Hack, Slash, Loot
- May 4, 2012
- David Williamson
- 100h median play time
Get on Steam"Hack, Slash, Loot" is a turn-based dungeon crawler where players explore randomly generated dungeons as a lone hero, fighting monsters and looting valuable treasures. With 32 characters to unlock, six quests, and thousands of items, the game offers high replayability and depth. The streamlined roguelike gameplay and modern control scheme are wrapped in cute retro-style graphics, ensuring an enjoyable experience for both new and experienced players.
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic, old-school roguelike experience with simple mechanics that are easy to pick up.
- Each run provides a unique experience due to the randomness, making the game highly replayable.
- Unlocking new characters and artifacts adds a layer of satisfaction and progression despite the game's difficulty.
- The game heavily relies on RNG, leading to frustrating experiences where player skill feels irrelevant.
- There is a lack of depth and strategy, with minimal options for combat and no inventory management.
- The difficulty is unbalanced, often resulting in instant deaths or overwhelming encounters without a chance to strategize.
- graphics33 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are predominantly described as simplistic, nostalgic, and reminiscent of 8-bit pixel art, which may appeal to fans of retro aesthetics but could deter others seeking modern visuals. While some players appreciate the charming and cute design, others criticize the graphics for being poorly executed, lacking detail, and sometimes making gameplay confusing. Overall, the graphics evoke a mixed response, with a clear divide between those who enjoy the retro style and those who find it lacking.
“The graphics are charming and it's rather enjoyable to play.”
“A roguelike dungeon crawling RPG game, with a cute pixel-art graphics style, and challenging gameplay.”
“The only thing this game has going for it is the cute pixel graphic style.”
“The graphics are embarrassingly bad, with teeny sprites that have no animations.”
“Some people won't like this game because of the graphics, and that's certainly one downside.”
“The graphics are horrid for even 8-bit, and you can't heal at all unless you rarely find something to help you out.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by simple mechanics that are easy to grasp, offering a satisfying experience, especially for newcomers. While it features a fun and addictive loop with classic roguelike elements, some players criticize its reliance on RNG and lack of depth, particularly due to the absence of an inventory system and tedious mechanics. Overall, it provides a mix of casual and challenging gameplay, appealing to those who enjoy pixel art and retro aesthetics, but it may frustrate players seeking a more balanced and strategic experience.
“This game has simple mechanics and is easy to pick up.”
“Hack, slash, loot is effectively a turn-based fast-paced RPG and has a pretty fun gameplay loop.”
“The gameplay is both fun and addicting.”
“RNG shouldn't be the main mechanic of the game.”
“First, there is no inventory system, so the classic roguelike gameplay element of picking up resources to take with you and making decisions on what you need most and when to save them vs use them is nonexistent.”
“A terribly made 'roguelike' with mechanics that force you into a corner with no chance of actually getting forward in the game without blind luck.”
- story29 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is minimal, featuring five distinct storylines tied to various quests, but lacks depth and progression, often relying on a simple title page blurb. Players can choose from different quests, each with its own narrative framework, yet many find the experience frustrating due to a heavy reliance on luck and character selection, with starter classes often deemed inadequate for success. Overall, the game offers a variety of quests and characters to unlock, but those seeking a rich, immersive story will likely be disappointed.
“Find artifacts, unlock new characters to play, and work your way through all the 5 different storylines.”
“You also choose the quest you want to play from the main menu, and each has its own story.”
“Second, instead of one or more large, random dungeons, HSL offers several themed quests with varying environments and dangers.”
“There's no story, beyond some paltry title page blurb.”
“No sense of story progression either.”
“You're far too reliant on luck and playing the right character for the right story to have any chance at victory.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game is highly regarded for its replayability, offering unique experiences with each run due to varied playable characters and starting conditions. Players appreciate the combination of pixel art and hardcore gameplay, which encourages experimentation with different strategies in its roguelike format. Despite its simplicity, the game's structure and challenges provide ample opportunities for enjoyment and replay value.
“That's why every single run offers a unique experience and makes this game very replayable.”
“It's a great little roguelike and will offer hours of enjoyment and a lot of replayability.”
“Not much depth, yet a lot of fun, with a significant enough variety of starting conditions to boost replayability.”
“That little shift really helps to extend the replay value, and encourages you to try and take different approaches to each dungeon.”
“Deceptively simple and very unforgiving, though the game is split into smaller scenarios making this much more playable than other games of its kind.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its 8-bit style and enjoyable soundtrack, despite some repetitiveness. While it has a solid foundation and potential, the lack of background music can detract from the overall atmosphere, leading players to rely on their own music for immersion.
“I would recommend this game for patient people who love 8-bit art and music style.”
“Lots of potential, fantastic music, and a good base.”
“The soundtrack, however, is quite enjoyable.”
“There's little to no background music, which makes the game completely devoid of atmosphere unless you play your own.”
“I would recommend it for patient people who love 8-bit art and music style.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its retro aesthetic and the comedic elements of roguelike perma-death mechanics, which provide a humorous twist on repeated failures. While players find the game initially funny and enjoyable, some suggest that the humor may not sustain long-term engagement. Overall, it offers a blend of charm and wit that appeals to many.
“Roguelike permadeath games that reward you for trying and trying are quite hilarious.”
“Small, not simple, and so funny! :) Great game, I like it.”
“While the aesthetic is retro and funny, the fun you'll have with this will dry up quickly.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and lacking in variety, with complaints about a poor user interface and monotonous mechanics contributing to an overall frustrating experience.
“In the end, HSL suffers from a crummy GUI, tedious mechanics, and a lack of variety in almost every field.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report occasional glitches when resuming earlier games, such as flickering between torch and blood spot sprites, but these issues appear to be infrequent.
“One or two glitches occur when continuing an earlier game, including torches blinking between torch and blood spot sprites.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a lack of character development, with players feeling that survival relies solely on luck rather than any meaningful growth or progression of the characters.
“There is no character development at all, and any chance at survival is completely based on luck.”
“The characters feel one-dimensional and lack any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
“I was disappointed by the lack of depth in the character arcs; they remain static and uninteresting.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is noted for its absence of in-app purchases, giving it a feel similar to an iOS casual game despite its hardcore elements.
“In some ways, HSL feels like an iOS casual game, with a veneer of hardcore trappings, minus the in-app purchases.”
“The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending money.”
“It feels like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions rather than providing a balanced experience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is largely criticized for its lack of background music, leaving it feeling empty and uninspired unless players choose to provide their own soundtrack.
“There's little to no background music, which makes the game completely devoid of atmosphere unless you play your own.”
“The environments feel lifeless and lack any sense of immersion, making it hard to get invested in the game.”
“The sound design is minimal, leaving the game feeling empty and unengaging.”
