Heroes of Hammerwatch Review (PS5)

Written by Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong

Title: Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition
Developer: Crackshell
Publisher: Blitworks
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG, Multiplayer
Price: $19.99

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Crackshell’s Heroes of Hammerwatch is every bit the roguelite gamers expect it to be. With randomized levels, stylized pixel art, and an addictive gameplay loop revolving around exploration and combat, complete attention is all but assured in the first runup until the unfortunately inevitable demise. The key is to try and try, again and again, until success enables progression.

Such is the fate of all Heroes of Hammerwatch players, and now, with the release of Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition, everything’s gotten even crazier than before.

In Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition, gamers get to live, explore, die, and rinse and repeat. Survival relies on both the skill to dodge attacks and the capacity to make use to equipment that can be scavenged during each run. Waves of enemies litter the road to bosses at the end of each level, with necessary looting in between. And, make no mistake, not getting lost in the labyrinthine design is a requisite.

Which, in Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition, is easier said than done. Gamers choose from one of four classes, and then march off in search of adventure, perusing dark caverns, forgotten dungeons and sandy deserts. Levels are procedurally generated, so runs will always feature different layouts, offering a unique experience each time. As exploration goes deeper into each stage, the soundtrack blares its catchy beats aid battles that grow ever more dangerous. Honestly, it's quite addicting, and while the base experience is somewhat simple, it's a game that never feels lacking.

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition manages to sustain interest with its outstanding level design. With a decent selection of weapons to choose from and myriad special abilities to unlock and use, gamers are treated to a ton of variety. And if that’s not enough, each run in the dungeon crawler nets resources that go to equipment level-ups, ensuring better preparations for the next run. And so on. Even the losses feel like an accomplishment. Regardless of the outcome of runs, progress is evidently made – and until the final boss awaits.

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition adds a plethora of goodies outside of the base content for gamers to enjoy. There’s more to explore in the form of additional levels, an extra class to play with, a brand new campaign to get immersed in, and updates that definitely amp up the fun factor. It’s by no means deep, but it sure is entertaining as heck.

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition doesn’t really have any flaws that stand out. A minor gripe, though: It plays completely safe in its mechanics. The art is lovely, the gameplay is solid, and the overall experience is enjoyable, but fans of the genre who are looking for something unique might be disappointed. It’s a brilliant, addictive game, but it's not a genre trendsetter. Still, it delivers in spades a solid, dungeon-crawling, roguelite actioner. It might not reinvent the wheel, but it gives an enjoyable ride from start to finish.

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THE GOOD

• Simple, addictive gameplay loop
• High replay value, with a lot of unique content to explore
• Frantic, enjoyable cooperative play

THE BAD

• Nothing particularly unique in its mechanics
• Lots of content, but most of it repetitive in nature due to its rogue-like, dungeon crawling gameplay
• Can sometime feel unfair due to the nature of procedural generation

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RATING: 8.5/10

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