As much as I like a good and solid plot, do you know what else I like? Trawling through dungeons and killing bosses. I know, I’m a girl with simple needs.
But still, I like to see some form of progress. Better stats, new equipment, something.
Enter Heroes of Hammerwatch, CrackShell’s co-op rogue-lite from 2018.
You play as an aspiring hero in the very run-down town of Hammerwatch. Buildings have been closed, the fountain has run dry, even the priest has abandoned you! But why? Maybe because of all the monsters living in the mines which are in the middle of town.
Drag your friends online to build a band of four eager adventurers, trying to right these wrongs and rebuild Hammerwatch into something wonderful.
Go through the mines, killing the enemies and finding the lift to the next level. That sounds okay, how hard can it be? Well, pretty hard. Doesn’t help that every floor seems to contain lethal traps in random places – from raising floor spikes to arrows being shot periodically out of holes in the walls. How did miners work in these conditions. May need to start a union…
I digress. Grab your gold and ore as you navigate the procedurally generated floors, and put them onto the pulley top take to the bank in town. But remember to spend it when you return, because taxation is a bitch. Unless you have papers of nobility, of course. The rich don’t pay taxes!
Taxation or not, send that gold and ore back. You need it, and if you die with your gold it gets left in the mines. Lost forever. You died in vain.
And when you die, the game will let you know exactly how useless you are.
So, what do you do with the ore that you definitely saved? You use it to rebuild Hammerwatch. Go to the Town Hall (one of the buildings you can actually access) and buy & upgrade town features. These will stay with you across your characters.
The items you bought? Well, you leave those in the mine every run, never to be seen again.
Like all rogue-lites, Heroes of Hammerwatch hates you. And like all rogue-lites, you probably love the game regardless.
We Could Be Heroes
Thank you for reading, and I’m sorry for disappearing! I’ll be writing more regularly from now on, I promise.
If you would like to be a hero of Hammerwatch, the game is available on PC and console (including Switch!) – find the links below. The PC link will take you to Humble Bundle, where I am a Humble Partner. This means when you buy through the link provided, I get a little ‘thank you’ from Humble Bundle.
PC | PS4 | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch
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