HROT is an upcoming indie produced retro shooter that appears to be a hybrid of games like Metro and Quake set in a dark and terrifying world.
The game takes place in 1986 Czechoslovakia shortly after some unknown disaster that left the world covering in smog, grit, and filled with nightmares. The player is part of a military readiness initiative and must defend the homeland from enemies like war-torn soldiers, autonomous robots, deranged attack dogs, and horses wearing gas masks.
According to the game’s Steam page, the game was designed to mimic the “romeric shooters” from the late 90s. The game is built from the ground up with a custom game engine, character models, and textures. It was created by the indie studio Spytihněv a solo video game developer living in Prague, Czech Republic where the game takes place.
Trailer footage and the demo reveal a game that’s very polished while still recreating a 90s shooter. Fans have expressed that it captures the familiar nostalgia of titles like Doom or Quake, but still manages to stand on its own. Part of this may be the unique setting, electricity/dieselpunk based weaponry, and features not seen in older games, like the ability to drive a motorcycle.
Details about the game’s story have been either scarce or nonexistent and that seems part of the design. The dystopian world, mutant horses, murderous skid-steer loaders, and floating Lenin heads paint a grim and bizarre picture that’s bound to be full of dark and abstract lore.
A demo of the game was released recently on Steam and the game itself can now be wishlisted. The game’s release date is listed as “SOON” and no specific date has been given by the creator so far. Considering how playable the game is with the demo and how extensive the gameplay footage is it’s likely to be a short wait.
Until then fans will have to wait as the details of this dreary and strange Orwellian world are rationed out to players in the coming weeks.
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