Heretic's Fork

While it suffers from the same issues as many roguelikes, Heretic’s Fork does what it can to keep players invested and entertained.

83%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

grinding, optimization

86% User Score Based on 2,230 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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About

Heretic's Fork is a single player action game with a comedy theme. It was developed by 9FingerGames and was released on September 13, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Heretic's Fork" is a dark, atmospheric metroidvania game that follows the story of a cursed individual seeking redemption. Explore a sprawling, interconnected world filled with challenging enemies and powerful abilities. Uncover the truth behind your curse and resist the corrupting influence of the Heretic's Fork.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,230 reviews

music354 positive mentions

grinding44 negative mentions

Heretic's Fork combines tower defense and deckbuilding mechanics in a unique and engaging way, providing a fresh experience for players.
The game features a striking visual style and an excellent soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere and enjoyment.
There is a good amount of replayability due to the variety of characters, cards, and strategies available, keeping players engaged for multiple runs.

The game can become repetitive quickly, as the core gameplay loop lacks depth and variety, leading to a sense of monotony after a few runs.
Unlocking new cards can dilute the deck, making it harder to achieve specific builds and strategies, which can be frustrating for players.
The game suffers from performance issues, especially in endless mode, where it can crash or slow down significantly after extended play.

music
571 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
37%
1%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising its immersive and diverse soundtrack that blends heavy metal, dark synthwave, and industrial elements. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often stating that it enhances the overall gaming experience and is enjoyable enough to warrant playing the game just to listen to the music. While some mention minor audio bugs and inconsistencies in track quality, the consensus is that the music significantly elevates the game's aesthetic and atmosphere, making it a key reason to engage with the title.
- “The soundtrack, composed of haunting melodies and discordant tones, perfectly complements the visual style and narrative themes, often swaying between melancholic and ominous.”
- “Developed by one legged seagull, it combines striking hand-drawn art with a haunting soundtrack to create an immersive experience that lingers long after the game ends.”
- “The music is a nice touch, some of the tracks are very fun, and the mock clippy is very funny indeed!”
- “The music, even the music is kinda dull, despite trying to be kinda metal.”
- “If the business plan for a game is to compete with Spotify, which is free and has effectively unlimited music, all of which is better than the music here, it's failed before it even started.”
- “While I love the story, the music, and the art style, the meat and potatoes of the game sucks.”
gameplay
495 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The gameplay of "Heretic's Fork" combines deck-building and tower defense mechanics, creating a unique but polarizing experience. While many players find the core loop addictive and appreciate the strategic depth offered by card combinations, others criticize the gameplay for being slow-paced, repetitive, and lacking meaningful engagement, particularly in higher difficulty levels. Overall, the game is visually appealing and features a strong soundtrack, but its gameplay may not satisfy those seeking more active or varied interactions.
- “Heretic's Fork takes familiar mechanics and combines them into a refreshingly addictive experience.”
- “Gameplay in Heretic's Fork emphasizes exploration, puzzle-solving, and resource management within a tense, claustrophobic setting.”
- “The blend of deckbuilding and tower defense creates a unique and engaging gameplay loop that keeps you hooked.”
- “However, after doing a couple of runs, you realize the gameplay loop is shallow, with too long of downtime waiting before you can do something.”
- “The gameplay loop is very shallow with a lot of downtime.”
- “The gameplay becomes boring quickly, and there's a lack of real sense of achievement even upon winning.”
graphics
242 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and immersive aesthetic, featuring a blend of pixel art and hand-painted visuals that effectively capture the dark, satirical tone of the gameplay. The soundtrack complements the visuals, enhancing the overall experience with a mix of heavy metal and electronic music. However, some users noted inconsistencies in the art style and occasional graphical bugs, which detracted from the otherwise strong presentation.
- “The hand-painted visuals are both beautiful and unsettling, capturing the grim tone of the story while offering moments of stark, almost poetic beauty.”
- “The game's striking art style and vibrant graphics immediately draw you into the dark world of hell.”
- “The art style is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard since the Doom remake.”
- “Despite its unique aesthetic, I find Heretic’s Fork to be a little empty and dull.”
- “The art style manages to be inconsistent within the same piece!”
- “Visually, this is a hamfisted mess, a dog's breakfast of bad visuals, and this kind of laziness and poor quality should never be foisted on gamers.”
story
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The game's story is characterized by its unique worldbuilding and a blend of humor and unsettling themes, often conveyed through environmental storytelling and cryptic dialogue. While some players appreciate the depth and layered narrative that rewards exploration, others find it lacking in clarity and depth, with a desire for more substantial content. Overall, the narrative serves as an engaging backdrop to the gameplay, though opinions vary on its execution and complexity.
- “Rather than relying on conventional horror tropes or jump scares, Heretic's Fork focuses on building a deep, unsettling atmosphere complemented by challenging gameplay and a thoughtful, layered story that rewards attentive players who appreciate slower-paced, story-rich experiences.”
- “The storytelling is deliberately opaque, encouraging exploration, re-examination of details, and thoughtful interpretation.”
- “The underlying story is intriguing, offering a narrative hook to keep you invested.”
- “The deliberately cryptic narrative and minimal handholding can frustrate players who prefer more straightforward storytelling or clear objectives.”
- “The story was a bit lacking in my opinion.”
- “Finally, I think a story expansion would do this game loads of good, because the main story is a little bit weak and left me wanting after I had completed it.”
humor
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
3%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, blending dark, whimsical themes with quirky writing and absurd scenarios, such as humorous emails and bizarre power-ups. Players appreciate the nostalgic references and the satirical take on corporate culture set in a hellish environment, which adds a unique layer to the gameplay experience. However, some critiques mention that certain jokes may feel stale or overdone, suggesting that while the humor is generally enjoyable, it may not resonate with everyone.
- “The game's quirky humor and unique visual style add a layer of charm and personality, making the experience enjoyable and memorable.”
- “From your sarcastic demon assistant Clippy (yes, really) to the pop-up notifications about 'infernal paperwork,' the humor keeps things light even when the sinner hordes are knocking down your door.”
- “There's a lot of humor in the blending of corporate and hellish culture, with demons emailing you about the latest company initiative or getting weird demon malware from the IT department.”
- “I'll try not to spoil a lot, but sometimes you get an email after a run: some of them are funny (or supposed to be funny, as I found myself skimming over the last few ones I got) while others are 'story relevant' kind of.”
- “The humor in the game feels forced and often misses the mark, leaving me more confused than amused.”
- “While the game tries to inject humor into its dialogue, most of the jokes fall flat and feel out of place.”
replayability
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
59%
10%
Overall, the game exhibits a mixed level of replayability, with many players enjoying the variety offered by different characters, card systems, and branching narratives that encourage multiple playthroughs. However, some reviewers noted limitations due to repetitive stages, lack of variety, and balancing issues that can diminish long-term engagement. While many find the game fun and replayable, others feel it may not sustain interest beyond a certain point without further updates or enhancements.
- “This branching narrative structure adds significant replay value, inviting players to dive deeper into the complex lore and uncover new facets of the story with each run.”
- “Tons of replayability to experiment with different tactics, the ultimate tower defense sandbox game <3”
- “There's a lot of replayability and different ways to play, and different achievements to unlock cards, so it can be challenging and fun to figure out how you need to play it to accomplish the specific goal.”
- “The music is great and I like the visuals, but it lacks that 'endless replayability' one often hopes for from this genre.”
- “I do think, however, the stages could do with more variety or signs of progress as the game wants to be replayable but you keep seeing the same levels again and again.”
- “Overall, it's an above-average tower defense game but it lacks the replay value that other roguelites would normally have - which is quite a shame.”
grinding
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
2%
94%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and time-consuming, particularly in the early stages and towards the endgame, where players often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of cards and upgrades. While some enjoy the grind as part of the genre's expectations, many reviewers express frustration with the lack of meaningful progression and the repetitive nature of unlocking new cards, which can dilute gameplay and lead to a sense of wasted time. Overall, the grind can detract from the enjoyment, especially as players seek to unlock higher difficulties and achieve endgame goals.
- “Achievements are all reasonable and not grindy.”
- “I only lost the very first run I did; after that, I literally didn't take damage until I got all the admin keys, thinking 'surely this will unlock a harder difficulty.' It did unlock torment mode, but I have no idea what it does because I'm not grinding 5k cash per card to unlock a harder difficulty when the default is already brain-dead simple.”
- “Very grindy in the beginning, but it pays out after unlocking more cards.”
- “The difficulty doesn't scale up as you progress, so the game becomes a tedious grind before you'll even come close to unlocking all the upgrades.”
- “Grinding part gives you a feel that you haven't accomplished anything since the cards you get are basically non-functional or you don't get them at all during the run.”
atmosphere
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
31%
9%
The atmosphere of "Heretic's Fork" is consistently praised for its dark, immersive quality, effectively enhancing the narrative's exploration of faith and identity. Players appreciate the game's unique blend of psychological horror, stunning visuals, and a captivating soundtrack, which together create a haunting experience that rewards attentive engagement. However, some critiques mention that the sound design can be off-putting, and the slow pacing may not appeal to those seeking immediate thrills.
- “Heretic’s Fork is a dark and atmospheric narrative-driven game that boldly explores themes of faith, identity, and the human condition through a unique blend of mystery, survival, and psychological horror.”
- “Rather than relying on conventional horror tropes or jump scares, Heretic’s Fork focuses on building a deep, unsettling atmosphere complemented by challenging gameplay and a thoughtful, layered story that rewards attentive players who appreciate slower-paced, story-rich experiences.”
- “The surrounding atmosphere, story, and interactables also give the game a consistent tone and an immersive experience.”
- “The game’s slow pacing and heavy atmosphere may not appeal to those looking for immediate thrills or faster gameplay.”
- “I found the sound design to also be poor and annoying to listen to throughout the entire thing - I think this may be an intentional choice for the hellish atmosphere, but it really doesn't make me want to play the game.”
- “Also there's some graphical glitching where upper segments of the tower appear behind lower ones, or something; looks wrong and messes with the atmosphere.”
optimization
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, particularly in endless mode, where frame rates can plummet to 3-5 fps. Many users experienced crashes and slowdowns, especially when numerous effects were on screen, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Overall, the lack of effective optimization detracts significantly from the game's potential, making it feel unfinished and poorly polished.
- “There's very few barriers, opportunity costs, or anti-synergies that might lend you to shy away from just playing any given item or active ability card, or even a mechanism to lean into some particular flavor of card, so choices feel more like moment-to-moment math optimization problems than long-term deckbuilding strategy.”
- “Performance or gameplay surpasses the passing mark and stands out from the average.”
- “The game is extremely fun in concept, but the issues with performance become an issue in endless mode.”
- “The game's target acquisition logic is highly rigid and often results in incredibly inefficient performance.”
- “The only challenge is endless mode, and even so it challenges only your performance; at some point my machine got down to 3-5 fps, and I just had to sell all my towers to get out of there.”
- “It feels like a beta for a flash game with a lot of heart put into the design and theme, but almost no QA or optimization.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
70%
The game exhibits significant stability issues, with frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches affecting gameplay, such as card functionality and achievement unlocks. While some players appreciate the overall concept and performance on certain platforms, the persistent technical problems detract from the experience, leading many to question its value at full price.
- “Runs great on Proton Experimental!”
- “This game is great, runs smoothly, and has lots of builds to play around with.”
- “Good game but please god fix the crashes and freezes.”
- “I think it's too buggy to justify full price.”
- “Cool concept, and there's a seed of something interesting here, but it's just so, so buggy.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game excels in creating an emotional experience through its immersive visuals, evocative art, and compelling audio, which together enhance the narrative's depth. Players who engage with the game's discoveries find a rewarding emotional journey, while those who approach it passively may miss out on its profound impact. Overall, it achieves a level of emotional resonance that is rare in its genre.
- “These visual choices contribute significantly to the game’s immersive quality, making each discovery feel meaningful and each scene charged with emotional weight.”
- “However, for players who appreciate games that challenge them intellectually and emotionally, the sense of discovery and gradual revelation is deeply rewarding.”
- “The combination of evocative art, compelling audio, and a richly layered narrative creates an emotional resonance that few games in this genre achieve.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is marked by intentionally rough and fragmented designs that reflect the protagonist's fractured psyche and the game's world. While the artwork and character designs are praised, players note that technical issues and poor balance detract from the overall experience.
- “Character designs and animations are intentionally rough and fragmented, reinforcing the fractured nature of the world and the protagonist’s psyche.”
- “I love the artwork and character designs; however, the game feels a bit buggy at times, with cards not working or applying their buffs, localization issues, and gamepad problems.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game primarily revolves around microtransactions, which involve in-game purchases that players can make. This approach has been consistently highlighted in user reviews.
- “Microtransactions are well-balanced and don't feel intrusive.”
- “The in-game purchases enhance the experience without being necessary to enjoy the game.”
- “I appreciate that the monetization model is fair and allows players to progress without spending money.”