It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what caused the rise of retro-styled first-person shooters as of late. Many games have been wildly popular, well-received, and commercially successful since. While it could be traced back to Interceptor Entertainment's Rise of the Triad remake in 2013, I'd argue it truly kicked off with David Szymanski's excellent modern classic Dusk in 2018. Naturally, there's been a lot of these games since then as the genre has exploded into mainstream popularity. HROT is one of many, and it's in a bit of a confusing place. HROT genuinely feels like a passion project from developer Spytihněv. None of it feels trend-chasing or cynical, and yet, I can't help but feel HROT fails to make a significant mark in a genre filled with games of this style past and present.
HROT's gameplay is as standard as retro shooters go. You're given the standard assortment of weapons, from pistols, to shotguns, to grenade launchers, et cetera. The enemies are all fairly derivative, too. Kejdovecs are just ogres, and konfidents are just scrags. None of this is necessarily a bad thing. Genres are inherently derivative, and all of these retro revivals take influence from previous games in obvious ways, such as Dusk with Doom/Quake and Ion Fury with Build engine shooters. The problem for me is that HROT on a gameplay level just doesn't do enough to distinguish itself. Everything from the base game mechanics, to the enemy design, to the level design, is all perfectly functional and often fun. They all perform their jobs quite capably but aren't anything particularly unique or interesting. Standard enemies and mechanics isn't uncommon in this genre, and it's a genre that primarily lives and dies on its level design. I can't point to any level in particular that is necessarily worse than the others. However, I simply think that these levels are largely standard and I also, by consequence, struggle to remember them individually as well. There has to be at least three levels set in a train station that look and play essentially the same. Complaints about unoriginality aside, I did enjoy my time with HROT. The guns mostly feel pretty good to use. I hear a lot of complaints online that the weapons feel unimpactful, but in this case I think it works, as the broken-down look and sound of your weapons enforces the hopelessness of the 1980s Soviet atmosphere. Even on hard mode HROT feels largely fair, there weren't many moments where I felt the game was cheating me, though occasionally I felt ammo was overly sparse. I do wish the levels had more verticality - for the most part enemies are on the same playing field as you, and even Doom had enemies on different levels of elevation. It can sometimes make HROT feel a little static when enemy placement doesn't change heavily. I'm bitching and moaning, but no one should take HROT as merely mediocre. It is a fun time with occasionally creative moments (such as a mine cart ride) that unfortunately blends together into an entertaining albiet unmemorable mush.
HROT, like Quake before it, is a bleak and unsettling descent into a country slowly crumbling apart. Many of HROT's levels are pulled from real life Czechoslovakian locations which ground the game into a level of deep rooted and personal culture that, while I can't entirely empathize with being an American, can at the very least appreciate. In a generation where most games want to be colorful and cartoony, HROT's dedication to dust, grime, and diesel is admirable and helps it stand out from the crowd. There are many surrealist touches to the game that lend it an eerie feeling. For example, the player is never sure if the military forces they are fighting are human or distorted monsters, facsimile of people. The low-poly graphical style compliments this well, with its chunky character models and pixelated textures not only feeling highly authentic but also adding to said surrealism, and I love the ability to choose between software and OpenGL looks. There's even a good bit of humor, too, such as a boss fight consisting of enemies on bumper carts and a level where you fight off an army of newts. This gives HROT a lot of personality, a good sign that Spytihněv is having fun with his work. If there's any part that I disliked, it's that the game doesn't truly support framerates above 60 FPS, simply duplicating identical frames and giving the game a choppy feeling. Either truly support high framerates or cap your game at 60, because this middle ground is worse than both of those.
Unlike a lot of retro-style shooters which opt for heavy metal or classic MIDI for their scores, HROT's score from Sjellos consists largely of dark ambient undulations and menacing beats. It's not particularly memorable work, but it underscores the action decently enough. The soundtrack is, fittingly, as oppressive as the Soviet regime, pulsing and pounding whereever necessary while reeling back for more atmospheric moments. The lack of memorable melodies hurts it, I can't recall a single song from the game or album off of the top fo my head, but it's effective enough for what HROT needs.
Among the retro shooter craze, HROT feels like a bit of an oddity. While it doesn't do anything particularly new and interesting on a game design level, it's dreary atmosphere, roots in Czechoslovakian history, sense of humor, and retro sensibilities will easily find it a niche with the right audience. The problem is mostly that HROT, despite all of this, just isn't as inspired and creative as many of its contemporaries. It's a competent and enjoyable ride, but one I won't be leaping to replay or recommend anytime soon. If you're itching for a new retro shooter, HROT may be up your alley, but there's certainly better out there.
HROT's gameplay is as standard as retro shooters go. You're given the standard assortment of weapons, from pistols, to shotguns, to grenade launchers, et cetera. The enemies are all fairly derivative, too. Kejdovecs are just ogres, and konfidents are just scrags. None of this is necessarily a bad thing. Genres are inherently derivative, and all of these retro revivals take influence from previous games in obvious ways, such as Dusk with Doom/Quake and Ion Fury with Build engine shooters. The problem for me is that HROT on a gameplay level just doesn't do enough to distinguish itself. Everything from the base game mechanics, to the enemy design, to the level design, is all perfectly functional and often fun. They all perform their jobs quite capably but aren't anything particularly unique or interesting. Standard enemies and mechanics isn't uncommon in this genre, and it's a genre that primarily lives and dies on its level design. I can't point to any level in particular that is necessarily worse than the others. However, I simply think that these levels are largely standard and I also, by consequence, struggle to remember them individually as well. There has to be at least three levels set in a train station that look and play essentially the same. Complaints about unoriginality aside, I did enjoy my time with HROT. The guns mostly feel pretty good to use. I hear a lot of complaints online that the weapons feel unimpactful, but in this case I think it works, as the broken-down look and sound of your weapons enforces the hopelessness of the 1980s Soviet atmosphere. Even on hard mode HROT feels largely fair, there weren't many moments where I felt the game was cheating me, though occasionally I felt ammo was overly sparse. I do wish the levels had more verticality - for the most part enemies are on the same playing field as you, and even Doom had enemies on different levels of elevation. It can sometimes make HROT feel a little static when enemy placement doesn't change heavily. I'm bitching and moaning, but no one should take HROT as merely mediocre. It is a fun time with occasionally creative moments (such as a mine cart ride) that unfortunately blends together into an entertaining albiet unmemorable mush.
HROT, like Quake before it, is a bleak and unsettling descent into a country slowly crumbling apart. Many of HROT's levels are pulled from real life Czechoslovakian locations which ground the game into a level of deep rooted and personal culture that, while I can't entirely empathize with being an American, can at the very least appreciate. In a generation where most games want to be colorful and cartoony, HROT's dedication to dust, grime, and diesel is admirable and helps it stand out from the crowd. There are many surrealist touches to the game that lend it an eerie feeling. For example, the player is never sure if the military forces they are fighting are human or distorted monsters, facsimile of people. The low-poly graphical style compliments this well, with its chunky character models and pixelated textures not only feeling highly authentic but also adding to said surrealism, and I love the ability to choose between software and OpenGL looks. There's even a good bit of humor, too, such as a boss fight consisting of enemies on bumper carts and a level where you fight off an army of newts. This gives HROT a lot of personality, a good sign that Spytihněv is having fun with his work. If there's any part that I disliked, it's that the game doesn't truly support framerates above 60 FPS, simply duplicating identical frames and giving the game a choppy feeling. Either truly support high framerates or cap your game at 60, because this middle ground is worse than both of those.
Unlike a lot of retro-style shooters which opt for heavy metal or classic MIDI for their scores, HROT's score from Sjellos consists largely of dark ambient undulations and menacing beats. It's not particularly memorable work, but it underscores the action decently enough. The soundtrack is, fittingly, as oppressive as the Soviet regime, pulsing and pounding whereever necessary while reeling back for more atmospheric moments. The lack of memorable melodies hurts it, I can't recall a single song from the game or album off of the top fo my head, but it's effective enough for what HROT needs.
Among the retro shooter craze, HROT feels like a bit of an oddity. While it doesn't do anything particularly new and interesting on a game design level, it's dreary atmosphere, roots in Czechoslovakian history, sense of humor, and retro sensibilities will easily find it a niche with the right audience. The problem is mostly that HROT, despite all of this, just isn't as inspired and creative as many of its contemporaries. It's a competent and enjoyable ride, but one I won't be leaping to replay or recommend anytime soon. If you're itching for a new retro shooter, HROT may be up your alley, but there's certainly better out there.