits. In 600 A.D., the shapeshifting overlord Morbis has risen from Hell and claimed the land. You play as Kabal, a warrior trained in Judo and Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū, chosen by the elders to find Morbis and reach his castle. Kabal's brother never returned from his own search for Morbis, making the mission personal.

Story and setting

Morbises army includes armored A10's sent from the future to impose a new rule. Another race from the future has supplied humanity with mechanical firearms known as Dark Chariots to help fight the army. You can use these weapons or rely on melee combat. Story progression is presented in an 8-bit style, with short in-game 3D cinematics.

Arenas and combat

The game has seven arenas, along with small adventure areas, minor platforming and easy puzzles. You can block, use a whip, melee, stab wooden steaks, kick, or use machine guns, shotguns and railguns. Combat also includes Strife jumping and bullet time, which slows the action. Arena bosses and a final boss stand in your way.

You collect blood rubies and level up in each arena. Upgrades include the fire whip, additional health and abilities. A built-in speedrun timer tracks your runs.

Bonus content

Graveyard-style bonus levels let you select a treasure chest to find items such as toys and developer notes. The game also includes an in-game flip instruction manual.

The beta release

The project was cancelled in 2012 and again in 2016, and remained on a hard drive for over a decade apart from a few beta tests circulating in 2019. The released version uses the 2012 beta framework with the final graphical update made in 2016. It is playable from start to end credits and has not been built upon since 2012. It is released for preservation after funding problems, internal issues and mixed code blocks prevented it from being ported to newer 3D engines.