Heroes of Hammerwatch is a Rogue-lite RPG game and a sequel to Hammerwatch released in 2013. The sequel continues in the same universe and expands on what the previous game had established.
Experience the game with friends, upgrade your character and town along the way experiencing some action-packed retro-style gameplay.
Get Ready for the Ultimate Experience
Heroes of Hammerwatch is a game developed by Crackshell, an indie company consisted of 5 people located in Stockholm, Sweden. The port of the game was done by Blitworks, who have ported gems like Jet Set Radio, Spelunky, Bastion, Don’t Starve, and many more. This is seen in the butter smooth frame rate the game runs on the Switch
The console release of this game is the Ultimate edition. This comes with all 3 previously released DLCs (Witch Hunter, Pyramid of Prophecy, and Moon Temple). These DLCs give more areas to explore, 2 new game modes and classes, additional skills, items and many more things.
Heroes of Hammerwatch goes for the pixel art style which might not be everybody’s taste but is executed well with the use of color and special effects like falling snow. One complaint I have about the graphics is how far everything is zoomed out when playing. This gives a better map overview but makes it harder to see what is going on. Especially when playing from either farther away or on a smaller screen like the Switch Lite or regular Switch in handheld mode
Rogue at its finest
The game supports up to 4 player Online Co-op which is a big plus. If you don’t have friends to play with, you can also play with strangers online as well as of course the option to play alone which is also a worthwhile experience
The game differs from games like Enter the Gungeon and Binding of Isaac, in the fact that there are persistent character and general game progression between dungeons. As you play through the dungeons different type of loot is gathered which is needed to upgrade your town and characters. Your character also gains experience, gaining stats and becoming more powerful as they level up, which gives it a more RPG feel. This makes it feel more like you are accomplishing more which makes the game feel more fulfilling and wanting me to come back to it more. But can also make it feel more like a grind to get through the game. There are so many upgrades that can be done you will be playing for days on end.
Play it your way
The game offers 9 characters, some as an unlock, to suit your playstyle. These classes range from Melee, ranged and warlock, to things like Witch hunter and thief. Once the class is selected it can’t be changed within the town. You need to create another profile and select it from the main menu. Your gold, ores, and upgrades carry over, so no need to worry there.
Customize your warrior as you see fit. Choose your skin-, hair-, armor color, and many more. Some options are unlocked from the start but other options like trails, frames, and many more can be unlocked.
Tackling the dungeons
The game has procedurally generated levels as many Rogue-like/lite games. The enemies you encounter and the difficulty depend on the type of dungeon you enter. Besides the mines, which is the easiest dungeon, there are for instance the Arena, Desert, Moon Temple.
At the start, you have 2 weapons/abilities to use, with a total of 4 slots when you unlock them. The first weapon is your standard weapon, it doesn’t deplete mana. The other slots will deplete mana but are especially handy against stronger enemies and swarms of enemies attacking at once. It is also important to drop off the loot you got because when you die, you lose all the loot you gained. The game plays as you expect. The game uses the left stick to walk and the right stick to aim while the triggers and bumpers are used for your weapons/skills.
Traversing the dungeon floors is kind of slow. Walk speed isn’t that high and when the floor is completed no fast travel, you need to walk your way over there. The game lacks a story to get involved with the characters but that it doesn’t take away from the gameplay which is the main appeal anyways.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of the Rogue-lite genre this is a solid game to pick-up. Although the game lacks real story, the game is most likely bought for the endless replay value and 4P Co-op. The pixel art style is really charming but is not loved by everyone. With upgrading your characters and town and containing all 3 previously released DLCs, there is no lack of things to do. This game is definitely worth your money
