Heroes of Hammerwatch

I've playded ridiculous amounts of the original Hammerwatch. Usually couch co-op, and got many others hooked on it. This one is a poor follow-up. I'd heard about the lack of local co-op and procedurally generated maps so I put off getting it until it was on enough of a sale; probably shouldn't have bothered as it's also been changed to a twin stick shooter (move with one stick, aim with the other) with no obvious option to change it to match the controls of the original Hammerwatch. This makes it unenjoyable for me. Oddly enough, the first game was perfect and the second does the opposite of everything that made the first game so good. No local co-op, procedurally generated maps, and twin stick controls only. Boo.

I play single-player games, and when I found out that another Hammerwatch game had been made, I had to try it. This game is similar to the original, with a bit more focus on the progression and procedurally generated levels. The game is difficult at first, but becomes easier as you upgrade your character. It's been fun to go through the dungeon repeatedly, getting stronger and farther each time. It would be nice to have a DRM-free Linux version of this game, eventually, even if it's just single-player.

I like many aspects of it, it's a great game if you're into something like Gauntlet, and it has a lot of ways to spice up the same gameplay and add or reduce challenge in direct or indirect ways and the multiplayer works in its favor That being said, it has a lot of issues, the game can be extremely difficult for how simple it is, and while you can grind to make it easier, it will still continue to escalate as you progress, so you will keep grinding, for more ore, more gold, more tavern drinks, more crafting recipies, leveling more characters for guild bonuses, it's nonstop grinding with the intention that you will die a lot and keep replaying In the end once you've mostly finished grinding, you'll realize there really isn't *that* much to the game, even with the DLC there's no open world or story, you're just doing the same dungeon or DLC dungeon over and over. Fun while it lasts and killed a decent amount of time enjoying it but not for everyone.

The game is insanely hard to level on 1 player. I have hardly managed to reach lvl 8 and need to grind like crazy for the next upgrades. To level up my character I have to go through an almost identical dungeon again and again which is also very boring, to say the least. I understand that the difficulty might satisfy hardcore players but in that case a difficulty setting would do the trick.

This is a great game, the roguelite elements really complement the Hammerwatch formula. It's fun, addicting, and very challenging. If you don't like a good challenge you're best to shy away and go play something else. The only real negatives are no lan, no linux because of GoG and their terrible lack of linux Galaxy support, and no direct IP option.