Welcome Time Wasters!
This week my search for a time waster lead me around the internet until I discovered a neat little game called HYDRA.
HYDRA is a hack-n-slash game viewed from the side that pits the players against a deadly hydra. There isn’t really a story as to why the player has to fight the hydra, it’s just there and needs to be killed. The only problem is that it can’t be.
HYDRA is a high-score game that challenges players to cut off as many heads of the hydra as they can. Each head destroyed counts as a single point and more will sprout from the creature’s body once one is killed. Scores are automatically posted online and it’s fun to see how good other people do and then challenge yourself to do better.
Controls in HYDRA are simple and easy to get use to. Players can move the character around with the Arrow keys and have a few options for attacking. The A key handles normal attacks and this is the main way to deal damage to the hydra. The S key creates a shield that doesn’t allow the player to move, but they also can’t take damage. Finally, the D key throws a flash bomb that stuns the hydra for a few seconds.
The fight against the hydra isn’t just blindly attacking. The different elements of the game come together in such a way that it makes using the environment to your advantage a necessity. A great example of using the environment is a chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the room. This can be cut to drop the the creature and will kill a lot of its heads. However, getting to the chandelier requires the player to unlock a door. The key is hidden in one of the hydra’s heads. There are also a few other secrets that players can discover to aid their fight against the beast.
The graphics in HYDRA are interesting. The main character is a black stick figure and the hydra is also hidden in shadow. It reminds me a lot of Limbo. It’s simple, but it also helps the player focus on the action, which is very important in this game.
The audio in HYDRA is alright. The game has a few simple tunes to keep players entertained. They aren’t anything great, but they aren’t bad either. Sound effects in the game are about the same as the music. They exist, and they aren’t bad, but they aren’t great either.
Overall, I like the idea behind HYDRA. It’s simple, fun and can be picked up and put down easily. Shooting for a high score is great, but it won’t take up so much time that you lose your day to it, which is a good thing sometimes. Not all games are meant to hold players forever and HYDRA is a good example of one of those game.
HYDRA fights its way to 3 GiN Gems out of 5!