[Šneček]

A new game was released in my country (in early access), which I think is very much inspired by the three-years-old game DUSK. But HROT seems better to me, because there are new possibilities like riding a motorcycle, kissing the portrait of communist president Gustav Husák or flushing the toilet (similar to Duke Nukem and Dusk). This game takes place in socialist Czechoslovakia after a kind of disaster in 1986. The environment is very nice, there are also moving trains.

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[OpenMaw]

Šneček, on 23 February 2021 - 08:27 AM, said:

very nice,

IS VERY NICE.




Seriously though, I'm curious to try it.



CV did his video on the first episode.

[Aristotle Gumball]

I beat EP 1 some time ago and enjoyed it a lot. The bike is kinda useless, though. I just enjoy the style a lot, and really dug Chasm back in the day. The jump noise as well as some environmental effects seems to be lifted straight from Chasm. The dev seems to update quite often too, so since I played, there is already a new gun and some other changes beyond bug fixes.

[Ninety-Six]

I'm personally just happy that this boom of shooters is still going. We're back to small teams making cool games that go bang-bang.

[jkas789]

I think it is fine but not more than that. im not fine of all the grey and brown. I feel even Quake had more color than that.

Still a new retro shooter is always welcome, if only to try it out.

[MrFlibble]

The game seems to have a very CHASM-y feel indeed, and truly more brown than that but eh, that's a very interesting aesthetic choice here. Yet what I really appreciate about the project is that it presents a world that is neither some completely abstract imaginative place nor a Hollywood version of the Earth where if anything important happens it must be the US while the rest of the world takes a a backstage or is presented as a collection of exotic locations. HROT is very consistent in being a grim post-Sovietocalypse place which is however not aimed specifically and predominantly at the former Soviet Bloc audience, unlike You Are Empty (covered by Civvie11 some time ago) -- that game lovingly recreates places and items faimiliar to anyone in the former USSR, but perhaps due to those details being as realistic they likely fall into the "exotic" category for foreign audiences.

I think there's a special quality in HROT -- whether intended or not -- because it takes place in Prague and thereabouts, with all the centuries-lasting mysteries and urban legends and all that. From what I know, there's a very strong Czech fairy tale tradition with authors like Karel Čapek, who is probably known to most as the inventor of the word "robot", but also wrote children's fairy tales that have a very special air to them, a sense of magical realism of sorts, and an intent to convey a message to the children audience or set up a mood that would be beyond mere amusement. And of course there's the The Good Soldier Švejk's ironic attitude to everything, be it Nazi occupation or the Soviet period that was not exactly paved with roses either.

In short, the game combines recognisable landmarks with a general feeling of unreality and an art style modelled after early true 3D shooters, with a fleur of something that is not widely known or familiar outside the Czech Republic, to create an experience that stands out and is pretty consistent in what it delivers to the player. Bonus points for an interest in the history of Czechoslovakia from the wide audience that otherwise would not really dig that deep into it.

[Aristotle Gumball]

You're a poet, MrFlibble.

[jkas789]

MrFlibble, on 24 February 2021 - 05:13 AM, said:

From what I know, there's a very strong Czech fairy tale tradition with authors like Karel Čapek, who is probably known to most as the inventor of the word "robot",

Wasn't the word and concept of robot really consolidated on the Movie Metropolis by Fritz Lang?

[Seb Luca]

Nádherný! Výborně !

[Balls of Steel Forever]

jkas789, on 24 February 2021 - 07:23 AM, said:

Wasn't the word and concept of robot really consolidated on the Movie Metropolis by Fritz Lang?

Asimov.

[Balls of Steel Forever]

MrFlibble, on 24 February 2021 - 05:13 AM, said:

.

As a Svankmajer Whore.
I see some similarities.

Is he influential in the local art scene,
He's more of a cult filmmaker in the U.S.
Only like AVGN and I probably have a complete filmset.

[Aleks]

I do like the aesthetic consistence of the game and keeping the palette very limited, as it does seem to fit the mood and the story (and does have a very strong socrealism vibe to it). Although I'm not really fond of the low-poly and low-res textures here, as they seem kinda "pushed" on these screens, not really genuine. Nevertheless, this seems like one of the game that's worth checking out.

As for Czechia and Prague especially, there's indeed a lot of nice, esoteric legends that would go well with FPS theme, especially the Golem (no idea if it's utilised in this game). For anyone that's into real retro stuff, I can advice the 1920 silent movie Golem (or actually Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam) directed by Paul Wegener and Carl Boese. If you're not turned down by the very archaic narrative (which might seem boring from today's perspective) and are just willing to indulge in the esoteric world of the story, it's well worth it. As with Golem's parallel to communism in the Eastern Block, I'd also like to recommend Polish 1979 movie Golem by Piotr Szulkin, which is a communist dystopian Sci-Fi. In fact most of Piotr Szulkin's movies are well worth the watch (despite their awkward titles most of the time), it's quite unique and niche dystopian Sci-Fi - although I have no idea about their availability on the Internet with proper English subtitles.

[jkas789]

That horse enemy is pretty jank though.

[Šneček]

jkas789, on 23 February 2021 - 02:43 PM, said:

I think it is fine but not more than that. im not fine of all the grey and brown. I feel even Quake had more color than that.Still a new retro shooter is always welcome, if only to try it out.

The dark colors in this game will be intentional due to the atmosphere. The author of this game stated that in 1986: "the time was dark and terrible and this game is just as terrible".

Seb Luca, on 24 February 2021 - 10:54 AM, said:

Nádherný! Výborně !

Ano. Navíc je ve hře možné i hrát kulečník a fotbal, ve fotbalu se ti za každou branku přičte 1 bod :-)

[Aristotle Gumball]

jkas789, on 25 February 2021 - 06:11 AM, said:

That horse enemy is pretty jank though.

Absurdist humor.

[Šneček]

jkas789, on 25 February 2021 - 06:11 AM, said:

That horse enemy is pretty jank though.

And then there´s that living vaulting buck in the gym (E1L4 Sokol Gymnasium level)

[MrFlibble]

jkas789, on 24 February 2021 - 07:23 AM, said:

Wasn't the word and concept of robot really consolidated on the Movie Metropolis by Fritz Lang?

Well, I did say "word", not concept. It's derived from the Slavic root which means '(hard) work' (and simply 'work' in modern Russian), and is cognate with German Arbeit (via a very regular metathetic process that made O and R change places). And that, in turn, is from the root that means 'slave', so originally the English word drudgery would be an adequate translation of *orbota.

Frankly I did not know about Fritz Lang's movie but apparently it came out in 1927 while Čapek's play R.U.R. which introduces the word (right in the title) in 1920. But from what I gather Čapek's "robots" are conceptually more like replicants from Blade Runner.

[Šneček]

1 new map has been added to the game, taking place at Točník Castle + new weapons like crossbow and Hussite hook gun and new enemies.

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[NNC]

Just a little offtopic here, but I'm a proud descendant of Jan Huss. One of my great-grandparents was called Huss.

As for the game, I echo Aleks about the forced blocky and low resolution polygons. That was my problem with Dusk too (and Quake TBH). The achromatic black-brown-white palette is very well fitting to the socialist Eastern Europe though, that looks clever. I also love Prague. So I'm actually interested in this.

[MrFlibble]

That arm with the crossbow just sells the CHASM feel.

[MrFlibble]

You guys seen that in the trailer?
http://www.youtube.c...0&v=_4ZOMtc0KPs

I remember those things being sold in electronics stores when I was a kid


The wolf is from this extremely popular cartoon series. I mean, it was really cool.

[Šneček]

New level! Takes place in uranium mine, there is a coal cart available.

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[MrFlibble]

You know what also would be cool to add to the industrial theme, an abandoned-looking yard with cracked concrete pavement overgrown with grass, rusted scrap metal and broken glass all around, maybe a dilapidated car or two somewhere.

Also there used to be those types of concrete pavement prefabs with holes in them, and grass grew through the holes.

[cybdmn]

The Watchtower, on 13 August 2021 - 03:43 AM, said:

Just a little offtopic here, but I'm a proud descendant of Jan Huss.

Burn! :-P

[Šneček]

Thrice Cursed, on 23 February 2021 - 09:30 AM, said:

I beat EP 1 some time ago and enjoyed it a lot. The bike is kinda useless, though. I just enjoy the style a lot, and really dug Chasm back in the day. The jump noise as well as some environmental effects seems to be lifted straight from Chasm. The dev seems to update quite often too, so since I played, there is already a new gun and some other changes beyond bug fixes.

Full episode 2 released. I haven't tried it yet, but judging from the new trailer, the motorcycle will probably get used and it will be ridden among cars in traffic, so it would no longer have to be in the game only as a "decoration". In addition, the player will be able to grab a mop and clear the ground of blood, perhaps of entrails.

[Šneček]

Full version of HROT released! Contains 3 episodes and much more.

[Šneček]

I finished the full version of HROT today and I have a lot of nice screenshots that I'm sorry to delete, so I'll upload them here to free up my disk space

(Screenshot 18, 22)- the appearance of minibosses is really bizarre in this game, from living vaulting buck to the moving statue of the Grandmother from Božena Němcová's novel. In the pictures, there is a fight with the aggressive backhoe.
(Screenshot 26, 27)- flushable toilets and fecals inspired by Duke Nukem
(Screenshot 33)- there is a communist president Gottwald as a boss
(Screenshot 34, 35, 36)- at the end of each episode, the player is rewarded with fireworks show that ends after a while. Instead of the classic final story about how the episode ended, the author placed a recipe, probably from that era. So there are 3 recipes.
(Screenshot 48)- you can play with electric train in the "Roztyly" level. This level also well depicts the appearance of typical pannelack houses.

Spoiler

(screenshot 38, 40) the roosters here impregnate the hens and are not deterred even by the death of the females. It even snows or rain in some levels.

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[Phredreeke]

I finished the game a few weeks ago. Really enjoyed it. Honestly, aside from Ion Fury it's the closest a game gotten to the "Build feel" to me, which is weird given the engine isn't like Build at all. Episode 3's secret level trolled me as I didn't realise

Spoiler

the parts to repair the Orloj aren't acquired at that point

As for the low poly graphics, I feel it helps with the otherworldly atmosphere

I've seen some people accuse the dev of being a SJW due to the final boss being

Spoiler

Putin riding a bear and a pterodactyl

but really that's just an old meme

[Šneček]

↑Although I did my best to find a single entrance to the secret level in at least one of the remaining two episodes and was furiously hitting the opening key on every possible wall in every level, I couldn´t make it. I was as blind as a bat. Unlike Dusk.

[Phredreeke]

The third episode secret level entrance is easy to find, I found it while searching for the last doggo