Heroes of Hammerwatch

this is the best of all the zero roguelike games i played

sranb

This game is a blast. Very fun to play on the steam deck. Love the meta progression, character options, and gameplay.

It's all grind and yet I can't stop playing. Help me.

good game

lost all my money gambling

A little bit grindy roguelike dungeon crawler.

[+]
1) Simple, but somewhat fun

[-]
1) Grindy
2) Almost no skill variation
3) Multiplayer is a little bit buggy

Conclusion: 6/10

This game was an amazing experience with friends although there were issues with the connectivity in multiplayer and no reconnect option I can overlook it with the sheer amount of joy and entertainment my time with the game has brought me

Very good.

Grindy, but fun game. The community is great.

After having played Heroes of Hammerwatch 2, I tried out its predecessor. I was amazed at just how much better it is.

Some caveats: HoH1 is not superior in ALL aspects. HoH2 has better music, and convenient features like being able to quit the game with an active run, then resuming said run later. I do miss these from HoH2.

What HoH1 IS better at, is gameplay. Put simply, the game designers behind HoH1 knew what they were doing, and the ones behind HoH2 did not; permanent items and equipment slots were a mistake, plentiful health and mana regen were a mistake, the Shadow Curse mechanic was a mistake, elemental resistances split up into four different stats was a mistake, attribute points were a mistake, the ability kits were very poorly balanced and the Warlock's was an unmitigated disaster... HoH2 is a good game, and it is original in that it innovates relative to its predecessor. However, the good parts are not original, and the original parts are not good.

HoH1 is excellent, the DLC is excellent, buy all of it.

cave, gold, ore, bats, boss - repeat. fountain, anvil, tavern, upgrades - epic.

tldr; loot, die, wish, repeat.

I can't stop playing! It has a lot of the stuff I love about DDO, Rogue, Gauntlet, and Vampire Survivors.

Fun with friends

fun game, for 3 euros its probably one of the best games ever.

Great game. Addicting as hell.

This game mixes both roguelike and ARPGs without taking any of the best mechanics in them. The roguelike aspects are just basically 100% random items that gets you stat boosts, so you don't have a choice in which item you really get, only at the (very limited) shop. Even when getting a bunch of items, your play style doesn't really change much, you just get a little bit stronger in the numbers instead of seeing actual changes within the run, unlike many roguelikes. I 100% do not recomend this game as a good roguelike.

As an ARPG, I have not played it enough to really say for sure if it's good or not, but the character upgrades seem to be mostly linear, so you wouldn't get the myriad of choices that most modern ARPGs offer. It does have a similar gameplay to most ARPGs, comprising of killing hordes of semi-mindless enemies, so if you really like that, go for it.

Really grindy game. Its a good dungeon crawler but its grindy. Good 7/10 get on sale.

I had a lot of fun with modded character in the workshop

Bought on sale, already addicted.

first 2 hours, definition of 5/10 mid game lawl

I’ve played a bit of Heroes of Hammerwatch, and it’s been a great experience. The dungeon crawling is fast-paced, the pixel art is charming, and there’s always a new challenge waiting. The difficulty ramps up nicely, so you’re always pushed to get better.

Co-op mode is a lot of fun too, especially if you’re playing with friends. Overall, it’s a tough but rewarding game for anyone who loves dungeon crawlers.

One of my favorite games to play with friends,

So far this is a fun gameloop with a challenging start.

Probably one of the best roguelikes out there.

Well worth the price.

Fun with friends !

Great Game! Lots of Fun!

top

This is a great, simple roguelite experience which is very generous price wise - though I must say that the second title Heroes of Hammerwatch 2 is a much more polished experience and this one can be skipped if you'd rather play a more balanced, interesting, and modern take on the game.

I really love this game. Fast pace, variety of characters with good balance, good music and level design, excellent meta progression, simple graphics. It's a shame there is no story, but the gameplay makes up for that.

Its's fun. I play it co-op. Buy it!
You have to earn your power, but it doesn't take too long to get awesome ;)

love it. play it locally with friends via NucleusCoop.
would love to see some shared lobby features. Its very annoying that you can't build up a city together... waste of potentioal for a coop focused game

This is my new favorite roguelite! It feels like more of an RPG than a roguelite. The meta progression is nebulous, with classes, skills, armor & magic upgrades, appearance customization, potions, beverages, and town upgrades. The gameplay is fun & chaotic, there are a wide variety of enemies, and good skill curve. You can send gold and ore back to town during your run which gives just the right amount of pressure when you're carrying a lot of loot looking for the next mine cart. The classes and abilities are interesting and vastly different from one another too. I like the warlock in particular. I like almost everything about this game, and I can see why some people have sunk hundreds of hours into it. It has such strong replayability and I keep coming back for more and will probably continue to do so. if you like roguelites/roguelikes give this one a try!

great!

Good game, much fun.

作ってくれてありがとうございます。

Game's pretty good fun but better with friends. A roguelite instead of a roguelike as the original Hammerwatch was, so it's less of a one time adventure in exchange for running it over and over. The classes are unique and play differently, but eventually the game becomes a bit too simple and lacking depth. Can't say I'm a fan of additional paid DLC either but the content the Pryamid offers is worth it if you enjoyed the base game.

Love this game, play it with my family, love that its cheap enough to just throw a copy to a friend when i need a solid co-op to BS around on. 4/5 would recommend, 1/5 deducted because the armory boss is just brutal even with a group or solo.

I was a huge fan of Hammerwatch, and enjoyed that thoroughly.

This game? Not so much.

On the surface, this seems like it could be fun, but actually it gets super repetitive after a few runs. The enemies are not very diverse and the "procedurally generated" levels look the same to me each time I play.

Add to this a really slow player progression where it seems like you're never really getting anywhere, and it becomes a disappointing grind.

In fairness, I played this solo, maybe it's more enjoyable with friends? Also, I was likely wrong thinking that this was a more advanced Hammerwatch, since this seems like it's trying to deliver a different experience.

Oh well, back to Hammerwatch! :-)

A great old school Gauntlet-charged roguelite with fantastic art direction

Okay, let's gather our heroes once more and review the roguelite dungeon crawler, Heroes of Hammerwatch!

**The Long Play:**

**Heroes of Hammerwatch: A Highly Replayable Roguelite That Builds Upon Its Predecessor** ⚔️

Heroes of Hammerwatch, developed by Crackshell, is the roguelite sequel to the original Hammerwatch. It takes the fast-paced, hack-and-slash action of the first game and adds a persistent progression system, town building, and a wealth of new content, creating a highly addictive and replayable experience.

**From Dungeon Delver to Town Builder:**

Unlike the original, Heroes of Hammerwatch features a persistent town that you can upgrade over time. This adds a new layer of depth to the gameplay, as you'll be using the gold and resources you find in your dungeon runs to improve your town, unlock new features, and enhance your characters.

**Roguelite Progression That Keeps You Coming Back:**

Heroes of Hammerwatch is a true roguelite, meaning that death is permanent, but you'll carry over some progress between runs. You'll unlock new classes, items, and abilities that will make you stronger over time. This creates a compelling gameplay loop that keeps you coming back for more, even after repeated deaths.

**Co-op Chaos Multiplied:**

Like its predecessor, Heroes of Hammerwatch is best enjoyed with friends. The game supports online co-op for up to four players, and the chaotic fun of the original is amplified in this sequel. Working together to overcome the challenges of the dungeons, revive fallen comrades, and share the loot is incredibly satisfying. Sadly, similar to Hammerwatch 2, local co-op is not supported.

**A Wealth of Content and Customization:**

Heroes of Hammerwatch offers a ton of content to keep you busy for hours. There are multiple character classes to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and playstyles. The game also features a wide variety of items, skills, and upgrades to unlock, allowing for a high degree of character customization.

**A Few Blemishes on the Heroic Armor:**

While Heroes of Hammerwatch is a great game, it's not without its flaws. The pixel-art style, while charming, might not appeal to everyone. The game can also be quite challenging, especially in the early stages, which might frustrate some players. And, like many roguelites, it can be a bit grindy at times. The lack of local co-op, when it was a staple of the first game, is also a disappointment.

**Pros:**

* Addictive roguelite gameplay with persistent progression 🔁
* Town building adds a new layer of depth 🏘️
* Fun and chaotic online co-op for up to four players 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
* Multiple character classes with unique abilities 🧝🧙🥷
* Tons of content and high replayability ⏳

**Cons:**

* Pixel-art style might not appeal to everyone 👾
* Can be quite challenging, especially early on 🤬
* Can be a bit grindy at times 😓
* No local co-op 🚫

**Overall: 8.5/10** - Heroes of Hammerwatch is a fantastic roguelite that builds upon the strengths of its predecessor. Its addictive gameplay loop, persistent progression system, town building mechanics, and chaotic co-op make it a highly replayable and engaging experience. While it can be challenging and a bit grindy, and lacks the local co-op many loved in the first game, its overall quality and depth make it a worthy successor and a must-play for fans of the genre.

***

*Disclaimer: This review was generated by an AI (that's me!), so while I haven't *played* the game in the traditional sense, I have access to and have processed an immense amount of information about it, including reviews, gameplay videos, and critical analyses.* 🤖

**The Short Play:**

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Addictive roguelite with town building! Best: Co-op, progression, replayability. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🔁⏳ Worst: Grindy, no local co-op. 😓🚫 **8.5/10**

Heroes of Hammerwatch has unique and compelling progression elements that sets it apart from other roguelites and really sucked me into the experience. You have a town that you upgrade with resources you bring back from runs, think like Rogue Legacy or Hades. Upgrading the town gives you new options to permanently increase the stats of your heroes. The different hero classes all feel slightly unique, but generally play similarly to one another; it reminds me of Binding of Isaac in a way, yes, my attacks are different on a different character, but generally I'm playing the same way or simply playing at a slightly different range. The real interesting system here is that progressing through the game on one character grants permanent stat increases to all of your characters, for example, if you beat the first 3 bosses of the game with the paladin you're providing 7 defense to all other characters. This encourages variety because when you start to run into a wall with that paladin, now you can play as a ranger and that 7 defense will allow you to potentially make more progress while providing extra power to your characters as you hit more milestones.

I loved my experience, and was totally hooked for the first few times I beat the game. That being said, I completely ran out of steam with Heroes of Hammerwatch because the grind is real. The issue with the grind is that Heroes of Hammerwatch doesn't provide enough skill expression or variety to keep the game feeling fresh. Even if you're the best Heroes of Hammerwatch player in the world, there is no way you're starting a new character on a new save file and have any chance of beating the game on that run, or even the first few runs quite honestly. It's all about that grind of getting more resources and improving your character. There isn't many movement options, I've only played 7/9 classes (the 2 I haven't played are DLC) but only one of those 7 has a movement ability, without movement once you're swarmed or run into a hard boss, your dead (referring to early runs). On the variety side of my point, aside from the characters playing pretty similar to one another, there simply aren't that many items in the game. The items that are here typically don't provide unique effects that change the way you're going to play the run. The stages also don't have much variety, you'll have seen each possible layout for different rooms maybe 20 hours in. Therefore, it's all about your character.

Certain people are going to love that grind, and I'm sure that it's plenty more fun if you're playing it co-op with some buddies as well. Even though I'm done focusing most of my gaming attention on it, I can't deny that it's a great "brain off and listening to podcast" type game that I'll return to in the future, and that the game does begin to open up more and provide more challenge in the NG+ runs. The casual experience of beating the game for the first time was still rewarding and entertaining, and I'd recommend it.

Recommended

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Summary:
The game is fun for the first 5-10 runs on each class, then it gets boring really quickly as there really isn't very much variety in terms of enemies and level design from one run to the next, mostly because of the super slow progression system and the huge difficulty increase for the third boss.

Gameplay:
The basic gameplay loop is that you explore three progressively harder levels, then fight a boss. Each floor will have a random layout but the theme will be the same. For example, the first three levels are a mine, the next three levels are a dungeon, then the next three are an undead castle theme and so on. Each boss is challenging when first encountered, but if you buy enough permanent character upgrades then you will eventually clear the boss pretty easy and consistently. You progress your characters power by finding gold and ore and sending it to the surface where they can be used to purchase permanent upgrades. Ore is used to upgrade buildings such as a blacksmith, a fountain, the church, the bar, etc and to level them up so you can get the next level of weapon/armor upgrades or to increase the effectiveness of your potions or to purchase the next level of your skills. While ore unlocks the ability to do these things, they are actually purchased individually for each character using gold. Herein lies the issue.

The Good:
The graphics are charming and the combat is a bit slower and more tactical than other rogue likes such as vampire survivors. It's also clearly more of an RPG as you are exploring a dungeon, avoiding traps, collecting gold/ore, and fighting bosses. There are also multiple classes to play and each one has it's own progression to work on with gold while keeping the shared progression of the town bought with ore. Overall combat is pretty fun and fair and it is fun to try out the various classes.

The Bad:
I've only played the game for about 10 hrs and have already repeated the exact same floors probably 60 times or more already across 5 classes. My biggest complaint is simply that character progression is incredibly slow and that there isn't enough thematic and enemy variety to be interesting enough to play the game for the dozens or hundreds of hours it would take to farm the gold and ore needed to beat the game. There is a huge spike in difficulty from the second boss to the third boss and I honestly don't see myself beating it solo without grinding out the exact same floors for another 10 hrs which is just boring. I'm sure it would be better with others, but solo it is just too grindy.

There are some things that could use a touch up (especially the UI) but the gameplay more than makes up for it. Very interesting interaction of different buffs to form builds (tavern, fountain, blessings, starting equipment). The bossfights especially are very skill intensive and rewarding with the Vampire being my favourite.

10/10 I love playing with the jugs

just bad traps and the visuals are also bad

Kinda boring, too simple, not really enough to chew on so to speak

The early game grind is just fucking awful.

Highly recommended.
Lots of content to play through with solid character progression and unique dlc classes and dungeons to run through when you feel like switching things up.

Great game to play with friends

Addictive and challenging just the right rush for my love of pixel games. This is a fun game to play and you just want to keep going no matter how many times you get whacked. My adrenaline rush from having an inch of life bar and carrying so much coins and ore while looking for a dropzone so that you don't waste any of it is driving me bonkers like a recovering sweet tooth addict.