Heat Guardian
- May 10, 2018
- Denis Rudoy
Get on SteamIn the frigid world of Heat Guardian, you must navigate through dangerous mutants and scarce resources to find the last human stronghold. Survival is a challenge, as ammunition is limited, mutants are deadly, and the cold is an ever-present threat. Stay warm, stay alert, and stay alive in this unforgiving top-down shooter.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a great atmosphere reminiscent of titles like Stalker and Metro 2033.
- The gunplay is smooth and engaging, providing a challenging experience for players.
- The visuals and sound design are praised, contributing to an immersive gameplay experience.
- The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including low frame rates, unresponsive controls, and lack of customization options.
- Many players find the gameplay frustratingly difficult and unbalanced, with some mechanics feeling poorly implemented.
- There are significant bugs and glitches that hinder the overall experience, leading to a perception of the game as unplayable.
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition" are a mixed bag, featuring a gritty retro art style that some find appealing, but ultimately suffer from low quality and lack of customization options. Players note the absence of resolution adjustments and support for modern display formats, leading to a less polished visual experience compared to similar titles like "Stalker" or "Metro 2033." Overall, while the atmosphere is commendable, the graphics are considered subpar and lacking in modern features.
“The visuals and sound are also great and there's tons of sweet guns to use.”
“It looks like a cool top-down survival shooter in a great atmospheric environment.”
“Similarly, the art style is simultaneously amazing and awful.”
“Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition is a 2D retro top-down twin-stick shooter with a gritty theme ripped straight from Stalker/Metro 2033, only without the 3D graphics, deep gameplay, decent story, or anything else that made those games successful.”
“There's no option to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
“While this is on PC, it has all the hallmarks and deficiencies of a console game, from the clunkier than needed control scheme to the less than cutting-edge graphics.”
- story7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story of "Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition" is criticized for being poorly written and lacking depth, failing to engage players despite its gritty themes reminiscent of titles like "Stalker" and "Metro 2033." While the premise of staying warm and defending locations offers some potential, the overall narrative is overshadowed by gameplay issues and a lack of meaningful content.
“Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition is a 2D retro top-down twin-stick shooter with a gritty theme ripped straight from Stalker/Metro 2033, only without the 3D graphics, deep gameplay, decent story, or anything else that made those games successful.”
“Gameplay consists of shooting and kiting waves of enemies as you plod through each level, picking up guns that don't matter much because it's just a 2D game and you can't really see them anyway, interspersed with badly written storylines.”
“Hardly a success story; gamers just weren't all that interested in the game.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with users noting its immersive cold, dark winter setting that enhances the survival experience. The combination of engaging gunplay and environmental challenges creates a compelling atmosphere reminiscent of titles like Stalker, Metro, and Fallout. However, some players express frustration over the lack of graphical options, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The game is a wonder for something made by such a small developer; it's very atmospheric, gunplay is engaging and challenging, and depending on your weapon equipment, it can brutally teach you how to plan ahead or take you for a walk in the park.”
“I really loved the atmosphere of the cold, dark winter that tries to kill the main character with the cold while he is shooting monsters.”
“Nailed the atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels like a mix of Stalker, Metro, and Fallout all packed together.”
“The atmosphere is lacking depth and fails to immerse the player.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition is characterized as a slow-paced, 2D retro twin-stick shooter that lacks the depth and engaging elements found in similar titles like Stalker or Metro 2033. Players engage in shooting and kiting waves of enemies, but the experience is marred by poorly written storylines and a lack of meaningful weapon variety. Overall, while some appreciate the slower pace, many feel the game falls short of delivering a compelling gameplay experience.
“Good gameplay.”
“The gameplay is not very fast and it was a good surprise for me - I'm not a fan of mashing the buttons.”
“Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition is a 2D retro top-down twin-stick shooter with a gritty theme ripped straight from Stalker/Metro 2033, only without the 3D graphics, deep gameplay, decent story, or anything else that made those games successful.”
“Gameplay consists of shooting and kiting waves of enemies as you plod through each level, picking up guns that don't matter much because it's just a 2D game and you can't really see them anyway, interspersed with badly written storylines.”
“Just buy a Stalker game or Metro 2033 if this is the kind of game you want; they're cheaper and have AAA quality 3D graphics and gameplay.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that monetization in games like Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition is viewed negatively, with users labeling it as a cash grab due to its $10 price tag, especially when compared to the value of older AAA titles. Gamemaker Studio is also criticized for facilitating the creation of retro pixel games that often prioritize profit over quality.
“Heat Guardian: Re-Frozen Edition has the greedy, cash grab price of $10 USD, for which you could easily get any number of older AAA games.”
“Gamemaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in the game is criticized for being annoying, and users have noted that the audio controls are ineffective, requiring them to use the Windows sound mixer to turn it off.
“There's audio controls, but the developer didn't bother to test them, so you can't turn off the annoying music. You'll have to alt+tab out to the Windows sound mixer to shut that down.”
“The music is repetitive and quickly becomes grating, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
“I found the soundtrack to be uninspired and forgettable, which detracted from the overall experience.”
