Spirits of the Hellements
- April 28, 2022
- Hippo Rider Games
Get on Steam"Spirits of the Hellements" is a tower defense game where you assemble legendary Spirits to defend against hordes of Hell. Your strategy lies in shaping the battlefield and creating a maze with Fire, Lightning, and Wind tiles to trap enemies and amplify your defenses. Each level presents a unique challenge, and mastering the use of Hellements' intense debuffs is key to success.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and engaging tower defense experience with a variety of mechanics, including mazing and elemental interactions that enhance strategy.
- Players appreciate the depth of gameplay, with multiple tower types, upgrade paths, and the ability to influence enemy paths, providing a high level of replayability.
- The developer is active and responsive to community feedback, which contributes to ongoing improvements and updates, making players feel valued and heard.
- Some players have reported performance issues, particularly with frame rates dropping during later stages, which can detract from the overall experience.
- The user interface has been criticized for being clunky and lacking essential information about tower stats and upgrades, making it difficult for players to make informed decisions.
- A few reviewers mentioned that the game can become repetitive after a while, with certain strategies working too well across multiple maps, leading to a lack of variety in gameplay.
- gameplay38 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its blend of familiar and innovative mechanics, particularly the blessed tile system and tower progression, which add depth and strategic variety to the tower defense experience. While some players find the introduction of new mechanics sluggish, the overall design is considered engaging and rewarding, with a good balance of accessibility for newcomers and challenge for veterans. The game offers solid replayability and encourages creative strategies, making it a standout in the genre.
“Amazing tower defense game with very cool mechanics, like buffs based on blessed tiles and tower ability tree unlocks.”
“You'll be playing and paying attention, and the gameplay systems are deep and extremely thoughtful.”
“A prime example of everything a tower defense game should be: unique, mechanically deep, and fun.”
“The attempt to introduce a novel mechanic by placing blessings on the map to influence enemy spawns feels sluggish and uninspiring compared to more dynamic approaches in other tower defense games.”
“It seems that many people have fond memories of Warcraft 3 tower defense, but I think it is more a case of 'absence making the heart grow fonder', as I have found most of the titles that reference back to that Warcraft 3 gameplay generally very bland.”
“Only con is lack of some info in-game but can be quickly seen through gameplay.”
- replayability17 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its unique tower upgrade mechanics, various difficulty levels, and the inclusion of randomness that enhances gameplay variety. Players appreciate the depth of strategy involved in maze design and unit upgrades, as well as the alternate layouts for maps, which contribute to a lasting engagement. However, some users note that replay value diminishes after unlocking all towers, suggesting a potential limit to long-term enjoyment.
“Great tower defense with a twist of randomness that does not feel unfair but gives the game good replayability.”
“There is an immense amount of replay value, as every map has an alternate, more difficult layout.”
“Between the upgrade choices, maze design, and the combo powers of elements with spirits, I think the game should have a pretty good amount of replayability.”
“But after 6-8 hours there is no replayability and it isn't fun once you unlock all the towers.”
“It has a decent amount of depth and replayability.”
“There are a number of great mechanics in play which truly make for countless replayability, based on what options you get at the end of each wave.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the polished and nostalgic art style reminiscent of Warcraft 3, while others criticize them as dated and lacking optimization, particularly during heavy particle effects. Although the visuals are generally appealing and contribute to smooth gameplay, performance issues and a lack of graphic settings detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are considered adequate for the genre, with some unique touches that enhance visual variety.
“The graphics, while mobile-ish, also have some great touches - the spirits/towers change in appearance depending on how you upgrade them, so you can have multiple towers of the same type yet they look very different.”
“Great art style, fun as hell.”
“Art style is very nostalgic and the animations on all of the units are really well done.”
“The graphics aren't going to blow you away, they're pretty dated looking.... but who comes to a defense game for graphics?”
“My only gripe is the lack of optimization; I got below 20 frames when the particle effects got heavy, and that really shouldn't be happening with my computer (i7-7700k, RTX 3070, 16GB DDR4 RAM). Additionally, there are no graphic settings to reduce bloom/particle/graphic load, which is kind of a bummer.”
“"Pretty" graphics is just a pulsing mess at later waves.”
- story7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and clarity, with many players noting that it feels minimal or non-existent compared to other titles in the genre. While some appreciate the focus on gameplay over narrative, others feel that a more developed story could enhance the overall experience. Overall, the consensus is that while the game is fun, it falls short in storytelling.
“A proper story would be a bonus, but in my opinion, it's better for the game to be solid and fun rather than focusing on cutscenes and narrative, especially with smaller developers.”
“I suppose I'm spoiled by tower defense games like Last Defense, where you have a major story, characters with depth, dialogue, and controllable heroes.”
“It's not as fun as Kingdom Rush, it's not as crazy as GemCraft sometimes, and has like zero story and is not as polished as it could be, but it still offers a ton of fun for many hours.”
“I'm not really sure what the story is, or was.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting abysmal performance and frame rates dropping below 20 during heavy particle effects, even on high-end systems. The lack of adjustable graphic settings to alleviate these issues further compounds the problem, overshadowing the otherwise solid gameplay experience. While some users noted smooth performance, the overall consensus highlights a pressing need for optimization improvements.
“Feels fresh and runs smoothly.”
“The only thing holding this back is the performance, which is abysmal.”
“My only gripe is the lack of optimization; I got below 20 frames when the particle effects got heavy, and that really shouldn't be happening with my computer (i7-7700k, RTX 3070, 16GB DDR4 RAM). Additionally, there are no graphic settings to reduce bloom, particle, or graphic load, which is kind of a bummer.”
“A solid TD with some interesting mechanics, but unfortunately poor to no optimization at the moment.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some praise the epic soundtrack and high production quality, others find it underwhelming and forgettable. Overall, it is considered a strong aspect of the game, though not without its shortcomings.
“The soundtrack is epic and feels amazing; one particular track really hit the spot.”
“High quality production, nice music; definitely one of the better tower defense games out there.”
“The music is meh; the animations are acceptable, the 'tower' designs are probably from a store somewhere and just ever so forgettable. The sound effects have no impact or oomph to them.”
“Music leaves a little to be desired, but that's okay.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits some minor bugs and glitches, particularly freezing issues during high stages in endless mode, which require a force shutdown to resolve. However, the developer is actively addressing these problems through regular patches and community engagement on Discord, indicating a commitment to improving stability.
“But it freezes a lot when playing endless mode after reaching a high stage. It freezes, and the only thing to do is force shutdown. I can't play endless mode :/”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding required in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it feels like a task that could take up a significant portion of one's life.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“Grinding takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
