Heartless & Dreadful : Return By 72 Hours

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/1701890 Wishlist on Steam! In the world of darkness. There is an interesting being. A being who holds a tournament for the strong. They call him the Master of Darkness. Why does he hold a tournament? No one knows. Some say it enjoys the sight of young blood being spilled. Some say it is for other, unknown motives. The Master of Darkness knew that no one would jus…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Heartless & Dreadful : Return By 72 Hours screenshot

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

story22 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features fun and engaging hack and slash combat reminiscent of classic DMC titles, with a variety of moves and weapons that keep gameplay fresh.
The art style and character design are charming, with a unique aesthetic that enhances the overall experience, and the humor throughout the game adds to its appeal.
As a one-man passion project, the developer has shown dedication by regularly updating the game to fix bugs and improve gameplay, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

Controls can be finicky, particularly with dodging and menu navigation, which may lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Some boss fights are criticized for being uninteresting and lacking challenge, with repetitive attack patterns that detract from the overall enjoyment.
The game has a few bugs and glitches, including softlocks and issues with item resets after checkpoints, which can disrupt the flow of play.

story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The story is described as quirky and enjoyable, with a mix of campy humor and serious moments that come together nicely, especially towards the end. While it follows familiar tropes, players appreciate the effort put into crafting a captivating narrative and relatable characters. Overall, the story is seen as easily digestible and fun, contributing positively to the game's overall experience.
- “The art design is very surreal and cool, the story is simple but fun, and the dialogue actually got regular chuckles out of me.”
- “It's fun, campy, and silly moments are well balanced with more serious story elements and moments when it calls for it.”
- “You can simply use a commonly used trope and give it your own twist followed with tons of effort and create yourself just as captivating of a story.”
- “The story is a little weird, but more or less what you would expect.”
- “And yeah, you can totally tell this was the work of a single individual from the story.”
- “The dialogue can be really funny, although I have mixed feelings about some of the story.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
The gameplay is described as fun and challenging, reminiscent of the Devil May Cry series, featuring a variety of weapons and styles that add depth. Players can customize their experience with different settings, although the core gameplay loop remains consistent across diverse environments. While the game launched in a rough state, ongoing patches have improved the overall experience, making it engaging for those who enjoy fast-paced, combo-driven combat.
- “Fun DMC-style gameplay with interesting characters and story.”
- “Not only that, there are some gameplay-changing settings that you can play around with to further change how you play (turbo mode, hardcore gravity, style mode, etc).”
- “Gameplay is very challenging yet fun.”
- “It almost makes me sad that every melee combat focused game seems to go for the same, sluggish gameplay that got old long, long ago.”
- “Now the gameplay... goddamn, the gameplay.”
- “It launched in a rough state, but there have been constant patches improving every single aspect of the gameplay experience.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its unique and fitting compositions that enhance the atmosphere and mood of various environments, with standout tracks that players find memorable. While the overall tone leans towards melancholic, some players express a desire for more adrenaline-pumping tracks during combat. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, with many expressing a willingness to listen to the OST outside of gameplay.
- “The atmosphere and environments were aesthetically pleasing and fitting for the game's setting, but the real highlight for me was the music.”
- “Long platforming sections with slow music in the background and a dying world on the horizon just work that way.”
- “The city of Wattar, while known to be an absolute dumpster fire of a place to live in, feels very cozy with all the calm rain, the neon streets, and the theme song I honestly couldn't stop humming to myself for days.”
- “Definitely would listen to the OST outside of playing the game.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely praised for its blend of modern memes, funny dialogues, and quirky references, creating an entertaining and memorable experience. While some players appreciate its edgy charm and developer commentary, others note that the humor may not resonate with everyone, particularly those who dislike the style reminiscent of "quirky white boy JRPGs." Overall, it adds significant value to the game, enhancing its replayability and enjoyment.
- “The sense of humor is lovely so far; it's mixed with nods to modern memes, and I like that!”
- “It's an entertaining, funny, and memorable game with its own brand of personality and edgy charm, and the fact that it was done by mostly one person is really impressive.”
- “There's more funny developer commentary in the achievement descriptions, and at launch, when you're reminded that: 'this game was made with Unity but also screw Unity.'”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
62%
The graphics are generally praised for their cute and cel-shaded art style, which enhances the game's atmosphere and complements its setting. While some players appreciate the low-poly visuals, they note that this style can occasionally feel lacking. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's charm, alongside its engaging music and story.
- “The atmosphere and environments were aesthetically pleasing and fitting for the game's setting, but the real highlight for me was the music.”
- “I love the art style and Shamir's look.”
- “The cel-shaded aesthetic feels really fitting to this kind of universe and it enhances the atmosphere perfectly.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game offers substantial replayability with six difficulty levels, unlockable costumes, and various additional content such as extra missions and custom levels, enhancing its overall value. While some aspects, particularly combat, may require refinement, the diverse content and humorous dialogues contribute to a solid replay experience.
- “Having 6 difficulties, 6 unlockable costumes, Tower of Blood, Huntress extra mission, Realm of the Rogue (WIP), and custom levels (WIP) is quite a good amount of content.”
- “The game does need some refinement and polish in terms of combat, but at its core it’s a solid game that is worth the money, especially with the funny dialogues and the amounts of extra content and replayability it offers.”
- “The game does need some refinement and polish in terms of combat, but at its core it’s a solid game that is worth the money, especially with the funny dialogues and amounts of extra content and replayability it offers.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its aesthetically pleasing environments that align well with the setting, enhanced further by a fitting cel-shaded art style. The standout feature, however, is the music, which significantly contributes to the overall immersive experience.
- “The atmosphere and environments were aesthetically pleasing and fitting for the game's setting, but the real highlight for me was the music.”
- “The cel-shaded aesthetic feels really fitting to this kind of universe and it enhances the atmosphere perfectly.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported experiencing stability issues, particularly softlocks caused by premature activation of combat encounters. These glitches can leave players unable to progress, necessitating a reload from a checkpoint, although such occurrences are not frequent.
- “I experienced two frustrating softlocks, both caused by the game triggering a combat encounter too early. In one instance, I was stuck outside of the combat area, and in the other, I activated the encounter from the wrong side. By the time I reached the arena, all the enemies had despawned, leaving me softlocked and forcing me to reload a checkpoint. These issues are not that common, but they were very disruptive.”