Hammerwatch (2013)

I loved Hammerwatch II's fighting and gameplay, but the lacklustre narrative, unrewarding sidequests, and uninformative quests and world traversal leave much to be desired.

Hammerwatch 2 is a delightful enough RPG romp held back by some issues that seem to cling stubbornly to the era that inspired it.

Hammerwatch II gets into the meat of its gameplay right away. I loved looking for better gear and never felt like I wasn't progressing toward something the entire time I played. I also loved the freedom to do side-quests when I wanted, no longer beholden to the linear story of the first Hammerwatch. Is it hard? You better believe it, but with multiple difficulty settings to choose from, anyone who is interested in Hammerwatch II won't have a problem getting into the game. With so many new RPG games this year, it's easy to see how Hammerwatch II could go unnoticed. While it might not look different, I challange anyone who is into the genre to spend two hours playing and not want to play more. If the developer can fix a couple of minor issues, like group loot in multiplayer games, this will hopefully find some legs to go the distance I feel it can.

Hammerwatch is quite good looking, nice sounding ordinary, if not limited, hack & slash. Perfect for half an hour of mass murdering of worms and skeletons, but the game lacks content for a longer session.

I would argue that Hammerwatch is best experienced with a group of like-minded adventurers. There’s far more fun to be found in the chaotic mayhem of heroically charging down a corridor together, slinging spells at your enemies, cutting them down to size and knocking back an arrow or two, compared to when having to endure the game’s repetitive design alone. There are enough successes to consider a purchase, and even more so once online support arrives.