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Hammerwatch II
Released On: Aug 15, 2023
67
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
67
33% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
67% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
67
33% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
67% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
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.
The sense of fun and the joy of discovery will surely please fans not only of the first game, but also of the classic RPG genre with pixel graphics. The difficulty can be off-putting at times, as can the occasional wandering, but if you like retro, you'll forgive the game for its flaws.
A dungeon crawler that delves a little deeper into the "ruolistic" elements of the first Hammerwatch while still remaining too much on the surface and offering no particular creative flourishes. If you plan to play it alone be prepared for a fair amount of repetitiveness, but if you have a few friends on hand the fun rate is bound to go up quite a bit.
2023 is such a banner year for great games, but this is not one of them. It saddens me that I cannot recommend Hammerwatch II. It is, at best, enjoyable for a night or two with friends.
Hammerwatch II is stuck in the past, which is a shame, because with some added niceties or more thoughtful design, it has the potential to be as impactful as its predecessor. An unoriginal premise doesn’t have to kill a game’s narrative, but with text walls and inconsequential, filler phrasing, caring about this world is nearly impossible. Being a fan of Hammerwatch, I found this review hard to write. For the first time I can ever remember, I actually put off writing a review, because the idea of hammering (heh) this out brought discomfort. I take no joy in the negativity of this review, but I feel like would-be consumers need the information to make wise purchasing decisions and the developers need the feedback.
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.
There are times Hammerwatch II can be a lot of fun. Exploring massive dungeons and taking down hordes of enemies is usually a good time, and Hammerwatch II captures that, at least if you pick one of the right classes. I can see a group of friends with a well-balanced party having an excellent time with it, and that’s really who these games are for, first and foremost. Ultimately though, Hammerwatch II makes too many poor design choices for me to recommend it to most players. There’s a good game in here somewhere, but it’s buried under too many flaws.
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Summary Blight the Horrible and his dragon army have succeeded in the sinister plot to overthrow King Roland and bring destruction across the Kingdom of Herian. Not all is lost as hope hides deep within the sewer system, where the King's resistance movement holds strong. On the King's order, a select few of mighty and skilled heroes have been e...
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox One
Initial Release Date: Aug 15, 2023
Developer:
- Crackshell
Publisher: Modus Games
Genres:
