Hrot Review (noo)
TLDR
If you think Quake (the first one) is the best old-school FPS, play HROT.
If you like shooters that focus on atmosphere and exploration, play HROT.
If you think sewers and subways actually make for the best levels, play HROT.
If brown isn't your favourite colour, play HROT to change your mind.
☭HROT☭
HROT eschews the recent trends of boomer shooters becoming increasingly complex in the wake of Doom Eternal. There are no alternative fire modes. No upgrades or mods. There is a single move speed, a kick, and a jump. All enemy attacks can be dodged by strafing in and out of cover, or by circling around them.
On the surface this might sound like a negative, but this mechanical restraint is part of what makes HROT so great. Old-school shooters weren't all about mowing down waves of enemies with complex movement/weapon combos. They were about exploring a hostile and mysterious environment. Enemies served as a way to make the levels feel alive, as well as a means to instil tension and dread in the player.
HROT nails every aspect of this old-school philosophy. Its beautifully brown levels echo real locations in late-communist Czechoslovakia. Environmental storytelling is abundant and enemy designs are both humorous and terrifying. Most importantly, the game keeps you constantly excited (and slightly scared) for what comes next.
Level Design
HROT consists of 24 levels (each around 15 - 30 mins long) spread over three chapters. Each level is set in a distinct location, centred around the game's themes of industry, technology, transport, bureaucracy, and Czech history. Levels loop back on themselves in interesting ways (e.g. sometimes the exit is near the start, but you need a key), but are always well designed enough so that you never get lost (I didn't know there was a map until I finished the game). Most levels have several secrets to discover, and each of the three chapters have a sprinkling of set pieces and Easter eggs.
Enemies and Combat
Each level features around 60 to 70 enemies. Most of these are placed in small groups evenly along the level. There are often contextual clues as to when you'll encounter enemies, which is important as the skill in defeating them lies in anticipating (or reacting to) their presence, rather than long fights. Both the enemies and the player are reasonably squishy (even on normal difficulty).
Some enemy types move in a slightly unpredictable manner, like they're a bit drunk. This makes them slightly harder to hit, but not frustratingly so (none of them are annoyingly fast).
Enemy variety is also good, mostly from an aesthetic perspective, but there's also reasonable mechanical variety: enemy size, movement speed, projectile speed, damage, flying enemies, leaping enemies etc.
Most levels also feature one section towards the end with a concentration of enemies in a big arena. If you found a bunch of secrets and didn't take much damage earlier in the level, it's a fun opportunity to use some of your powerful weapons. If you rushed through the rest of the level, it's usually a decent challenge to just scrape through this final wave.
Other than one or two surprises, the weapons are all things you've seen before. But they all feel good to use, and each of them excel at dealing with different types of enemies.
Presentation
The brown crunchy graphics are perfection. The music is also excellent and the game does a good job of switching between atmospheric music, uptempo music, and silence depending on the situation.
Conclusion
You should play HROT.