“You have looked into the face of hate, the visage of evil. Know that hate is in your soul, too. It is, sadly, everywhere.”

Citing The Silence of the Lambs, Seven, and Saw as inspirations, Monolith Productions set out to develop a grimy first-person survival horror game with an emphasis on atmosphere, puzzles, and melee-based combat; a more realistic experience than their action-packed paranormal shooter F.E.A.R. that came out around the same time. Overlaying its dread-inducing ambiance and nose-to-the-ground detective work with ample jump scares and grisly violence, Condemned: Criminal Origins offers the player a tantalizing and immersive horror gaming experience that has proven one of the most enduring Xbox 360 launch titles.

Players take control of Ethan Thomas, an FBI agent in pursuit of a crafty serial killer who takes the lives of other serial killers using their own dastardly methods—a hideously brutal vigilante in the mold of Kevin Spacey’s John Doe. Early on, an ill-fated murder scene investigation sees two of Thomas’s colleagues gunned down with the agent’s own service weapon, with no witnesses, thus introducing a compelling impetus for the dogged pursuit of the nameless culprit: to clear his own name. But as he tracks the nefarious criminal with mounting desperation and fraying sanity, Thomas finds the killer toying with him, intentionally leaving evidence for him to find and taking interest in his career.

An element of supernatural evil is layered on by the introduction of The Hate, a spikey, demonic figure who inspires the denizens of Metro City to go berserk. Such an inclusion is necessary because the pursuit of Serial Killer X—as the game calls him—while a fine hook for a story, doesn’t really support a combat-centric game. In amongst your linear following of blood trails and collecting of fingerprints, then, you’ll be beset by murderous drug addicts and grotesque vagrants, whom you must beat to a pulp with all manner of melee weapons (electrical conduits, wrenches, 2x4s, shovels, crowbars, fire axes, hammers, rebar, locker doors, desk tops, clothing racks, etc.), a stupidly overpowered taser, and the occasional firearm.

Though it lacks sophistication, combat is satisfying in its hefty brutality, ensuring the gameplay sequences between the cutscenes are enjoyable. That bloody brawling is the game’s centerpiece, with additional distinction stemming from the squalid interactive environments and well-designed lighting and sound effects which establish an ideal dynamic for acute terror. Skillful use of a flashlight is crucial, especially in a standout sequence in the mall where the abnormally unpredictable and cunning enemies disguise themselves as mannequins, and careful attention to the panting and grunting of hidden enemies can prove the difference between life and death. All of these elements coalesce to provide an exhilarating rush of claustrophobic mayhem in which no two violent encounters are the same. A worthy horror title even if it stumbles too frequently when straying from what it does best.