Hydraulic Empire
- July 31, 2015
- Batholith Entertainment
Get on Steam"Hydraulic Empire" is a Tower Defense game with RPG elements, offering over 20 levels, 10 mobs and towers, and a builder that levels up. Its unique features include strategic mob interactions, persistent upgrades, and RPG elements, providing an estimated 15 hours of gameplay at launch.
Reviews
- The game features a good variety of towers and enemies, providing engaging gameplay for tower defense fans.
- The unique mechanics, such as shaping enemy paths and having a controllable hero, add depth to the traditional tower defense formula.
- The developer has shown commitment to improving the game based on player feedback, indicating potential for future updates.
- The game suffers from significant balancing issues, making some levels frustratingly difficult and requiring specific tower placements to succeed.
- There are numerous technical problems, including glitches with sound and graphics, as well as issues with saving progress and high scores.
- The upgrade system is painfully slow and offers minimal improvements, leading to a grind that detracts from the overall experience.
- graphics14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as colorful and detailed but ultimately feel dated and poorly implemented, with issues such as a lack of depth and shadows, difficulty in distinguishing elements on screen, and a cluttered visual presentation. Players report technical problems, including crashes and inadequate resolution options, which detract from the overall experience. While some aspects of the graphics are appreciated, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, leading to frustration during gameplay.
“The graphics are detailed and colorful, but they lack depth and shadows; I cannot choose resolutions under 1072 px.”
“Graphics are fine, music is great.”
“This feature is also well done graphically, which makes it all the more interesting.”
“Everything is subpar: the graphics, gameplay, balance, UI, etc. You're better off playing Bloons TD or something like that.”
“The graphics are detailed and colorful, but they lack depth and shadows; you cannot choose resolutions under 1072 px.”
“The graphics are too busy, and it can be difficult to distinguish whether a bunch of colors on a hex represents live mobs or dead bodies.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the solid mechanics and RPG elements that enhance tower upgrades and engagement, while others criticize the poor implementation, including issues with graphics, controls, and balance. Although the game features a hero and various towers, many players find the overall experience lacking compared to other tower defense games, citing slow movement, difficulty in distinguishing elements, and inadequate rewards as significant drawbacks.
“The mechanics are good, with a hero, 10 kinds of towers, upgrades, and customizations.”
“The gameplay is spot on.”
“There is no major innovation in the system and the stages and enemies are just varied enough, but the mechanics are solid and the challenge level is just about right.”
“Everything is subpar: the graphics, gameplay, balance, UI, etc. You're better off playing Bloons TD or something like that.”
“The gameplay is poorly implemented and ruins the fun: it cannot fit in full screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, sometimes crashes due to graphic card abuse even on medium quality, has few zoom options, and a too slow side displacement. The hero is slow, which is needed to build every tower, making it difficult to distinguish from the background and aim. Towers don't change when upgrading, foes are too speedy, and the rewards for killing them are poor.”
“The gameplay is worse than some mediocre tower defense games for browsers.”
- story10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as simple and lacking depth, with some reviewers noting that it doesn't significantly enhance the gameplay experience. While there are RPG elements and a talent system for character progression, the presentation of the story and the impact of upgrades are considered underwhelming. Overall, players seem to prioritize gameplay mechanics over the narrative itself.
“The storyline is simple, but I don't play for that :)”
“+ RPG elements which reward replays of earlier missions without feeling like a grind.”
“The lead developer was a different story.”
“- the story, and the presentation of it, isn't much to write home about really.”
“Storyline is simple, but I don't play for that :)”
“- just like the story, it's also difficult to see what exactly those talents/upgrades you can choose between missions will actually do for you in the game.”
- music8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many users reporting issues such as glitchy sound effects, lackluster tracks, and an inability to adjust volume levels. Critics describe the music as annoying and reminiscent of royalty-free elevator tunes, contributing to an overall poor audio experience that detracts from gameplay. While some users noted that the graphics are acceptable, the audio problems overshadow any positive aspects of the music.
“Graphics are fine, music is great.”
“While it runs, sounds and music degenerate into awful noises due to a software error.”
“Annoying music has no separate volume control.”
“The music is also pretty lackluster.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have mixed feelings about grinding, with some finding it challenging while others consider it excessively tedious, particularly when required to replay levels repeatedly.
“While some may find this challenging, I found it tedious in the extreme - playing a level over and over.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“I spent hours doing the same tasks, and it quickly became a chore rather than fun.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have reported significant stability issues with the game, citing frequent glitches that detract from the overall experience.
“The other issue with this game is the glitches.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the experience.”
