Review: Hammerwatch (Xbox One)

Set in a fantasy pixel art environment. Play solo or co-op in this adventure from bottom to the top of Castle Hammerwatch. Kill hordes of enemies with varied looks and features through four unique environments with traps, hidden secrets, and puzzles.

Pros:

• lush pixel graphics.
• Graphics option- CRT mode, Dual sticker mode, 8 directional shoot and overscan compensation.
• 16 save slots.
• Help section.
• 4 player co-op (local)
• Seven characters- Paladin, Wizard, Ranger, Warlock, Thief, Priest and sorcerer. Each has unique abilities and stats and you get a brief description of each before selecting them.
• Can change character color scheme.
• Four modes-
  • Hammer watch- Story.
  • Temple of Sun- Story DLC.
  • Survival.
  • Hero defences-Hoard mode.
• Three difficulties- Easier, Medium and hard.
• Modifiers menu- Infinite lives, HP regen etc. Choose challenging or crutches options to increase/decrease score multiplier bonus.
• Fast loading times.
• Dungeon crawling gameplay.
• Dramatic chiptune OST.
• Can bring up a screen sized transparent map, Runs in the background as it were so you can still move when it is up on the screen.
• Vendor coins- Collect these to lower prices.
• Hidden rooms, Doors, and walkways.
• Shops- Both secret and normal sell upgrades and items.
• 384.3MB Download size.
• 1000 Gamerscore.
• Fun to explore with huge maps.
• So many enemy types that trigger when you get in proximity.

Cons:

• No online as of yet but it is coming.
• OCD gamer nightmare with so many breakable objects, Coins to collect and levels are huge and just packed out.
• No controller options.
• The screen doesn’t fit properly.
• Slight slowdown at times.
• Controls feel weird, Tapping RT hurts your fingers after a while whilst holding the button down does an auto combo attack that feels like cheating.