Herald of Havoc
- June 25, 2023
- Zeldars Zone
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Herald of Havoc" is an action-packed shooter game featuring a variety of unique weapons and a hand-crafted world to explore. Master each weapon's specific firing modes and discover hidden secrets to aid you on your journey. The included Endless mode offers a new challenge each time with randomized wave patterns and item drops. Defend your land against invading forces, ranging from soldiers to minotaurs and giant metal colossi, and become the Herald of Havoc.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Herald of Havoc offers a fantastic weapon set with unique and satisfying mechanics, including powerful guns and interesting alternate fire modes.
- The level design is engaging and varied, with each level providing distinct gameplay styles and challenges, making the experience feel fresh and exciting.
- The game captures the essence of classic boomer shooters, delivering fast-paced action and a satisfying combat loop that keeps players engaged throughout.
- The game is relatively short, with the full campaign lasting around 3 hours, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- There are minor performance issues and bugs, including inconsistent controller support and some gameplay mechanics that could use refinement.
- The graphics and sound design are somewhat generic and lack a strong visual identity, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.
- gameplay48 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of retro mechanics and modern sensibilities, offering a variety of styles from linear to open-ended challenges, with fast-paced, strafe-based FPS combat reminiscent of classic titles like Doom and Quake. Players appreciate the solid mechanics, satisfying weapon selection, and engaging level design, although some levels may lack visual complexity. Overall, the game delivers a fun and challenging experience, emphasizing gameplay over graphics, with continuous updates enhancing its replayability.
“The gameplay feels challenging but fair, with a nice roster of enemies with unique behaviors that keep you on your toes and make you approach combat situations a bit more strategically.”
“The combination of engaging gameplay, nostalgic level design, and superb sound design kept me hooked from start to finish.”
“Solid, fast movement mixed with weapons that are fun to use means great gameplay.”
“However, an absolute lack of any narrative or slightest sign of world-building and only 4 hours of gameplay make it hard to justify the current price (90 PLN).”
“The maps at the start of the game aren't particularly interesting to navigate, and the architecture has the level of complexity you'd see in classic Doom more so than in something like Quake, despite the game clearly going for a gameplay style reminiscent of the latter.”
“The gameplay is rapid, and you move as if you're on skates.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and retro, with a low-poly aesthetic that some find appealing while others consider lackluster and uninspired. While the visuals may not be groundbreaking, they effectively support the gameplay, which is often praised for its fun mechanics and level design. Overall, the graphics are seen as a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the nostalgic style and others feeling it detracts from the overall experience.
“The visuals are retro, clear, and appealing.”
“The graphics in 'Herald of Havoc' are simple yet effective, providing a clear and legible visual experience.”
“Graphics-wise, it's the simple classic Quake engine look despite it being in Unity, so props for capturing the look. It looks good for the style they're going for, and the weapon models and enemy models are well done.”
“Not only do the graphics look like mush, but I couldn't remember a single music track in this game at all.”
“This is obviously the weakest part of the game, which is odd because I've been very critical of so many boomer shooters copying Doom and Quake's art style, but this game doesn't do that.”
“I'm not sure how big the dev team is, but I don't think they had enough resources/time to put into the graphics, so the result is that everything looks simple but almost nothing looks beautiful to the eye.”
- music23 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy and fitting soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly in the context of indie and retro FPS genres. However, others find the music to be generic and forgettable, with some tracks failing to leave a lasting impression. Overall, while the soundtrack is competent and atmospheric, it lacks standout moments that could elevate it further.
“Catchy music, chunky combat, and solid weapon design make this a must-have for fans of indie games or boomshooters.”
“At least the soundtrack is pretty competent and very fitting.”
“And of course, no retro FPS is complete without a kickass soundtrack, and Herald of Havoc's pumping industrial electro beats do not disappoint!”
“Not only does the graphics look like mush, but I couldn't remember a single music track in this game at all.”
“It's bland and boring looking, not to mention all the music went over my head.”
“The music is forgettable.”
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely absent, with many reviews noting a lack of meaningful narrative or character development. While some players appreciate the straightforward premise of battling an invading enemy army, the overall consensus is that the focus is on gameplay rather than storytelling, resulting in a pick-up-and-play experience devoid of depth or thematic connection.
“Sometimes it’s even an extremely endearing story or clever ways of story-telling.”
“The story of Herald of Havoc is straightforward: an enemy army has invaded and conquered your homeland using advanced technology and superior weaponry.”
“While the first two games include eight missions each, the third only has five.”
“You will not get any sense of a story, or meaningful enemy variety here.”
“Has nothing like a story or a theme; you just go in there and kill stuff.”
“There is no real story.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with players reporting smooth performance even with large numbers of enemies on screen, achieving high frame rates of 200+ in many instances. Minor performance hitches occur during intense moments, but these are typically brief and linked to enemy spawn counts rather than poor level design. Some users have found that disabling v-sync can help alleviate performance issues.
“The basic shotgun is accurate, the game runs smoothly with 50+ enemies on screen, and you find secrets by paying attention to oddities instead of wallhumping.”
“Performance seemed acceptable - the fps drops when there's like 80 enemies spawning at once, but the dips never lasted too long and were always caused by large amounts of enemies and not badly optimized levels/particle effects.”
“🟣 Optimization - high fps of 200+ experienced during every level/wave played.”
“Minor hitches in performance.”
“Performance seemed acceptable - the FPS drops when there are like 80 enemies spawning at once, but the dips never lasted too long and were always caused by large amounts of enemies and not badly optimized levels or particle effects.”
“I've managed to fix the performance issues by disabling V-Sync.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while it offers some value through modes like endless mode and challenging difficulty settings, many players feel that the scripted levels and short campaign limit the reasons to replay. Suggestions for improvement include enhancing weapon mechanics and incorporating more power-ups to enrich the experience.
“The current game is short, but there is some replayability between endless mode and trying to beat the campaign on havoc difficulty, which is challenging.”
“It's a nice addition that provides endless replayability and a great way to test your skills and strategies against increasingly difficult hordes.”
“The game is painfully short, but the replay value is there.”
“Replayability - as levels are scripted, there are minimal reasons to replay levels.”
“It doesn't have much replay value outside of the endless mode.”
- stability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is mixed, with some users reporting bugs and inconsistent performance, particularly with controller support on the Rog Ally. However, others have experienced smooth gameplay with no glitches or issues. Overall, while some players encounter problems, others find the game runs well.
“The game ran incredibly well, and there were no glitches or bugs.”
“I experienced smooth gameplay throughout, with no crashes or interruptions.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; I never encountered any performance issues.”
“The game is fun but a little buggy, and controller support is a bit off on the Rog Ally.”
“The game is a bit buggy and inconsistent.”
“There are buggy issues with strafe direction changing.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag; while some levels evoke the abstract arenas of classic titles like Quake 3 and feature solid encounter design alongside atmospheric multi-track music, others are criticized for appearing generic and unpolished, lacking a compelling atmosphere.
“Some levels remind me of the more abstract arenas from Quake 3 (the intentional comparison to a legend is deliberate), while others are genuinely atmospheric, and the encounter design itself is solid.”
“Atmospheric multi-track music.”
“From the screenshots and videos, it looks incredibly generic, unpolished, and lacking in atmosphere.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as charming and effective, avoiding the pitfalls of typical cringe-worthy attempts often found in other titles. Players appreciate the lightheartedness that complements the engaging combat and exploration, enhancing the overall experience.
“Incredible combat, rewarding exploration, a charming sense of humor, and an exhilarating movement system.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is minimal, with only one weapon featuring advertisements, suggesting a relatively unobtrusive approach to in-game monetization.
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
“I feel like I'm constantly bombarded with ads and in-game purchases, which ruins the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating that the only way to access certain features is through expensive microtransactions.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly with the rocket launcher, as it can lead to frustrating self-destruction and disrupt progress in endless mode.
“The rocket launcher weapon was tedious, as blowing yourself up and ruining your run in endless mode is easy.”
