Heroes of Hammerwatch

Heroes of Hammerwatch is a top-down rogue-lite action-adventure that sits comfortably in the 'one more run' genre, developed by Crackshell and released in 2018. You pick a class, descend into procedurally generated dungeons, fight through escalating floors of monsters and traps, and almost certainly die before reaching the boss. Then you do it again. The key hook that separates it from pure roguelikes is the persistent town-building layer: gold and ore you extract from runs get spent on upgrades to Hammerwatch's hub town, unlocking new services, passive bonuses, and class improvements that carry across deaths. It's a loop that genuinely works, because losing never feels like pure waste. The class roster covers familiar archetypes - Paladin, Ranger, Warlock, Sorcerer, Wizard, Thief, Priest, and Gladiator among them - and each plays distinctly enough to justify replaying the same dungeon floors multiple times. The Warlock's life-drain mechanics play nothing like the Ranger's kite-and-shoot rhythm, and the Priest's support kit shifts the whole dynamic in co-op. Speaking of co-op: up to four players can run together, and this is where the game genuinely shines. The procedurally generated levels are tight enough that coordination matters, and a well-balanced party composition changes which threats feel threatening. Solo runs are viable but noticeably harder, so factor that into your expectations. What works well is the pacing of that town progression. Unlocking a new blacksmith tier or opening a new shop feels earned rather than arbitrary, and the skill trees within each class give you real decisions about playstyle rather than just stat bumps. The dungeon floors themselves vary across mines, sewers, and higher-tier areas, with distinct enemy types that force you to adjust. What works less well is the sheer repetition of early floors once you've cleared them dozens of times - there's no narrative scaffolding to give those repeated runs meaning beyond mechanical progression. If you're the kind of player who needs a story reason to keep going, Heroes of Hammerwatch will feel thin. The writing is functional but sparse. No Disco Elysium-style existential crises in these corridors, no branching dialogue, no characters who surprise you. The worldbuilding exists but doesn't demand your attention. The difficulty curve is real and occasionally spiky. Boss encounters can feel punishing on first contact, particularly because the game gives you limited information about mechanics before you're already taking damage. Multiplayer can smooth this out considerably, but solo players should expect to invest real time in town upgrades before certain walls stop feeling like walls. The persistent progression is well-tuned enough that you rarely feel completely stuck, but impatient players may bounce off the early grind before the build variety opens up. Past hour 20 or so, when your town is properly developed and your chosen class has a real identity, the game finds its best version of itself. For RPG players, this sits closer to the mechanical-systems end of the spectrum than the narrative end. If your entry point to the genre is story-first games, this probably isn't the right starting point. But if you like theory-crafting builds, optimising run routes, and the satisfaction of co-op runs where everyone knows their role, Heroes of Hammerwatch delivers that loop with genuine competence and enough class variety to hold interest well past the first clear.

Monika · Scout Team

RPGs

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