Dreadhunter
- October 18, 2023
- Trickster Arts
Get on Steam"Dreadhunter" is a single-player Role Playing Game with excellent mechanics and stellar music. As a fearless sci-fi monster hunter in a mech suit, you'll combat swarms of monsters, face massive bosses, and uncover chilling secrets. With unique level generation, endless replayability, and legendary loot that changes your playstyle, prepare for an impactful and exciting experience.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The combat is incredibly fun and feels tight, making for an engaging gameplay experience.
- The game has great graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
- There is a solid foundation for gameplay with potential for diverse builds and replayability through procedural generation.
- The game is currently very barebones, lacking significant content and features, which makes the high price point feel unjustified.
- Progression and itemization are limited, with minimal gains from upgrades, leading to a repetitive experience.
- There are technical issues, including crashes and performance hitches, which detract from the overall enjoyment.
- gameplay52 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Dreadhunter" is praised for its smooth mechanics, dynamic pacing, and engaging twin-stick shooter experience, reminiscent of a blend between "Doom" and "Diablo." Players appreciate the variety in builds and the enjoyable leveling system, although some features are currently locked in early access. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation for fun gameplay, with room for further optimization and expansion.
“The gameplay loop is excellent and I enjoy leveling up.”
“The moment-to-moment gameplay is brilliant; it feels almost like a top-down Doom, including the finishers to get ammo, health, etc.”
“Dreadhunter has a lot going for it in terms of style and fast action gameplay.”
“There are about 3-4 different armor pieces for each slot, and there are maybe 1-2 pieces that actually add new mechanics to how everything works.”
“The progression and customization mechanics are all currently locked under 'not available in early access'.”
“Same mechanics required to defeat all enemies.”
- music32 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised as superb and captivating, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the high quality of the soundtrack, describing it as dynamic and engaging, though some note a limited number of tracks. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that complements the game's aesthetic and gameplay fluidity.
“The art style is one of the main reasons I've been looking forward to early access for months, and the soundtrack complements it beautifully, enhancing the game's overall atmosphere.”
“The music has that unrelenting nature that just plays into the atmosphere reminiscent of some other games in the genre, then you hit the hub where it all calms down and Cara's theme plays (which slaps).”
“High quality gameplay, graphics, and music that comes at a higher price than a lot of indies.”
“The soundtrack should not be underestimated either, very captivating, able to accompany you without boring you during your carnage.”
- story28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it underdeveloped and clichéd, often overshadowed by the gameplay. While some appreciate the dialogues that expand the narrative between levels, others feel the story lacks depth and engagement, suggesting it could benefit from more variety and voice acting. Overall, the narrative is seen as a secondary aspect, with players primarily focused on the gameplay experience.
“The best way I can describe this game would be Doom meets Diablo; it's a bunch of fun, the story seems to be promising thus far, the gameplay feels smooth, it looks and sounds amazing, and it is not repetitive either.”
“The story is also well done.”
“Between one level and another, there will always be dialogues that will slowly expand the story.”
“The story is not really existing and the character faces are extremely cliché.”
“The only negatives are the story and the character sprites; this neural-generated content is so boring and out of place, just raw low-poly asset screenshots would look better.”
“Also, the story isn't particularly interesting or compelling.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their high quality and appealing art style, with many reviewers noting the aesthetic as a standout feature that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, there are mentions of graphical inconsistencies and a need for further performance optimization, alongside limited graphics options. Overall, while the foundation is solid, some players feel the game is currently lacking in depth and features, especially given its price point.
“The art style is one of the main reasons I've been looking forward to early access for months, and the soundtrack complements it beautifully, enhancing the game's overall atmosphere.”
“The in-game graphics are highly attractive, and engagements with enemies provide a strong sense of satisfaction.”
“Graphics are quite good, the game looks great.”
“Graphical issues/inconsistencies.”
“There are minimal graphics options (resolution, v-sync, fullscreen settings, and fps lock - that's it, seriously); some of the more advanced tuning and modding of weapons and character are not available in this version and it has quite a steep price of 35 dollars.”
“While the art style theme, dynamic combat, and potential are great, it is a very bare-bones experience at the time of early access release, even based on those criteria and current price point at least.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization shows significant improvement over its predecessor, with enhanced production quality and fluid gameplay. However, players have noted occasional performance hitches and believe that further optimization is necessary to fully realize its potential. The solid foundation in graphics and mechanics suggests that future updates could enhance the experience even more.
“The production quality is like 10x better than their previous game, maybe because it's not limited by device performance like in mobile.”
“However, it's a solid base of performance, graphics, and mechanics to build something fun on, so I expect this review to change, as long as the devs work on it.”
“Some hitches in performance from time to time.”
“The game looks decent in the graphics department, has a nice soundtrack, very fluid gameplay, but does require some further performance optimization.”
“The game looks decent in the graphics department, has a nice soundtrack, very fluid gameplay, but does require some further performance optimization.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it allows for unlimited playtime and consistent progression in farming currency and experience for skills and abilities. While significant time can be spent on grinding, many feel it is not overly excessive given the current content available.
“Where literally hours are spent farming a game's currency and experience for skills, abilities, and mods.”
“There's no limit with the grinding; you can play all day and get quite consistent progression.”
“Not overly grindy for the content available so far.”
- stability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game is generally praised for its polished performance and visual appeal, running smoothly on various platforms, including the Steam Deck. However, some users report frequent hard freezes, leading to frustration and the need for restarts.
“Very polished, runs great, looks good, music is great.”
“Runs great on deck out of the box.”
“The game constantly hard freezes, and I'm getting tired of restarting.”
“The game constantly hard freezes, and I'm getting tired of restarting.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through its procedural generation of levels, ensuring that each playthrough feels unique. However, some players feel that the simplistic "room" maze design may limit the overall enjoyment of repeated runs.
“I like the concept of procedural environments for the replayability, but this is just too much of a simple 'room' maze.”
“Replayability is guaranteed by the fact that the levels are procedurally generated, so even if you decide to replay the same mission several times, it will always be a new experience.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is significantly enhanced by its unrelenting music, which evokes a sense of tension typical of the genre, while the calming hub area features a standout theme that contrasts beautifully. The art style is also a highlight, with the soundtrack complementing it effectively to create an immersive experience. Overall, the combination of music and visuals contributes to a captivating atmosphere that players find engaging.
“The music has that unrelenting nature that just plays into the atmosphere, reminiscent of some other games in the genre. Then you hit the hub where it all calms down and Cara's theme plays, which is fantastic.”
“The music has that unrelenting nature that just plays into the atmosphere, reminiscent of some other games in the genre. Then you hit the hub where it all calms down and Cara's theme plays, which is quite enjoyable.”
“The art style is one of the main reasons I've been looking forward to early access for months, and the soundtrack complements it beautifully, enhancing the game's overall atmosphere.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game heavily relies on increased advertising, which has drawn criticism from users for being excessive.
“The game is flooded with advertisements.”
“There are too many ads interrupting the gameplay.”
“The constant push for in-game purchases is overwhelming.”
