Wow. I’m totally surprised by this game. I guess i was just too carried away by the thicc waifu meme, and because of that i thought this would play mostly as a joke, like HDoom or something like that. I couldn’t be more wrong. Hedon is a fantastic game.
At the very beginning i was struck with how pretty and colorful the atmosphere was. Lightning, textures, everything related to the map aesthetic is beautiful, and that is for me a very positive thing. Spritework on the other hand –specially referring to enemies and characters in general- feels like it could have some more work into it. But still, they’re ok enough, and fit properly the overall aesthetic. Sound design is also good, but i couln’t help laughing at times at how, let’s say, moany, the sound of our heroine was.
I think some of the polarizing reviews are mainly because, despite being done in a modified Doom engine, Hedon is not really your average run and gun FPS. Instead, is a game that tends to emphasize exploration, plus also having a few puzzles here and there. In that sense, this game seems to be more inspired by Unreal and Hexen (this one, in a good way) than, let’s say, Doom or Blood. I think Strife can also be considered as an influence, for two reasons: The mix between natural/wooden environments with techbases and sci-fi elements, and also, the way this game allows you to kill in a more stealthy way but without punishing if you don’t do so.
As i said, this game is more focused on exploration. Therefore, the map layers cannot and shouldn’t be simple. I mention this because it seems to be another reason why people criticize the game. There’s nothing wrong with the map design here: Considering the kind of gaming experience Hedon proposes, maps are supposed to be complex, and even a little tricky at times. If you’re not into this kind of stuff, it’s not really Hedon’s fault. It’s also noteworthy how these maps are mostly non-linear, and can be dealed with in many different ways. This map design ties perfectly with the gameplay, the overall aesthetic, and the story.
Yes, this game has a narrative going on. And this, along with the sense of exploration is what gave me the most of the Myst/Riven vibes. You start the game without almost no idea of what’s exactly going on, just like in Myst, and slowly, you begin to form a certain background by reading notes, books, interacting with characters, and so on. I honestly feel like Hedon’s writing is not truly the best since it’s a bit hard to engage with the actual story, which also felt too ambitious in my opinion. But it’s great in the way it manages to fill the whole experience with this beautiful sense of mistery. And in this sense, MAP06 and this non-FMV sequences just like in Half-Life do a fantastic job.
Combat is pretty good here. Weapons are fantastic, and the fact that there are just 5 of them (not counting the melee ones) is perfectly balanced by their alternate fire. It’s noteworthy how amazing the two melee weapons are: The axe is extremelly satisfying to use, and the fists, alongside with the kicks, gives you the possibility of turning this game into something like a first person beat em’up. Fists and kicks might not be powerful enough to rely on them, but they are certainly fun to use. Apparently, if you play this game on Berserk mode, your arsenal is entirely replaced by melee weapons. Haven’t checked it but it sounds pretty interesting. There’s also a lot (and i mean A LOT) of items, so many that i couldn’t check all of them properly.
Enemies are ok, nothing outstanding honestly but they work just fine. I’m not a real fan of this game’s obsession at throwing you into slaughters at the end of every level during the first half. Luckily, enemy placement is better handled during the second half. What is truly excelent, in my opinion, are the boss fights. There are two of them and they are a real challenge, not like in the 90’s fps games where the bosses where a common flaw.
When it comes to the music, i’m more fond of the more ambient-like tracks. I don’t have anything against the idea of using upbeat tracks at certain moments, but i fell like the chosen ones were not that good in execution. On the contrary, the decision of using mostly guitar-based music for the atmospheric parts (instead of the typical synth-based approach for these purposes) is a fantastic decision, and they get to cover a nice palette of genres, ranging from ambient, post-rock, and even drone metal.
This incredibly ambitious game deserves all the attention from any FPS-fan.
At the very beginning i was struck with how pretty and colorful the atmosphere was. Lightning, textures, everything related to the map aesthetic is beautiful, and that is for me a very positive thing. Spritework on the other hand –specially referring to enemies and characters in general- feels like it could have some more work into it. But still, they’re ok enough, and fit properly the overall aesthetic. Sound design is also good, but i couln’t help laughing at times at how, let’s say, moany, the sound of our heroine was.
I think some of the polarizing reviews are mainly because, despite being done in a modified Doom engine, Hedon is not really your average run and gun FPS. Instead, is a game that tends to emphasize exploration, plus also having a few puzzles here and there. In that sense, this game seems to be more inspired by Unreal and Hexen (this one, in a good way) than, let’s say, Doom or Blood. I think Strife can also be considered as an influence, for two reasons: The mix between natural/wooden environments with techbases and sci-fi elements, and also, the way this game allows you to kill in a more stealthy way but without punishing if you don’t do so.
As i said, this game is more focused on exploration. Therefore, the map layers cannot and shouldn’t be simple. I mention this because it seems to be another reason why people criticize the game. There’s nothing wrong with the map design here: Considering the kind of gaming experience Hedon proposes, maps are supposed to be complex, and even a little tricky at times. If you’re not into this kind of stuff, it’s not really Hedon’s fault. It’s also noteworthy how these maps are mostly non-linear, and can be dealed with in many different ways. This map design ties perfectly with the gameplay, the overall aesthetic, and the story.
Yes, this game has a narrative going on. And this, along with the sense of exploration is what gave me the most of the Myst/Riven vibes. You start the game without almost no idea of what’s exactly going on, just like in Myst, and slowly, you begin to form a certain background by reading notes, books, interacting with characters, and so on. I honestly feel like Hedon’s writing is not truly the best since it’s a bit hard to engage with the actual story, which also felt too ambitious in my opinion. But it’s great in the way it manages to fill the whole experience with this beautiful sense of mistery. And in this sense, MAP06 and this non-FMV sequences just like in Half-Life do a fantastic job.
Combat is pretty good here. Weapons are fantastic, and the fact that there are just 5 of them (not counting the melee ones) is perfectly balanced by their alternate fire. It’s noteworthy how amazing the two melee weapons are: The axe is extremelly satisfying to use, and the fists, alongside with the kicks, gives you the possibility of turning this game into something like a first person beat em’up. Fists and kicks might not be powerful enough to rely on them, but they are certainly fun to use. Apparently, if you play this game on Berserk mode, your arsenal is entirely replaced by melee weapons. Haven’t checked it but it sounds pretty interesting. There’s also a lot (and i mean A LOT) of items, so many that i couldn’t check all of them properly.
Enemies are ok, nothing outstanding honestly but they work just fine. I’m not a real fan of this game’s obsession at throwing you into slaughters at the end of every level during the first half. Luckily, enemy placement is better handled during the second half. What is truly excelent, in my opinion, are the boss fights. There are two of them and they are a real challenge, not like in the 90’s fps games where the bosses where a common flaw.
When it comes to the music, i’m more fond of the more ambient-like tracks. I don’t have anything against the idea of using upbeat tracks at certain moments, but i fell like the chosen ones were not that good in execution. On the contrary, the decision of using mostly guitar-based music for the atmospheric parts (instead of the typical synth-based approach for these purposes) is a fantastic decision, and they get to cover a nice palette of genres, ranging from ambient, post-rock, and even drone metal.
This incredibly ambitious game deserves all the attention from any FPS-fan.