Hammerwatch II review

Bigger isn’t always better

2013’s Hammerwatch was pretty much twin-stick-driven, dungeon-crawling perfection. Building on the basic blueprint of games like Gauntlet and Diablo, players used six traditional fantasy archetypes to eliminate enemies while amassing a fortune in gold. But rather than burdening you with scrutinizing stats, the focus was on straightforward simplicity, as parties of up to four players eliminated adversity lurking in each alcove.

Remarkably, 2018’s Heroes of Hammerwatch spun the franchise in a notable new direction. Here, the handmade stages gave way to procedural design, complementing a shift toward roguelike action. The emphasis here was on character progression. By using resources acquired from its depths, players could purchase town upgrades that could provide additional augmentation. The gameplay loop felt rather fulfilling, even if it departed from what made the original game so good.

Succinct Storytelling Isn’t the Issue

Five years later, Hammerwatch II is here, pushing the franchise toward open-world freedom. But instead of feeling innovative, the transition feels like the developers didn’t always have a clear-cut aspiration for this direct sequel. Factor in a control scheme that can feel half-baked, and you’ll probably want to wait and see if developer Crackshell can channel the enjoyment of the previous games.  Let’s hope some patching are coming, as there is potential.

The continuing Hammerwatch storyline witnesses Blight the Horrible and his dragon army conquering the Kingdom of Herian. But after one of the dragons is defeated, a prospect of hope emerges. From that speck of optimism, King Roland’s resistance demonstrates a renewed vigor, and they literally rise from the sewers to put a halt to this scaled-covered scourge. Soon, players are ushered into a modest character creation suite, where they’ll create a hero from one of the game’s five classes: Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Wizard, and Warlock. Each plays quite differently, as they progress through three distinct tiers of experience, earning the kind of new abilities that are customary for action role-playing heroes.

A Decision to Eliminate Most Amenities

Once you make it out of the drains, Hammerwatch II reveals an exponentially larger world than its predecessors. Although you’ll start on a modest island, even this preparatory landmass reveals a surprising density, as you venture downward into dungeons and hideouts, likely spending over an hour in its recesses. Interior venues can be multi-levered and they’re spacious enough that you’ll probably wish there were travel stations that could warp you back to town.

It’s evident that Crackshell wanted to endow Hammerwatch II with a sense of old-school exploration. Sure, there’s an in-game map, but its cartography isn’t detailed enough to rely on. Instead, you’ll wander, sometimes aimlessly, as you look for the item or entity to complete one of the numerous optional fetch quests. Often, the game won’t provide the name of the person or location you’re seeking. At one point, a child gives you a hand-drawn treasure map and you’ll realize this kind of ambiguous clue isn’t all that different from most of your routine assignments. But there are some interesting nuances. Whether it’s a wall that breaks apart suspiciously or a veiled doorway, Hammerwatch II occasionally obscures its entryways, making you work to find new areas.

Underdeveloped Ideas and Other Concerns

Although you’ll backtrack quite a bit, being able to stack multiple quests can alleviate some of the frustration. Yes, I’d got lost in subterranean spaces with frustrating frequency, but I’d also feel satisfaction when returning to the village and earning the dividends from of four simultaneous side-missions. Before venturing in, know that Hammerwatch II won’t send you doggedly chasing a waypoint indicator. Likely, you’ll want to play with online teammates with a knack for navigation, making a voice chat system essential. And even then, expect to get lost.

Hammerwatch II’s transition to an open world is accommodated by a superfluous day/night cycle. On the upside, this injects a bit of visual novelty, changing up some of the lighting and shading effects. But beyond this cosmetic change, the inclusion is irksome. Many NPCs and shops are closed at night, forcing you to spend gold for lodging until sunrise. I expected sundown to bring out new monsters or increase their levels of aggression. But seemingly, nighttime has little tangible effect on the world, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Disorientation+Deadlines=Disappointment

Sadly, Hammerwatch II handles time oddly in other areas as well. Some quests have rigid time limits, but the game habitually neglects to tell you or keep track of deadlines. More than a few times, I invested my recreational time hunting down requirements, only to be told I took too long. This was infuriating enough that I almost quit the game on at least two occasions.

Perhaps I overlooked things, as adversity itself isn’t well signaled. Even on the introductory island, it’s far too easy to confront monsters that far exceed your abilities, no matter how skillful you are at kiting. Much like navigation, Hammerwatch II is too uncommunicative when it comes to enemies, prompting death where you’ll forfeit a portion of your currency. As such, you’ll learn to spend what you have, find online friends, and undertake any side missions to help overcome these hurdles. While there’s a trio of difficulty settings, largely Hammerwatch II makes you adapt to its level of adversity. As such, soloists might grow frustrated, especially when they can’t seem to move fast enough to confront the game’s bosses.

Not Quite Release Ready

At the risk of this review reading like an inventory of blemishes, there’s one last detail that needs to be discussed: the game’s control scheme. Although mouse-and-keyboard input is functional, playing with a controller is unwieldy. And that’s unusual, as the game’s two predecessors worked successfully with gamepads. At present, you’ll sporadically have to use the right analog stick to move a pointer around the screen, which feels like playing a PC game from more than a decade ago. Why are games released in this state in 2023?

Fortunately, two things could potentially turn the game around. In the past, Crackshell has responded promptly to player feedback, so there’s a chance of the developer making improvements. And if that doesn’t mend things, modding support might attract the interest of community members. Just know that neither of these has happened yet and there’s always a chance that some fixes may never materialize.

Hammerwatch II was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.