Hammerwatch

 PC
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Games Master UK
    Sep 18, 2013
    77
    Exploring dungeons, gathering loot and puzzling your way through the provided arenas is banter baiting fun, however. [Nov 2013, p.75]
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  2. GameFront
    Aug 19, 2013
    75
    Hammerwatch is good fun if you can looks past its armor chinks, and especially if you dig the kind of old school challenges it dishes out on the later levels.
  3. PC Gamer UK
    Nov 6, 2013
    70
    It's great to revisit the dungeon crawler genre's crude beginnings, but don't go alone. [Dec 2013, p.89]
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  5. Eurogamer
    Sep 24, 2013
    70
    There's precious little depth lurking in Hammerwatch, then, but if you've got a few friends handy or are willing to wait around online for the worryingly small community to make itself known, this is genuine old-fashioned skeleton-bashing with a gloriously tidal approach to chucking in the enemies.
  6. Destructoid
    Sep 4, 2013
    70
    The deciding factor for Hammerwatch depends on if you’re planning on playing it cooperatively. If you've got a buddy or two who would play through the game with you and you enjoy some mindless hacking and/or slashing, then it will not disappoint.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 114
  3. Negative: 13 out of 114
  1. Thorstoned
    Aug 15, 2013
    10
    A blast from the past!

    This game has kept me in front of the screen for far too long. I don't understand the negative reviews; it's obvious    A blast from the past!

    This game has kept me in front of the screen for far too long. I don't understand the negative reviews; it's obvious what kind of game this is, even before you buy it an old school, pixelated action RPG. The controls are perfect in my eyes, WASD to run and arrow keys to do everything else.

    Now I've never played Gauntlet, nor have I played any other game that is even remotely close to this, all I know is that this was BOUNDS of fun. There's never a dull moment. It's an intense, unforgiving hack and slash jewel. Finding secret areas in a game has never felt so rewarding (keep your eyes open!).

    The game is challenging, especially while you get used to it. Unless you turn on 'crutches' like infinite lives, you only have a set amount of extra lives before it's game over. This just makes it that much more rewarding to finally beat that boss and progress into the next level.

    Complex level design, exhilarating puzzles, fast-paced action, online co-op (personally only played single-player) and hours of focus makes this one a must-own in my book, especially considering the cheap price tag.

    I'm sitting here trying to think of cons, to create a more balanced review, but I'm honestly struggling to find any. I'll let other users take care of that part, it seems like that is something people like to do. I'm going to play some more.    … Full Review »
  2. Boonah
    Aug 15, 2013
    8
    This is very much like the old game "Gauntlet" roam around a dungeon killing monsters and opening chests. It's not particularly deep orThis is very much like the old game "Gauntlet" roam around a dungeon killing monsters and opening chests. It's not particularly deep or complex but what do you expect from the price?

    Solid value for money.

    8/10    … Full Review »
  3. Cloud73
    Aug 15, 2013
    7
    I saw this game being advertised on Steam, and decided that I liked the immediate aesthetic vibe I got from it. The sprite work and gameplayI saw this game being advertised on Steam, and decided that I liked the immediate aesthetic vibe I got from it. The sprite work and gameplay video impressed me. Therefore, I went ahead and purchased it.

    My only experience so far in this game is with the singleplayer mode, but I've come to the conclusion that this is not the optimum method of playing the game. I say this because progression in this game is largely dependent upon slaying enemies who come in massive droves, and upon the time-tested "find the key" method of exploration. The second problem actually would not be a problem for singleplayer, if only the keys weren't made of buttons placed at opposite ends of the absurdly large maps. Normally, every door needs four buttons to be pushed, and guess what? This game supports four player coop!

    Now, that's not to say that the movement speed was an issue. In fact, I found the general control of the game to be rather smooth and enjoyable. Controls are mappable to keyboard or controller, and I would personally recommend a controller to get the most from it. Keyboard is certainly functional, but this is almost certainly a game for abnegating and relaxing with, at least until you reach a boss. I'll talk about the first boss I fought in a moment.

    When choosing a character, I played a paladin, one of four classes that can be selected and the only one that appeared to be a melee user. The game is not particularly suited to melee users, or at least it wasn't in my limited experience. Many enemies I confronted either charged immediately onto my sword or shot so many projectiles that I might have just as well been holding a stick. Your shield is supposed to protect you from "most" projectile attacks, but I found myself hurting for a health snack every time one of their particular spawn points needed destroying. I would suggest for you to use another character, but I don't know for certain how the other characters are balanced out, so go with what you think you'd prefer.

    The weaknesses of the character I chose were also apparent after the first boss I fought. Without giving too much away, the fight largely consists of running behind pillars every time the boss uses his own attack, but since I had a melee character, I had to watch carefully for the boss to give his "I'm about to really hurt you" tell. If I missed the tell, there wasn't nearly enough time for me to run away. Again, I'm led to believe that a different character would have been more fortunate in this fight, but so would having three other team members been to help me blast his face in. I actually think that the boss fight was rather fun, despite how my description might paint it, but if I haven't made this completely clear yet... THE GAME... IS... MULTIPLAYER. Grab your friends, family, or even the dog, but don't play this game alone!

    I actually think this game does not deserve any of the bad ratings it's getting. The game's options are available and comprehensive enough for what the game demands, and the gameplay is well made. The graphics are nicely done, though I hope you have other people to help you speed through the levels because they are slightly repetitive for the size of each map. There's a level editor for people who like that sort of thing, and the leveling options are each useful in their way. You have my sincerest recommendations.

    Grab this game to enjoy with friends and for the last time, I'm serious. Play it with friends.    … Full Review »
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