Another modern boom shoot. Made by one dev from Czech Republic that takes place in a brown, yet absurd and dangerous 1986 Czechoslovakia.
The great thing about indie games, especially solo devs, is how much insight you're given into the creator by simply playing their game. They aren't bounded by many restrictions, which makes the games feel more personal. Especially considering the setting here is a exaggeration of the creator's home country, albeit after a certain disaster that spawned monsters and imparted madness across the country that the silent protagonist must trek through. Hrot balances horror and comedy surprisingly well. It forces you into many cramped, dark tunnels where even your flashlight uncontrollably flickers as you nervously hold your weapon forward, then the next level will allow you to feed a dog so many treats that they puke. To explain every crazy enemy and encounter would ruin a lot of this game's charm, albeit the wildest of shit happens in the second and especially the third episode. If Episode 1 is not gripping you, you're free to skip to Episode 2 or 3 whenever; and I have seen people struggle to engage in the game early on.
As for the gameplay, it's Quake-like with high importance on explosives and shotguns, but doesn't retain the sequence breaking rocket jumps even with the high movement speed. Gunplay is nothing too remarkable, but most of your arsenal have several applications to use them in fun ways. Definitely a high emphasis on the shotguns though, ammo is extremely common for them, maybe even more than pistol ammo. The most unique thing you'll get in combat is deflecting grenades back at enemies with a kick, something that they don't teach you, but once you learn it then it becomes a engaging ammo saving method where you're redirecting the explosives into crowds of unfortunate foes. Apart from that, you're encountering the frankly absurd number of enemies while scouring for secrets and even the cute Easter egg here or there. Again, nothing that hasn't been done before, but the execution of the level design I have to give credit for. Despite the endless brown and dreariness of all 24 levels, I've never found myself completely lost on where I am and what I need to do. I have backtracked before, but a lot of times it's because I miss a frankly obvious sign that'd point me in the right direction, without ever being a literal sign.

Certainly a dev to keep your eye on, what Hrot lacks in exceptional combat it makes up in atmosphere, level layouts, variety, and some splendid humor. A game that, embarrassingly, got me to laugh at potty humor surely is doing something right... or maybe I have low standards.
After beating the final level of an episode, you get a recipe. As in, a real life recipe on something you could actually cook.

i see so many people call this a Quake-like when the only similarities this game has to Quake are the swathes of brown textures and some of the enemy roster, most notably an obvious spin-off of Quake's ogre. This is at its core, a Chasm-like with Duke Nukem 3D in the mix. and being a Chasm-like means it's more like Wolf3D than Quake. wait i gotta add that its also atmospheric like Quake so i guess its equal parts Quake and Wolf3D. Chasm was originally supposed to be a competitor to Quake but when playing it, it feels more like a more 3D Wolfenstein3D with an Eastern European flavor. so HROT is essentially all of that. A game that has the maze-like levels of castle Wolfenstein with Quake's violence and despair with Eastern European culture plastering it in Duke Nukem 3D's playful interactivity. HROT is a passion project. its a love letter to its inspirations and the developer's homeland's history and culture. even ignoring that, it's a fun time. gunplay is decent with the low fidelity presentation but lackluster sound design, but the enemy encounters are what make the combat fun. especially in episode 2 and some of episode 3, the game gets creative with its imposed limitations to make some fights memorable. the boss fights are the most notable of these encounters, usually being the highlight of an episode with not just their arenas and build-up but also by their uniqueness. the other memorable part of the game is the dense atmosphere in its simple presentation. the ambient soundtrack underscores the dreadful world painted in sick browns, nauseous greens, and pale offwhites. its mundane and haunting, full of otherworldly horrors and boring miscellanea like canned meat. horror contrasted by absurdity while all being equally normalized to its grounded setting. pairing the passion with this atmosphere is what pushes me into the "yea this is my shit, i love it too much" camp. i can set aside most of its shortcomings just because of the sheer passion put into this. a fun trip of love to surpass its labyrinthine sewers, currently one of my favorites of the year.

I knew going into HROT that it's a competent FPS styled after the original Quake with the aesthetic of drabness maxed out for scenery composed of 50 shades of brown. What I didn't expect was how there's a pervasive oddball sense of humor threaded throughout the dingy dystopia that endeared the project to me beyond simply providing some top-notch shooting action.

I'm pleased to report that enemy HP values and attack patterns provide plenty of variables to consider in the middle of a firefight, and that the levels "flowed nicely" at least by my standards.

A worthy addition to any FPS aficionado's collection.

If Dusk is colorful Quake, then why someone decided to bring us brown Dusk?

Jokes aside, Few games can approach minimalism the way HROT does. Simplicity is the basis of almost everything here: No strange mechanics, weapons that everyone are familiar about, level design that is open but without being too complex or large. The colour palette is as minimalistic as it gets. And the story? Minimalistic is too much to describe it: There’s no story at all. Not even a minimum backstory to serve as a an excuse for the action, which is what usually happens in this kind of games. Here, no story at all. Just pure action and atmosphere.

Aesthetics are a very important thing for me when it comes to videogames. At times, they might even do the trick for me even when the gameplay is not that great (which is not the case of HROT, whose gameplay is excellent). That’s why i like to play games done in GZDoom: Even if the mechanics are always the same, sometimes i just want to see some nice things and hear some nice sounds and all of that. My first impression with HROT, wasn’t a very positive one. It’s not that i straight out disliked it’s aesthetic, actually i found it very attractive: Sepia is essentially the colour of everything that’s old, the colour of the memories, and therefore, it was a very sensitive choice considering this game was supposed to be inspired by the nostalgia of 80’s communist Czechoslovakia. HROT is supposed to look like an old photograph, and i find that even poetic (specially for a boomer shooter). But on the other hand, a part of me was seeing a brown Dusk, suspecting that this whole minimalism would end up becoming pure monotony. Thankfully, i was completely wrong actually. I don’t think i have the exact words to express how or what made the aesthetic not only sustain and keep me hooked but also how it managed to surprise me at many times. I guess it must be mostly due to the subtle changes in themes and general mood throughout the episodes.

So i played the first episode expecting some kind of spooky or even depressing mood, but truth is, i felt none of that. I would even describe the first episode as a comfy gaming experience, meaning of course i enjoyed it pretty much. Until Episode 2 for sure, which is where the heavier horror elements start playing a role, just like in Dusk’s Episode 2, because even if Dusk is entirely built around horror tropes, is in the second episode when you deal with something more akin to the typical survival horror experience. And then the Episode 3 is the one featuring the most surrealistic and absurdist elements, just like in Dusk’s episode 3. Also, despite having some dank humour all around the game, i think this third episode is the one featuring the funniest and most bizarre ones.

Weapons are pretty damn good, they are actually pretty similar to the ones from Dusk. And there’s even a crossbow, which i forgot to use during enormous chunks of the game, just like it happened to me when i played Dusk. There’s something very interesting about weapons here, and it’s their sound. Weapons in HROT don’t sound as explosive as they usually do in this genre. The sound design applied specifically to the weapons is another thing that could be described as minimalistic. Most of them are even pretty quiet. But defying expectations, they are incredibly satisfying. I think it is quite an achievement to design weapons and making them super fun to use without being all over the top, which is something that has become quite of a norm in this genre.

In conclusion, i loved this game. I wish there were more games like Dusk. I-i mean like HROT.

A mix of Quake, Doom 3 and Duke 3D with a very unique, personal and genuine premise. It's pretty obvs where the quake influence goes, the author clearly loves Quake's brown textures but knows how to make the game not feel samey visually, it's more brown than Quake ever was but you'll never get tired of it. There's some Doom 3 in the more limited mobility and resources being scarcer than average for the genre. Duke 3D plays a big influence in the level design and soul of the game, levels feel like real places that are also made for a videogame like all good Duke 3D levels do, also the frequent and many elements of interactivity and humor which give a one man feel to game in the best possible way. The gameplay loop isn't as good as other games of it's ilk but it makes with level design and charm, most I can complain is that some projecticles might as well be hitscans but it's not a big issue.

The Committee on Science, Arts and Culture declares that HROT does not contradict the party's policy on the ideological and cultural front but needs corrections.

The events in HROT are not entirely connected with the daily lives of the workers and peasants. Therefore, the developer is obliged to re-write HROT or [REDACTED].

Glory to the Party! Long live the Socialist order!

Really don't get what people see in this game. I got this in the boomer shooter Humble Bundle a year or two back while it was still in Early Access and with its full release today finally beat the last episode after getting through the first two episodes some time ago.

This game is just barely on the precipice between alright and straight up middling. Enemies are bullet sponges, none of the weapons feel that good, and the game is a Scrooge when it comes to ammo to the point where it feels like a genuine flaw instead of a purposeful design decision. The atmosphere is good at times but there is way too much brown sewers and factories. The level design is also not that great and confusing at times. I had enough fun with it, but I'm glad I just got this in a bundle. You can do a lot better than this game when it comes to modern boomer shooter throwbacks.

this seems like it's made specifically for the weirdos who liked the more sparse and offputting aspects of the original Quake. you get way more rockets than rifle rounds, and even though there are more than 50 enemy types, most of what you face are the main enemy archetypes from Quake. its main strength is mixing this very american design philosophy with a particularly culturally specific representation of 80s czechoslovakia (mainly in the architecture), which makes for a strange mix.

those old "slavjank" titles are usually focused on verisimilitude - even if it's oddly represented by the mechanics or structure - while the Quake formula begs for maximum abstraction. Hrot tries playing both sides, but ends up being its own perplexing middle ground. at least it's an interesting conflict to see being wrestled with throughout the 3 episodes, which become gradually more lost until the last few levels from the 3rd episode transform into small, sepia dollhouse arenas.

One of the most atmospheric, creative, and surprisingly hilarious shooters I've ever played. Everything from the ground up is built around this hyperspecific time and place of 1980s Czechoslovakia that makes it feel so personal. This is not the kind of game that would ever come from a committee, this is the work of one lunatic through and through.

The "game-feel" is one of the biggest challenges for retro shooters in my opinion and HROT nails it. The weapons aren't the most unique but they all serve their purpose well and are satisfying to use. Beyond the gameplay there's just so many bizarre and memorable things in this game that I could easily ramble about for hours but I'd rather not spoil them all. All I'll say is the amount of work that must have gone into one-off gags just makes them all the more hilarious to me. Play this game. It's legitimately one of a kind.

This game is like if s.t.a.l.k.e.r and quake had a baby but they doubled up on weirdness, so many wacky, off the walls moments lol i suggest just playing cause of that

but honestly im a sucker for the boomer shooter genre
not to much to say other than run around, circle strafe and collect keys.

it doesnt invent the wheel, buuut its very good at what it does, the atmosphere is so forboding and creepy and one level scared the shit out of me, even! you always feel uneasy.
cool enemy design as well

if you love this genre its a most have so check it out whenever you can

Really liked this for the most part and I guess it's just a good combination of satisfying shooting mechanics crossed with this atmosphere that seems bleak and depressing, but then more and more it becomes surrealistic, absurd and even outright humourous at points. Has a very vacant quality to it I think, sort of scratching the same sort of itch that the original Quake had, and I dunno, something about this game captures a similar sort of vibe as when you're having a proper sick day where you feel really ill and a bit dissociated and what not. A lot of gross-out elements in this, tbh, and I guess it does take a particular sort of mood to vibe with this game. Quite satisfactory, but then I guess this was something where I felt like it was more just amusing than something that blew my socks off. Quite short as well unless you're like going on the higher difficulties and repeating levels over and over again, but even then, you know.

Also of note, but I completed the bulk of this game in May and then finished the third episode in August. Game is not that long, I just took a substantial break from playing this game, for whatever reason.

Marrom

Isso mesmo, marrom.

Foi a palavra que achei pra definir a estética e experiência de HROT, que lembra bizarramente jogos como quake e doom, nesse estilo retrô de FPS, mas claro.. o mercado indie já ta meio com jogos demais desse estilo e HROT é meio mais do mesmo em quesito de gameplay, mas a ambientação e o humor que ele coloca no jogo, lembrando até um pouco daquele humor ácido e psicodélico de My Friend Pedro mas se assemelhando mais com Duke Nukem.

De toda forma, HROT tem um mapa extremamente bem feito, da pra tu se perder mas se você não for lerdão como eu, consegue se encontrar no mapa e prosseguir com o objetivo bem rápido, só prestar atenção.

E sobre sua jogabilidade, como eu havia dito não é nada la inovador, mas como eu gosto de mais do mesmo, eu achei o máximo, o bom é que o jogo é curto e quando você sente que ele ta saturando, ele acaba.

Recomendo muito HROT mas jogue ele com calma, é um jogo curto que não merece ser rushado e dê umas pausas caso sinta algo relacionado a cinetose enquanto joga.