[h1]The Pupil Who Surpassed its Master[/h1]
Unlike many Vampire-Survivors-like games out there, Halls of Torment is actually good instead of just a cash-grab. And not only good, but in fact [i]better[/i] than VS, which, as far as I know, makes it the best game in the genre.
[b]Why is it better?[/b]
It's hard to say. But this thing kept me going for 52 hours while VS only managed to entertain me for 18.
Maybe Halls of Torment is better than its genre-spawning inspiration because there are [i]items[/i] in it that can be permanently unlocked and them fit into any character, helping define a build, before you hop into battle.
Or maybe it's because there are 12 different characters to play with (14 with the DLC), each with its own main attack and some particular in-run perks to grab.
It could also be because there's a ton of achievements to pursue (500), and many of them unlock new stuff, such as new abilities, new ability upgrades, or new in-run perks.
Or it could be because the old-school graphics fit the game perfectly, and each of the 5 maps available (6 with the DLC) play differently enough for you to go "Hm. I feel like playing this one now" instead of just going "Ugh. Whatevs."
Halls of Torment also doesn't impose too much RNG on you. You get [to eventually unlock] a potion that allows you to ban some perks for the run, and another that lets you reroll the list of perks that showed up for you to pick from on any given level up. And there are more helpful potions to use.
Though I was initially a bit disappointed by the fact that HoT doesn't have VS's "acquire these 2 skills to combine them into a 3rd, more powerful one," after getting the hang of things I didn't miss that at all. In HoT, there are some... I don't know, some 20 different Abilities you can acquire during runs. They are the same ones for all characters; all available to everyone. But, of course, some befit certain characters better; some are OP; some are utter trash; and some [i]seem[/i] to be trash but, once you unlock one particular potential upgrade for them, they become b!tchin'.
Some characters that you initially think "OMG, this dude f***ing sucks!" also become good once you unlock certain items and figure out how to better build them. Not [i]all[/i] of them, though (the [spoiler]Landknecht[/spoiler] comes to mind as a hopeless case).
So I think what makes HoT great is that it gives you a lot of worthwhile stuff to unlock, so it manages to keep you honestly engaged for quite a while. And seriously, to get 52 hours of fun out of a game I paid like $13 for is a steal. (I bought the DLC more to pay the devs what I owed than for its actual content.)
[b]In short:[/b]
Even if you are sick of half-assed, uninspired and poorly-made VS-like games (I'd call most of them a "scam," but that's just me), do give Halls of Torment a shot.
If you like the genre at all, this is probably the one game in it you should play. And also pay the full price for, because HoT is [i]easily[/i] worth what they are asking for it.
