Heroes of Hammerwatch II

Game Title: Heroes of Hammerwatch II
Released:January 14, 2025
Game Length: 10 Hours
Grade: C

Game Lineage 

History: A very long time ago, the company Crackshell released a game by the name of Hammerwatch in 2013. I had a set of friends who loved playing this game. The game was relatively interesting with its similar build to the 1985 game Gauntlet. Five years later, they built upon that game and released Heroes of Hammerwatch in 2018. For the next couple years, they added three new downloadable content packs - Witch Hunter, Pyramid of Prophecy, and Moon Temple. I never played this game or was even aware of its existence when it released. Crackshell then went on with an odd choice by releasing Hammerwatch Anniversary Edition and Hammerwatch II before quickly switching over to work on Heroes of Hammerwatch II.

The Town

Shared Resources: The game does something odd by having your characters collaborate with each other. Each character will be unique and require their own progression. However, what they unlock will be made available to all your characters. There will be a chest you can throw all the equipment you collect in your runs that can be worn by your other characters as long as they have the proper stat requirement. You can switch characters in an instant while in town. All the resources and materials you gather with any character will be gathered in the same pool in town. You can unlock additional classes as you find them in the world, save certain members that will host a building you can construct, and blueprints that can be used for additional options.

Buildings: Each building will need to have their person rescued in the world and the right amount of resources before construction. The thing that needs to be mentioned is that each upgrade must be purchased for each character. If you want to upgrade the number of potions a character can hold from the Apothecary or spell power from the Magic Shop, you have to select a character, pay for the upgrade, select another character, pay for the upgrade, and repeat the process as long as you have enough resources. The Training Grounds will allow you to allocate Ability Stars towards increasing a weapon's damage or a character's four primary class traits (and two subclass abilities they earn after reaching level 10). You can also allocate Attribute Points towards Strength (Armor), Dexterity (Weapons), Intelligence (Spells), Focus (Mana), or Vitality (Health).

Run Preparations: Whenever you want to upgrade the level of a building, you will need to upgrade the Guild Hall. Some buildings are there to help make your mission a little easier. Upgrading the chapel will lower the cost of being revived (initially 40% lost of materials and gold) and adding a little blessing before you head out. The Magic Shop will let you have a skill upgrade. Find some blueprints and you'll be able to pay for some food & drink before leaving the town. The Architect will change the environment with a small fee to have the map entirely explored ahead of time, modify the enemies, change some traps, and a few other fun things. 

Equipment: Some buildings are there to assist in selling goods. The general store will sell you the basics while the blacksmith will offer things set to your character's level. After finding some trinket blueprints, you can "attune" them at the library to make any you find on that character have double the effect. A trading post will buy and sell construction material. 

Characters

Weapons: The game doesn't restrict you to play a certain way just because you choose a specific class. Your entire playstyle will boil down to what weapons you have equipped. For strength-users, that will mostly include a one-handed weapon and a shield. There are a few types of two-handed weapons, but they do not increase your damage. Instead, they offer you an additional ability. Instead of a shield that can stun enemies, you will gain a whirlwind skill with a great-axe. The rogue can use two daggers with a double-strike and lunge attack. A staff can shoot a stream of their attuned element. Since the warlock's ability requires you to use a melee weapon, you can use a dirk that requires intelligence instead of strength. Wands can shoot a certain element while tomes can lay down a glyph trap of that element. A bow that requires strength or dexterity can be used from a distance.

Classes: It takes quite some time to become acquainted with the strengths and weaknesses of each class. The paladin can prevent a lot of damage and heal, but their battle prowess isn't as strong compared to the warrior that does better when there are more enemies to fight. A ranger needs to crowd control enemies by using their environment to their advantage while a rogue does better going through a mob. The other intelligent classes have a wide-range of abilities that make their approach versatile depending on the situation. 

Trinkets: Of course, things can go in a tangent depending on what kind of skill choices, trade options, and temporary trinkets you collect on the way. Find yourself a Dragon's Heart and you just might want to stand still to receive that +25 health regeneration rate. Arctic Step, something I managed to get in two different runs, leaves ice puddles wherever you walk. Run around enemies to stack up that damage.

Accomplishments: The one thing to be aware of is that each character will help contribute to the others in a number of ways. Every class will come with a title that grows the higher you level them. Complete a number of achievements like dealing damage or blocking enemies to gain more Ability Stars. You can check out a number of statistics like how long you've been on a mission or the number of times you have been visited by an imp.

Summary

Review: While there has been some advancement made since the release of the original game, there was a lot of charm lost by making the game chase after more difficulty over content. The game highly encourages you to repeat your experience with all the classes by making the town aspect grow overtime, but the maps aren't diversified enough to warrant repeating after beating the game once. The right kind of equipment is hard to come by, skills have to be earned during a run but cannot be allocated until after you die, and some classes need a lot of support beforehand to reimburse their shortcomings. I do appreciate all the trinkets, the shortcuts you can take with a specific character on consecutive runs after defeating a couple of the bosses, and multiplayer support. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of motivation to continue unlocking more features by gaining more levels after you spend all that effort just trying to reach the end the first time. I don't recommend this game.