HROT Review - Early Access - Czech's Quest

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Welcome back everyone! I've been looking forward to HROT since I learned about it during Realms Deep and so far it hasn't disappointed. This is an impressive Quake throwback, especially when you consider it was developed by one person who designed their own engine for the game. If you like what you see make sure to check the game out on Steam and give the dev your feedback! Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of this game and if you're playing it. STEAM PAGE: www.google.com/search?q=hrot+steam&oq=hr&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j69i59l2j35i39j69i60l3.1266j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Timecodes: 00:00​ - Intro 00:39​ - What is HROT? 1:19​ - hrot gameplay - level design. 2:42​ - Presentation 5:33​ - HROT'S arsenal. 7:03​ - Grenades. 7:55​ - Bosses. 8:32​ - HROT Enemies. 10:22​ - Stuff to improve. 11:24​ - Conclusion.

[@kingkuma4112]

You deserve a medal for that title pun alone.

[@MrFireseth]

I had fun with HROT, excited for the future of the game. The dev also recently added a Super Shotgun and a BFG-esque weapon.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Nice! Yeah this one is turning out nicely.

[@MidnightMedium]

A Super Shotty? My God, I'm there

[@blazkowicz_the_3rd810]

As a guy from Czech Republic, i can say i´m very proud of this game, the attention to the details are great. Well, maybe not as much from your view, but from someone who lives there, very much. And also very funny. The technical side could be better, but i don´t really care that much, as long as you can move fast and shoot, it´s all good. And keep in mind it is in early acces for eager people like ourselves.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

That makes me happy to hear! I kept wondering throughout what sort of things were going over my head because I wasn't from the Czech republic.

[@podfuk]

​@@KIRKCOLLECTS I can say It's really uncanny to see my childhood memories remade in to Quake style retro FPS :D

[@viliussmproductions]

I'd daydream about an oldschool shooter with a soviet aesthetic now and then. Will definitely be checking this out

[@СергейСоболев-х4ч]

Check out "You Are Empty" This is what you seek

[@Lord_Deimos]

If it's anything like Quake, Dusk or Slav jank, I give it a try nevertheless. Also, I can totally see this game moving into cosmic horror territory later down the road.

[@podfuk]

It is ;) I heard second episode takes place during Hussites war era(around 1420-1520)

[@LostElsen]

Plot twist: this is what real communism looks like, the classless society where everyone is a monster

[@MaritimeMorris]

It's refreshing having youtube recommend me a channel, that isn't complete marsupial shit. You make excellent videos, look forward to more!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thanks Beefy!

[@sirspegy1390]

“Hey Kirk what’s your favorite video game genre?” “Puzzle platformers” “Wha...”

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Japanese visual novels, obviously.

[@elbryan42]

This game looks like the lovechild of Quake and Chasm.

[@Jayy997]

When a game nails it's gameplay and feel so completely in early access, you just know it's destined for great things. This is as great as DUSK was in early access and that is not faint praise.

[@TheBlackSwordsman1448]

Keep up the hella good content Kirk, your channel should blow up soon

[@RichardMatthews.youtube]

Great review Kirk! Iv played some great games from your channel :)

[@dobbins1490]

Man, now I want to do a old school FPS

[@SlowPoke1441]

Not played it as yet, it’s in the wish list though, looking forward to giving it a bash, great video mate!!

[@1whospeaks]

This guy has 2 other games on Steam and both of them are good and done almost completely on his own, which means he's almost certainly watching these reviews. That's what I like about indie games, most of the time, they really do love their work and want to see it flourish just like reviewers like you.

[@doommaker4000]

As a fellow post-soviet slav, I can relate

[@magnuswild3060]

In the latest version (0.2.8) it seems that you can reload by pressing the same weapon-key that select the weapon. For example; to reload the pistol(s), press 2, and it will reload. Also, you don't seem to need to reload the SMG anymore.

[@eldavid8774]

No reload Low poly Little story Awesome gameplay *sips , yep its boomer time

[@PlatoKaramazov]

This game looks friggin awesome. I wishlisted it, so when it gets farther along in the EA pipeline and/or goes on sale, I'll definitely grab it. Soviet architecture + Quake = FUCK YES

[@burningskeleton8892]

As soon as I saw the Hammer and sickle, I was sold.

[@СергейСоболев-х4ч]

Great video as always! Waiting for your reviews on Wrath Aeon of Ruin and Graven!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thank you! I can't wait to play those, especially Graven. That game looks so cool.

[@zerotactix5739]

Main concern - Gun sounds!

[@ohmygoditisspider7953]

Yo what's up Kirk? I hope life is treating you well. You're really in your element with videos like this one. Games like this, when you like them you become so animated and fun. Good video.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

What's up Spider! Thank you so much for the comment. I'm glad the passion is coming through and that you're enjoying the vids. I hope life is treating you good as well.

[@IronSalamander8]

I'm digging Hrot. Currently bouncing between it and Prodeus, so lots of FPS goodness.

[@milanvondrich9749]

2:30 Not a scooter, just a good ol' Jawa

[@SgtMjRomero]

Czech's Quest? Clever

[@Ryebread06]

That video title is S-tier 👌

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

It made me giggle more than I care to admit.

[@Metaretru]

Da yiss, Slav Quake.

[@Name-yd8es]

I’ve already rewatched this video 3 times

[@patras458]

Yes the brownness and visual monotony is intentional, it's done to amplify the opressivness of the era, in these times there were no colorful buildings or floral garments, just concrete, lots of grey and brown concrete.

[@loansharkjoe6687]

Thanks very much for this video, very nicely made! I played A LOT of Dusk a few years ago, and i saw gameplay of HROT and immediatly i thought it looked cooler than Doom, Duke Nukem and whatever, i instantly thought, "I need to try this, it looks great" and damn, this game looks so fun, can't wait for it to be fully made and all the bugs removed, I prefer slower games, Dusk was much faster, this looks a bit more slower and more enjoyable!

[@AbsoluteSkycaptain]

Another one for the backlog, may I never escape it.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

None of us will.

[@rikogames6586]

Wait a minute, the title was a pun with Chex Quest... my god

[@kduhtdkzrt]

Yup.

[@ladams391]

This game is great because while I appreciate and enjoy all the clever twists being put on the retro-fps formula these days, HROT fills a surprisingly empty niche in the market for new games that are by-the-book shooters. It feels like a game that was actually made back in the old days that's just running in a source port that adds some visual effects. I think the best way I can describe it is by saying that HROT is what I imagine Quake might have been if the id Software team hadn't been so exhausted from internal conflict and time crunch when they developed it.

[@dantevivas693]

I remember coming across a demo for this last year, quickly dissmissed it since it ran poorly on my laptop and looked like regular slavjank, but if it's better optimized now i might check it out, looks much more promising now

[@Jayy997]

This is far from slav jank. It's a very polished and well designed game even in early access. Easily the best retro shooter since DUSK and much better than other similar games from recent memory.

[@roninevans6795]

Some feedback I'd like to leave here is that during my playthrough there were at least three times where I wasn't sure where to go because the rusty lock texture blends into the wall texture so well. I think giving it a more distinct color. Perhaps a darker silver color with the rust color layered on it. That way it doesn't look like the silver lock as it would give it not only a rusty but also a tarnished color.

[@roninevans6795]

I do also think the weapons sounds should be reworked. While I think I understand that they sound weak to add to the sickly vibe of the world it's difficult to keep playing when both the visuals and sounds are so dull. I hope the developer can find the perfect balance for his world and the player.

[@drakvaclav826]

I think the monotone color pallette is actually there for a reason. You see, during the socialist times, everything seemed to have the same grey/brown-ish color. It might not be so apparent, for people outside of Czechoslovakia, but the game encapsulates the feeling quite well actually. The times weren't colorful, everything was concrete with wood planks, devoid of any joy, depressing and brutal. Nice review BTW!

[@light819]

Love hrot even with episode 2 changing the level design up in a good way. I feel like there could be something like runner vision from mirrors edge, press a button and you get one clearly visible color that stands out to highlight key points if you get lost

[@DooMedSean]

I love this game, it's very tough and brings me back to the days I'd spend as a kid, blasting monsters and mutants on quake, doom and blood. I'm so excited for the rest of these episodes! I can look past all the brown tones, it doesn't bother me, but the main thing that gets me and most likely everyone else is the no manual reloading. But still a small gripe within a awesome game!

[@Koruvax]

You can reload by re-selecting a weapon, e.g. when you have the pistol out fire a few shots and hit 2 again to reload.

[@DooMedSean]

@@Koruvax really? I'm going to have to test this out. Thanks

[@Koruvax]

​@@DooMedSean Just doublechecked :|. Works only for pistol, it's mentioned in the recent patch log for v0.2.8

[@jirikajzar3247]

That guy you kiss on picture is Gustav Husák. Former president of Czechoslovakia. It is a reference to situation when russian leaders like Brezhnev or Gorbachev visited, they always kissed with each other when they met.

[@Gruntvc]

I gave the demo a try last year, but it's just another early 90s FPS Indie game. Not bad, but not what I'm looking for. Started playing Opposing Force and I'm loving it. Can't believe Gearbox once made great games and were trustworthy lol.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Oh man early Gearbox was amazing. Blue Shift isn't too bad either but it's not as creative as Opposing Force. I miss those days.

[@Gruntvc]

@KIRK COLLECTS, From what I've seen, Blue Shift doesn't look bad, but it's the weakest of the two official expansions. Gearbox must've not been doing that great lately considering they just got bought by THQ Nordic lol. The ghosts of Duke Nukem and Aliens Colonial Marines still haunts them and they deserve it. As for HROT, I think I would've liked it more if it had a head banging soundtrack like Quake 2.

[@badkluster]

Nice review; definitely needs more color

[@drebodollaz3504]

Looks a lot like dusk. I’ve got too many games on my backlog currently. But I’ve got to respect the effort. I might give it a try later

[@metalvideos1961]

just starting to playing this game play it on hardest difficulty. pretty challenging at points. but really good game none the less. really enjoy it.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

I went through it on hard and felt it was just right for the first episode.

[@metalvideos1961]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS i just entered level 2 of the first episode. have not played it much yet. i have to say the shotgun guys (not sure how they are called in this game) are pretty hard to kill. i mean they can stand up if they fall down so you have to be careful on those enemies. but its fair enough to play through it. although health is a problem maybe its because of the higher difficulty i dont know. but yes from what i have played hard difficulty seems not bad at all. just be careful. but you have finished the first episode already? how many episodes are there do you know?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

@@metalvideos1961 The first couple levels are a little scarce health and ammo wise, especially on a first play through. After that you'll be pretty flush with ammo.

[@metalvideos1961]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS ah thats good to hear. kinda strange normally its the other way around so you get the feeling of how things goes. i mean the first level you could find a rocket launcher and a assault rifle. not often you see that in games. well in doom 2 you can get a rocket launcher as well in the first level. but thats besides the point. anyway its good to hear that later on you have more health and ammo. anyway its a fun little game. nice voxel textures just like Dusk. kinda the same idea.

[@MegapiemanPHD]

HROT is interesting so far but a big thing I had an issue with was ammo. I could never find enough of the stuff but then again I played on one of the high skill levels so maybe that's on purpose.

[@SteveAkaDarktimes]

Can we get some rust reds, crusty tans, hazy greens and dirty oranges to complement the brown?

[@Name-yd8es]

You should cover nightmare reaper

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

I'll put it on the list!

[@largerfire9791]

its legit good.. feels like d3d in some ways.. hope dev expands on that interactive gubbins

[@SleeperJohns]

Feels a whole lot like Russian Quake to me.

[@MidnightMedium]

So weird compliment but I really like the vocal balance of your setup. May I ask what mic/mixer setup you employ?

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thank you! I recently started using the Shure MV7 podcast microphone. I don't have a mixer yet, I've just been recording through USB. I've had to be mobile with my setup in the last year so I try to keep it simple. But what's great about that mic is that when I do eventually pick up a mixer I'll be able to hook into it no problem. Before that I was using a cheap $60 mic from UHURU which was pretty good quality for the price. The first video I used the Shure in was my "Top 5 Games of 2020" vid if you want to compare. Past that though I use tools in my editing software to help punch up and balance my voice. Channel EQ, DeEsser and compressor. These can be tricky to get a hang of but they go a long way in upping the audio quality, in fact these are just as important as the microphone.

[@MidnightMedium]

@@KIRKCOLLECTS very helpful, bud. I appreciate you taking the time!

[@jgreimel]

This is obviously the Quake 1 engine. The sounds, particle effects and even the font are the same :)

[@xNachtmahRx]

Already played it for 6 hours...5 hours more than 90% of my steam library lol. Great game if the other episodes will be just as good or better

[@CloudlessStudio]

Awesome game, a bit like dusk but a little more flavor to it.

[@Malefication]

Besides the monotonous brown, I can't stand the weapon sounds. Almost all of them sound so incredibly neutered, and it put me off a lot when playing the demo. I really hope that gets changed later in early access, because I don't think I could spend hours with weapons sounding like peashooters. Also, technically DN3D has the automatically reloading thing with the pistol, but thankfully only the pistol IIRC.

[@AlphaZeroX96]

I only played the demo on Steam.

[@ZFCaio]

What type of Quake is this?

[@michaelbuehler3897]

In Soviet Russia, FPS shoots you!

[@fuzzy8889]

dusk 2

[@sonickiller360]

Hate to be that guy, but it’s magazine not clip.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

You are correct! I will watch for that in future vids 👍

[@corik]

When i first saw this game I thought it was a Russian Rip off of Quake.

[@corik]

The Game looks Groovy

[@beng2469]

You mean Czech.

[@dellie9761]

first

[@lambda511]

first

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

@@lambda511 first

[@judsongaiden9878]

Notice how the shotgun is *reverse* pump-action, likely based on the RMB-93. 6:14 A clip is a device, other than a speedloader, used for loading a magazine or cylinder. 7:06 Notice how you do *everything* right-handed. Even while wielding a weapon right-handed, your character still also throws right-handed because left-handedness is verboten in the Soviet Union (which is historically authentic). That's just one of many superstitious quirks the far-left and the far-right have in common. 7:53 You have to cock the shotgun every time you pull it out? How early 2000s. How Hollywood. How incompetent. 9:32 You should sc0re an achievement for that called "Zone Sportsmanship Challenge." 9:47 Mechanical foes should be immune to blunt projectiles (pistol-caliber bullets and shot pellets) and should only be affected by armor-piercing rounds, explosives, or energy weapons. 9:49 We could imagine that it's motor oil. 11:01 Ever since the original Half-Life, quick-swap (or "last weapon used" as it's called in Half-Life) was the standard, so you is correct. 11:59 Wait, shouldn't it be given away for free? You know, to be in keeping with the communism theme. Can't have people profiting from their own labor, after all. It threatens the order and stability of the state. Must keep everyone equally poor and miserable while also expecting them to pretend to be joyful for their lot in life as expendable cogs in the machine, so sayeth the priests of the Temples of Syrinx. Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand! * *insert guitar riff* * (kudos to those who actually got that reference)

[@Fourhoursleep]

If you'd take out the socialism it would be a no brainier buy for me

[@zachgoodrich6100]

I've been enjoying HROT! I currently have eight achievements from it's Steam page on library! The shotgun wielders are death fakers just like the Star Troopers from Blake Stone and the Melee Zombies from Blood! Speaking of Blood boy like both Blood and Dusk there are rats to kill here in HROT also! Plus annoying spider enemies just like in Blood and the old Turok games! Boy do I hate the small enemies like rats and bugs that I need to kill! Also fish enemies just like in Quake 1 and the original Shadow Warrior! Shadow Warrior also had those annoying hornets and speaking of Shadow Warrior dang that chimp carrying the barrel like every game these days need one kamikaze type of enemy like Shadow Warrior's Coolies and Duke Nukem 3D's Sentry Drones! I'm just thankful that at least the explosive barrel wielding chimps don't have their ghosts to come and continue fighting you after they died like the Coolies from Shadow Warrior did! That one other worldly monster makes me think of a cross between an enemy from Half-Life 1 and certain enemies from the upcoming first person adventure horror game Scorn! Thus the bad guys here doing a UAC style experiment on a poor gorilla is a sign that these commies are absolute bastards that need ass whopping! Great video review btw!

[@stefan0453]

time for a revolution URA

[@mac2309zzz]

I don't suppose it really matters, but I just don't believe 'the game engine was developed by single person'. If it's not at least 50% Carmack's code I'll eat my hat. Apart from anything else, why would you bother to rewrite it when he gave it away for others to learn from. Yes there is the problem of the license that applies to the original code... even so it seems very strange! It's just occurred to me that if it IS Carmack's code and uses the same restricted colour palette (8 bit colour) then he may not have much choice over his colour scheme. This of course would be completely unnecessary with modern hardware and would seem a silly design choice. It doesn't explain the decision to stick rigidly to such a narrow use of colours within the palette though!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

You could probably ask the dev on his Twitter @kotolout. As far as I know it's his own engine written in pascal. He might be happy to share with you why he chose that route, what code he took inspiration from and what sort of help he might have gotten with it.

[@Beengus]

Too brown5me

[@jgreimel]

Too bad, its just brown/grey everywhere

[@TheGamingBurger734]

No AK :(

[@chandude3]

its just hard for me to justify spending 20 bucks on this one

[@chandude3]

@@alfa-psi dont care

[@Beengus]

Rot

[@dzonnyblue3065]

soviet controled chezoslovakia not really independent country but under the soviet influence !

[@eduardodiaz9942]

Let's hope the final boss of the full version is the most dreadful eldritch horror of all... CAPITALISM

[@dzonnyblue3065]

I hate communism but this game is so cool !!!

[@Vartazian360]

I think the colors in this game are so bland it just gives me no desire to play it. Dusk even with its setting had way more colors than this. Also the guns sound like pea shooters

[@XCCRisopen]

обычный мухосранск в 3 часа ночи

[@medhat3469]

I don't know how to speak Russian but may be HORT MEANS DUSK OR it's just dusk new episode early April fools

[@Pyro-Moloch]

This, honestly, looks like poor man's Quake. It copies all of its gimmicks, but lacks a strong artistic direction.

[@Jayy997]

I find that despite the low poly look, it really nails the art. It's stronger than DUSK at least in terms of direction and cohesiveness.

[@Pidalin]

it looks like poor man's queke because it's created by one poor man obviously, but for one guy it's pretty impressive work