Helldorado
- May 25, 2007
- Spellbound
- 100h median play time
Get on Steam"Helldorado" is a single-player Real Time Strategy game set in the Wild West of 1883 Santa Fe. Experience authentic locations and historical weapons while playing as six different characters, each with unique skills and abilities. With 60 smart enemies and various challenging missions, the game offers an immersive Wild West adventure that takes about 100 hours to complete. Additionally, the Movie Mode allows you to record and share your heroic deeds.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Helldorado offers a unique blend of strategy and action, improving upon the mechanics of Desperados 2.
- The game features interesting missions and a variety of character abilities, enhancing the tactical gameplay experience.
- The graphics and sound design are praised for bringing the environment to life, making it visually appealing.
- The game is relatively short, with repetitive maps and missions that can feel tedious.
- There are significant bugs and technical issues, including crashes and problems with character commands.
- The AI is often criticized for being unchallenging and the story is considered generic and uninspired.
- story34 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story in this game has been criticized for being generic and poorly written, often compared unfavorably to more engaging western narratives. While some players appreciate the interesting missions and character abilities, many feel that the overall storytelling lacks depth and creativity, leading to a sense of boredom. Despite improvements in gameplay mechanics, the narrative fails to captivate, leaving players wanting more from the experience.
“This is how Desperados 2 should have been: an interesting story, stealth tactics, minimal bugs, and every character has its unique abilities used.”
“Good characters, good storytelling; AI could be better, but this was published in 2009, so what do you expect?”
“Comes with a pretty funny story, though.”
“The story is yet again so generic that you may as well watch 'Fistful of Dollars' in the background or some other more entertaining (literally any other) western story.”
“The story picks up right when 'Desperados 2' ended, but it's still cheesy as heck and absolutely terribly written, while gameplay still feels cheap and rough.”
“This sequel is an outrage, with poor story, terrible level design, abysmal AI, uninteresting gameplay, and shallow graphics.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Helldorado, while building on the mechanics of Desperados 2, is criticized for feeling dated and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting its similarity to its predecessor. Improvements in visuals and the reintroduction of certain mechanics are appreciated, but the overall experience is marred by issues such as poor AI, level design, and a rushed exploration of new features. Despite these drawbacks, it remains a fun strategy/stealth game for fans of the genre, particularly those who enjoy the isometric and third-person perspectives.
“Really nice sequel to Desperados 2, improving the game a bit and adding some new mechanics (few, but welcome).”
“It improves the visuals and fixes a lot of gameplay issues from the second game.”
“Mechanically it feels a little dated, but it's still a fun strategy/stealth game and you can even go into third person mode which is really cool.”
“However, this one suffers badly from basic core mechanics and the asking price doesn't help on this decision.”
“Helldorado is the sequel to Desperados 2; however, given the almost identical layout and gameplay, it's probably better to call it DLC.”
“The story picks up right when Desperados 2 ended, but it's still cheesy as heck and absolutely terribly written, while gameplay still feels cheap and rough.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics in the game are praised for their fantastic quality and ability to enhance the environment, particularly in comparison to the previous title. However, some users find the graphics to be average and lacking in innovation, with criticisms directed at other gameplay elements such as story and level design. The game runs adequately on lower-end systems, but the visual experience may not be enough to compensate for its other shortcomings.
“+ as with every title in this series, the graphics are fantastic and really bring the environment to life.”
“It improves the visuals and fixes a lot of gameplay issues from the second game.”
“While the graphics are decidedly average and the steam overlay does not work, the addition of a first-person action view, in addition to the overhead zoomable tactical view, gives the player a variety of choices when planning the attack.”
“Its only change few things, also the graphics, is the same.”
“While the graphics are decidedly average and the Steam overlay does not work, the addition of a first-person action view, in addition to the overhead zoomable tactical view, gives the player a variety of choices when planning the attack.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered more fitting for the setting compared to its predecessor, which featured incongruous tracks. However, some players find the soundtrack to be dull and repetitive, with ambient sounds and voice-overs becoming irritating during missions.
“The soundtrack is actually appropriate for the setting, unlike the previous title where it was Kate and John's date music playing every mission.”
“The soundtrack is actually appropriate for the setting, unlike the previous title where it was Kate and John's date music playing every mission.”
“The cycling ambient noise, voices, music, and character voice-overs can get annoying during the missions.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing storyline, which resonates with players despite the decline of its sub-genre. It draws comparisons to past titles like "Spellbound" and "Mimimi's Shadow Tactics," suggesting a nostalgic yet refreshing comedic element that appeals to fans of the genre.
“Comes with a pretty funny story, though.”
“As funny as it sounds nowadays, the entire sub-genre pretty much died with Spellbound, until Mimimi picked it up and gave it a new life in their Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shōgun.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant improvements in loading times and overall optimization, indicating a smoother gaming experience.
“The game features significantly improved loading times and overall optimization.”
“I noticed way better and shorter loading times, which enhances the gaming experience.”
“The optimization in this game is impressive, making everything run smoother and faster.”
“The loading times are way better, but the overall optimization still feels lacking.”
“Despite improvements, the game's optimization issues continue to hinder the experience.”
“I expected more from the optimization; it still struggles with performance in certain areas.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have stability issues, with users noting that it is somewhat buggy.
“The game frequently crashes, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
“There were constant stability issues that ruined my immersion.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that "Desperados 3" enhances the grinding experience by transforming certain maps into engaging stealth puzzles, making the gameplay feel more rewarding and less tedious compared to its predecessor. This shift allows for a more satisfying experience during missions, particularly on the first playthrough.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is considered lacking compared to other titles in the genre, with some users suggesting that there are superior alternatives that offer a more engaging experience.
“If not, there are other games with the same atmosphere that frankly are simply better.”
