Battle in Hell’s Paradise review - "Graphically lush but lacking in gameplay"
- Battle in Hell's Paradise sees the hit anime and manga make its way to mobile
- Explore the vibrant land of Shinsenkyo and recover the Elixir of Life
- This auto-battler RPG offers excitement for fans but may leave newcomers feeling cold
Mobile games based on hit anime series aren’t anything new, so it’s always refreshing when, instead of the bigger names, we see underrated or overlooked shows getting their time to shine. Which is precisely the case with Battle in Hell’s Paradise, an action series set in feudal Japan that sees a group of convicted ninjas seek a pardon by recovering the fabled Elixir of Life, which bestows immortality, from a deadly island.
As setups go, it promises action, intrigue and a healthy dose of horror. And in many ways Battle in Hell’s Paradise delivers on all of those fronts. Yet it does so by playing things almost too safe, which will be fine for most fans, but others may find themselves left cold, like I was.
What will immediately grab you about Hell’s Paradise is the character and environment designs. While not a full-fledged 3D rendition of the strange island of Shinsenkyo, it maintains the strange flora and colours, with equally imaginative monster designs. The creatures of Shinsenkyo are impressively grotesque and monstrous, toeing the line between Lovecraftian and fantastical, like a modern reinterpretation of classic Japanese folklore.
The character designs are colourful and detailed, even if they aren’t too different to your usual pseudo-historical chanbara stereotypes. Still, it is refreshing to see a game which looks back to historical Japan rather than a contemporary, fantasy or futuristic setting. And for longtime fans of the anime and manga they’ll find that plenty of their favourite characters make an appearance.
The actual core gameplay is where I felt that Battle in Hell’s Paradise begins to stutter. Rather than a traditional RPG or something else, like strategy, it goes for the relatively safe option of an auto-battler. Most of this will be grinding your way through new stages for the latest characters, while occasionally dipping into story quests based on the series.
You select your lineup of heroes based on what you’ll be facing and then send them out to battle, where they automatically attack and defend against various monsters. You can, of course, control their signature ultimate abilities, yet even these can be automated. Generally, the challenge comes from predicting whose strengths and weaknesses will work together to take on the enemy, and drafting the team accordingly.
In that sense, most of Battle in Hell’s Paradise is preparation. Fortunately, there is a rather intuitive rock-paper-scissors system, this one based on Chinese Wuxing, or elemental philosophy. Basically, elements like metal contrast with wood, fire melts metal, water quenches, and so on. Think of it like Pokémon, and you’re on the right track for how these elements interact.
What I found most engaging, even during these battles, was how the camera races through a 2D rendition of the island. This, combined with the frequent animated vignettes for your character's ultimate abilities and the flashy effects, does a good job of emulating the frenetic and energetic atmosphere of the anime genre.
You can also upgrade your characters as you go with ‘memories’. And this is where many devoted fans of Hell’s Paradise will have their fanservice moments, as these memories call back to key moments in a character’s backstory. While they’re just static images rather than fully animated vignettes, it’s still sure to be fun to note which appears where.
If you’re a fan of autobattlers, then Battle in Hell’s Paradise will almost certainly be an appealing choice, as it presents something new yet with familiar mechanics. With the colourful graphics, engaging music and variety of characters, you’ll likely overlook the fact that this feels like something we've seen before. And while I’m happy if you do, it wasn’t for me and certainly won’t be for everyone.
If, like me, you heard the concept and thought this’d make an excellent ARPG or perhaps roguelike, then you'll probably be left feeling like this is just another generic mobile spinoff. It’s certainly how I feel, and it’s quite telling that the most intriguing and interesting elements of Battle in Hell’s Paradise are drawn from the original anime and manga series, not from the game itself.
In the meantime, if you want to find where other great games have landed over the year, then be sure to check out our list of the best mobile games of 2026 (so far) for some of our favourites!
Battle in Hell’s Paradise review - "Graphically lush but lacking in gameplay"
For fans of autobattlers, Battle in Hell’s Paradise offers what they seem to always want: a new story, setting and characters with tried-and-true gameplay mechanics. If you love Hell’s Paradise you’ll find plenty of new character interactions and scenarios that leave it worth a look. If you’ve never enjoyed autobattlers or tried the series before, though, you likely won’t warm to Battle in Hell’s Paradise.
Iwan Morris
Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.