Painkiller Overdose is developed by Mindware Studios and released in 2007.
It's a full-fledged new episode and an indirect sequel to Painkiller Black Edition,
released in 2004.

Forget the adventures of Daniel Garner; this new opus puts us in control of a certain Belial,
a new half-angel, half-demon character born from a forbidden union.
Imprisoned by Lucifer for his potential to manipulate dimensional portals,
Belial is a tormented, even enraged being,
driven by a thirst for vengeance after long years of captivity.
When the dark magic holding him prisoner finally dissipates…
Now free, Belial embarks on a vendetta against those who held him captive,
and this revenge promises to be brutal and merciless.

The incredibly satisfying gameplay of the first Painkiller remains unchanged here.
Movement is fast, and the gunfights are as intense and bloody as ever.
It’s still just as fun to navigate levels filled with hideous infernal creatures,
which you must slaughter without remorse to collect their evil souls.
Simple, effective, and no-frills—there’s no doubt this is a true old-school FPS.

In addition to the many monsters from the two previous games,
Overdose introduces some fresh blood,
with enemies as diverse as samurai, mummies, aliens,
robots, mutants, scarecrows, fairies, and more.
Not to mention a few bosses that lead to titanic battles.

By the way, Belial loves to drop some well-placed one-liners after a few frags,
reminiscent of Duke Nukem or the Postal Dude:
"Tastes like chicken," "Juicy," "Yummy, I love the taste of evil souls in the morning,"
and a few others I’ll let you discover for yourself.

As for weapons, you’ll find the iconic arsenal from the first game,
like the trusty Shotgun, the ever-precise Stake Gun, or the hefty Machine Gun.
But the folks at Mindware Studios had the great idea to add some very cool new weapons,
like a rifle that shoots acid, a demonic head that fires lasers, and sticky grenades.

The graphics in Overdose haven’t evolved since 2004,
and the game looks a bit dated compared to other releases from its time.
It’s far from the graphical quality of a Crysis or Bioshock, sure,
but it must be said that the dark, gothic art direction from the past is still just as effective.
The developers took a lot of liberties, creating levels set in a mystical medieval Asia,
under the scorching heat of an ancient Egyptian desert, in a gloomy haunted forest,
in a seedy American suburb straight out of Max Payne, and even an alien base.
Don’t look for any coherence—the levels follow one another but are wildly different.

While Overdose is very enjoyable overall, a few minor issues are worth noting.
The game’s overall difficulty isn’t very high, but it’s poorly balanced.
It doesn’t scale progressively as you advance;
you can go from a fairly relaxed level to one that’s unfairly tough for no apparent reason.
Ammo packs are subtle and blend into the scenery, sometimes making them harder to spot.
The game suffers from some optimization issues,
perhaps due to its age compared to modern PCs.
There are occasional slowdowns in certain areas,
I noticed rare issues with overly saturated sound,
and I experienced a few crashes. These didn’t ruin my enjoyment,
but I still installed the "Powermad Overdose 1.3" patch to smooth things out a bit.

Painkiller Overdose delivers a solid dose of fun and thrills,
even if it’s not as polished or iconic as Black Edition.
It remains an honest title made by fans of the original game,
and despite its flaws, it’s a great stress-reliever that will keep you entertained for a few hours.