Hammerwatch (2013)

When I first played Hammerwatch, I did not expect much. Another indie game for a quick cash grab (yeah, I was that skeptical). But that soon changed the minute I advanced through the first level.

Hammerwatch is a simple yet fun Hack and Slash game. You kill monsters, collect copper, silver and gold pieces, level up your skills and defeat bosses, you know, classic stuff. Its fast gameplay is addicting, and I played half the game in my first session.

The game has challenging enemy encounters and mini bosses and a ton of stuff to kill and collect. The secrets are well hidden and reward you well for finding them. The Easter eggs are fun and refer to other games, my favorite being the Serious Sam Easter egg.

Hammerwatch is well balanced in terms of difficulty. It can be challenging, but it is not impossible to beat it (except for the survival mode with the Crystal Lich).

The graphics are nice, classic 8-bit style with a modern twist. The music is awesome, it fits perfectly in the levels and plays nicely in the background. The sound effects are satisfying and gives the feeling that you actually hit something or break something. For me this is important.

The added DLC level Temple of the Sun is also a ton of fun. In this small campaign you fight your way through a temple while avoiding traps. Also, you need to think more carefully which vendor you want to upgrade to higher levels to get the next tier upgrades because, there is limited ore you can distribute among them, a nice new mechanic. The new enemies are fun too and, in my opinion, harder than the original ones.

I enjoyed playing the game and earning the achievements. The only negative aspect in the game are, like some other games, the extreme grinding achievements where you need to kill or collect a sh!tton of beings taking you hours and hours.

But that aside, I certainly recommend Hammerwatch to anyone.