Heroes of Hammerwatch

About

"Heroes of Hammerwatch" is a hack-and-slash action-adventure game set in a fantasy universe. Players can choose from various character classes, each with unique abilities, and venture into procedurally generated dungeons to fight enemies, collect loot, and level up. The game also features a town defense mode, where players must work together to protect the town from enemy invasions. Cooperative multiplayer is available for up to 3 players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,699 reviews

gameplay275 positive mentions

grinding489 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a variety of classes and abilities that encourage experimentation.
Strong sense of progression through town upgrades and character leveling, making each run feel rewarding.
Fun to play with friends, enhancing the overall experience and adding to the game's replayability.

Multiplayer connectivity issues, including frequent disconnections and inability to rejoin games, detracting from the co-op experience.
Grindy progression that can feel tedious, especially in the early game, leading to potential frustration.
Some classes feel underpowered compared to others, affecting balance and enjoyment.

gameplay
670 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
4%
The gameplay of this roguelite dungeon crawler is characterized by its addictive mechanics, cooperative multiplayer features, and a variety of character classes that enhance replayability. Players appreciate the blend of straightforward controls with deeper strategic elements, although some criticize the grindy nature of progression and repetitive level design. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with a mix of challenge and fun, particularly when played with friends.
- “Great dungeon game to play with friends, lots of fun and easy to learn mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is straightforward yet addictive, and you'll be lured into a grind, but the sense of progression between each run mostly offsets the repetition.”
- “The gameplay is very tight and responsive, making for a very satisfying experience.”
- “The main gameplay loop is annoying and you either have to farm early levels for town progression or skip levels to get experience and level progression.”
- “However, the progression is way too slow, the first few floors get very boring after a while and you need to grind way too much to get to a point where the character is even fun to use.”
- “The game is too weighed down by annoying mechanics used to stretch the gameplay out and boring, repetitive map design.”
grinding
495 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting it as excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in solo play. While some enjoy the grind as part of the progression and find it rewarding, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, especially when the rewards do not match the effort required. Overall, the game is best suited for those who appreciate grind-heavy mechanics, particularly in a cooperative setting.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, the outcome of the grinding completely doesn't deserve one thousandth of your efforts.”
- “When a game's sustainability can only be maintained by the horrible numerical design and day-after-day grinding in the same 6 stages, it is absolutely a joke, a tragedy and a reflection of the developers' impotence.”
- “By the end you'll be dreading playing because all you're doing is mindlessly grinding to have any chance at progressing.”
replayability
257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
43%
1%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, enhanced by a robust New Game Plus (NG+) system, diverse character classes, and procedurally generated levels that keep each playthrough fresh. While some players note a grind-heavy experience, the overall consensus highlights a wealth of content and enjoyable multiplayer options that significantly boost replay value. Many reviews emphasize that the game's depth and variety ensure it remains engaging over countless hours of gameplay.
- “Replayability is very high as the NG+ system offers prominent additional features such as new boss mechanics to keep the game fresh.”
- “This game has amazing depth and truly ridiculous replay value!”
- “The replayability is insane with this game.”
- “The DLC and NG+ system is a way to extend the replayability, but it does feel grind-heavy real quick.”
- “I lacked the motivation to replay it after winning a run once; however, I strongly believe most people will find it quite replayable.”
- “Playing solo can be a little boring at times, but new game plus as well as the DLC adds a significant amount of replayability that keeps the game fresh.”
graphics
214 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
The graphics of the game are predominantly pixel art, evoking a nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic that many players appreciate for its charm and simplicity. While some reviews note that the graphics may initially seem underwhelming, they often grow on players as they engage with the game, highlighting the attention to detail and variety in enemy designs. Overall, the visuals are considered adequate and fitting for the gameplay, appealing particularly to fans of retro-style games, though opinions vary on their quality and appeal.
- “Simple but detailed 16-bit graphics mixed with classic roguelite adventure structure and fair challenge make this a very fun game, even solo.”
- “The graphics and animation work together nicely.”
- “Beautiful pixel graphics, catchy music and tons and tons of content between leveling & upgrading all the classes, as well as upgrading your town and guild, this game is a steal and an absolute gem.”
- “Some of the sprite artwork is very ugly, gold is scattered in such large amounts it feels like the kingdom is suffering deflation, and gameplay is very dull.”
- “Interesting gameplay, but awful UI and graphics.”
- “Too many puzzles, graphics are very bad and not in a cute way.”
music
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
42%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy, nostalgic quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players noting its ability to remain enjoyable even after extended playtime. While some reviews mention a lack of variety and repetitiveness in the soundtrack, the majority appreciate the fitting themes and memorable tracks that evoke a classic gaming atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “The music is incredible, it makes me reminisce of my old SNES and I love it!”
- “Beautiful pixel graphics, catchy music, and tons and tons of content between leveling & upgrading all the classes, as well as upgrading your town and guild, this game is a steal and an absolute gem.”
- “Soon it became dull and repetitive with the same unnerving music.”
- “The soundtrack is catchy enough, but could use more variety within areas, perhaps with a handful of different tracks to each dungeon environment that change randomly on playthrough or floor.”
- “What I didn't like about the game was the re-use of the old game's soundtrack and effects, even though they improved it and added new ones obviously and it's really great I loved the old game's soundtrack but it felt lazy.”
story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
88%
7%
The game's story is largely considered minimal or non-existent, with many players noting that it lacks depth and narrative engagement. While some DLCs add elements to the gameplay, they do not significantly enhance the overall story experience. Players primarily enjoy the game for its mechanics and gameplay rather than its storyline, which is often described as shallow or simplistic.
- “Plenty of things to kill and the DLCs are no joke; every one of them adds more to the story and gives you other things to do as well.”
- “For an indie game, it has so many things to do. If you got the 3 DLCs as well, then there's probably a ton more stuff to do. There's also different classes to explore and experiment with different builds on, dungeons are never the same, and a decent storyline.”
- “The story, although not the main focus of the game, is clear and concise; your progression actively feels like you are getting closer and closer to slaying the 'big bad' of the world.”
- “No real story to the game, so you can't miss beats either.”
- “There is no real deep story here; you just try to beat the boss after each stage.”
- “I got this game for about 12 USD and I did enjoy it enough for that price, but it lacks a story and I lost motivation to actually finish the game.”
stability
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting significant bugs and crashes, particularly in multiplayer modes, which can lead to disconnections and frustrating gameplay experiences. While some users have enjoyed a relatively smooth experience, others have encountered frequent glitches and performance issues that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further polish to address its stability concerns.
- “Basically no glitches.”
- “Runs great under Linux. Thanks for the support once again!”
- “Fun, fast RPG rogue shooter, and pretty much bug-free on my PC.”
- “The online multiplayer is pretty buggy (we had to switch to net testing and DirectX for it to run without booting someone after a few minutes) and the Xbox Bluetooth controllers didn't work until we enabled Steam input, but honestly, it's worth fighting the bugs a bit because the game is awesome.”
- “My only issue is that it crashes in vital spots in the game, whether it be a red and black screen to the point you could try to open your map and guide your character through the gauntlet before your game freezes or it crashes leaving your 897 ore and 300k gold gone.”
- “I love this game, but I have tried all the troubleshooting stuff, even rebooted my computer, but I haven't been able to play this in over a year.”
humor
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from chaotic multiplayer interactions, with players finding hilarity in unexpected deaths, mishaps, and the absurdity of their friends' actions. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to create memorable and funny moments during cooperative play, often leading to in-jokes and laughter over shared experiences. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging and lighthearted approach, making it a fun choice for both solo and co-op sessions.
- “It's a dungeon crawler with RPG elements, pretty engaging and funny.”
- “Every run is a new adventure and even more so with other people... (because they always find new ways to mess up, which is funny as hell!)”
- “You and the boys running in and laughing at each other stepping on spike traps; getting your jimmies rustled when your one friend Leroy Jenkins into a swarm of skeletons and dies.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
29%
29%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and enjoyable gameplay, while others report issues such as stuttering, crashes, and poor performance on lower-end hardware. Many users note that the game lacks essential features for seamless multiplayer experiences and that optimization for integrated graphics is particularly lacking. Overall, while the game has potential, significant optimization improvements are needed to enhance stability and performance across various systems.
- “Game runs smoothly.”
- “Runs smoothly, easy on the eyes, and amazing game to grind.”
- “Gameplay is responsive and runs smoothly.”
- “There is definitely something missing, and/or there are clear flaws in performance.”
- “Great game with lots of features, exciting gameplay and pure atmosphere of Hammerwatch, but bad optimization for integrated graphics, such as my Intel HD Graphics 4000.”
- “Either way, while the massive servers are a hoot and a half, they are not optimized and no matter the computer you can still crash on Act 3.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its polished graphics, impressive sound design, and a nostalgic old-school vibe reminiscent of D&D and classic dungeon crawlers. Players appreciate the immersive medieval setting and the attention to detail, although some criticize the reuse of the original soundtrack as feeling somewhat lazy. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- “I've never seen a game pull off certain atmospheres like this game.”
- “Very old school, strong D&D vibe, nice atmosphere and music, definitely lives up to the first installment.”
- “Great game with lots of features, exciting gameplay, and the pure atmosphere of Hammerwatch, but bad optimization for integrated graphics, such as my Intel HD Graphics 4000.”
- “What I didn't like about the game was the re-use of the old game's soundtrack and effects. Even though they improved it and added new ones, it felt lazy to me. They may have just seen how the community loved the game and wanted to recreate the atmosphere again, I don't know.”
- “The graphics also look really nice, and the awesome details like the occasional eagle flying over really add to the atmosphere.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers a mix of deep character development and RPG growth mechanics, appealing to players who enjoy permadeath and strategic decision-making. However, some users note a lack of meaningful choices in character development, which may detract from the overall experience. The character design is varied, but the emphasis on random dungeon exploration can overshadow the depth of character progression.
- “If you like random dungeons that are never the same, making your run fresh every game, or if you're into deep character development with permadeath, then this game is for you.”
- “So what happens is you have these two forces that drive you forward: one based on the time you put in and the character development decisions you make, and one based on learning to survive in an unforgiving environment.”
- “- Character design and variety, with lots of RPG growth mechanics on top of gauntlet action gameplay.”
- “There is also almost no choice in character development.”
- “The character design is...well.”
- “I got this game because of the 'character development' features.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be wholesome and nostalgic, evoking positive feelings and a sense of enjoyment. The multiplayer capacity enhances the experience, making it a fun and engaging dungeon crawler that resonates with players on a deeper level.
- “The full package feels wholesome.”
- “This wholesome, nostalgic dungeon crawler with multiplayer capacity is a refreshing change from the usual.”
- “The mechanics are fun and engaging, creating an emotional connection that keeps you invested.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model is criticized for resembling a pay-to-win structure, where players must invest significant time to progress, leading to perceptions of it being a cash grab rather than an improved experience over its predecessor, Hammerwatch.
- “It's almost like playing a free-to-play game with pay-to-win monetization, except you just pay with your own time here.”
- “It feels like a loveless cash grab instead of a better Hammerwatch.”