Hazelnut Hex Review Summary

A charming shmup with excellent art, music, and bullet patterns, though visibility issues, unfair difficulty spikes, and problematic charge shots hold it back.

Excellent art style: The art style is repeatedly praised as impeccable, stylish, beautiful, and visually appealing, with a cute aesthetic that stands out. Many players highlight the visuals as a major strength of the game.

Great soundtrack and music: The soundtrack is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, described as impeccable, killer, catchy, and even among the best of all time. The music significantly enhances the game's fun and engaging tone.

Fun and charming shmup: Players consistently describe the game as fun, cute, and charming, with classic shmup gameplay that is straightforward and bite-sized. The overall experience is highly enjoyable and accessible.

Cute and charming characters: Players find the characters and their interactions to be cute, charming, and fun, with great character design and animation. The story is also noted as entertaining and humorous.

Fun and challenging gameplay: The gameplay is described as fun, exciting, and challenging in the right measure, with smooth and fluid mechanics that are instantly understandable. It offers a good balance of accessibility and depth.

Visibility and contrast issues: Several players struggled with visibility, citing poor contrast, blending colors, and eye strain. Enemies and bullets are hard to distinguish from backgrounds, leading to unfair hits.

Difficulty spikes and unfair deaths: Certain stages and bosses are notably harder, with some deaths feeling unfair on first encounter. The last bosses have cluttered visuals that make parsing hurtboxes difficult.

Charge shot mechanics problematic: The charge shot has several issues: it can't be fired if pressed during charging, is hard to use in boss fights, and its sound effect is slightly off. This creates awkward gameplay moments.

Gameplay feels bland: Some reviewers found the gameplay lacking satisfaction and appeal, describing it as bland. This suggests the core mechanics may not be engaging enough for all players.

Ship balance concerns: Slow-moving ship types are disadvantaged in collecting items, and overall ship balance could be improved. This affects gameplay fairness and strategy.

Horizontal bullet hell shmup: The game is consistently described as a horizontal scrolling shooter with bullet hell elements. Players dodge and shoot through bullet patterns.

Charge shot clears bullets: A central mechanic is the charge shot, which clears enemy bullets and can create kill combos. It is harder to use on regular enemies but yields more points.

Difficulty modes and challenge: The game offers multiple difficulty levels, with easier modes being quite easy and harder modes providing a fun challenge. Overall difficulty is moderate, less intense than typical arcade shooters.

Scoring and combo systems: Scoring is based on chaining kills, dodging, positioning, and using bombs to cancel bullets. Multipliers and medaling increase score potential.

Short but replayable: The game is short, with play sessions around 25-30 minutes, but has high replay value. Its bite-sized length encourages repeated playthroughs.

Steam Deck performance excellent: Users confirm the game runs perfectly on the Steam Deck, highlighting smooth performance and playability on the handheld device. This is a strong endorsement for Steam Deck owners.

Steam input dpad emulation broken: Players report that Steam Input's dpad emulation does not function correctly, causing issues with controls. This is a specific technical problem that affects gameplay for those relying on this feature.

Linux Proton compatibility confirmed: The game is reported to work on Linux using Proton, indicating good compatibility for Linux users. This is a positive note for players on that platform.

Great for newcomers and veterans: The game is recommended for both players new to the shmup genre and experienced fans, offering a challenging but not intensely difficult experience. It serves as a good entry point for beginners while still appealing to genre enthusiasts.

Highly recommended overall: Multiple reviews strongly recommend the game, with some saying they cannot recommend it enough. It is praised as a must-play and a top indie title.

Worth picking up: The game is considered worth checking out, worth your money, and a good purchase, especially when on sale. It is a solid choice for players looking for a quality game.

Recommended for genre fans: The game is specifically recommended for fans of the shmup genre, especially those who have exhausted classic productions. It offers a fresh experience for dedicated players.

Appeals to specific audiences: The game is recommended for those attracted to its illustrations, world view, and animations, as well as fans of similar titles like Magical Chase, Cotton, and REVOLVER 360 RE:ACTOR. It also suits players who like dodging and shooting.

Story completion: 0.5h.

Session length: 0.5h.

Endgame: 25.0h.

The game is fun immediately, with simple mechanics, addictive gameplay, and no learning curve, so players enjoy it from the very start.

Genre Newcomer: Casual, exploratory, using revival systems and small hitbox to ease in. Motivation: Learning the shmup genre in a forgiving, cute package. Stance: buy.

Score-Chasing Veteran: Replays levels, optimizes scoring, avoids hits, seeks higher difficulty. Motivation: Mastery, 1CC attempts, and competitive leaderboard placement. Stance: buy.

Co-op Family Player: Plays in local co-op, one player controls witch, the other controls familiar, casual pace. Motivation: Shared family fun and accessible co-op play. Stance: buy.

Linux and Proton: The provided user reviews consistently report excellent Linux/Proton compatibility. The game runs great with Proton and perfectly on Steam Deck, with no mention of crashes, performance issues, or required workarounds. The sole negative comment about palette contrast is a generic game design observation, not a Linux-specific problem.

Game is very short: Multiple reviewers note the game's short length, with playtimes ranging from 20 to 30 minutes, making it easy to replay multiple times. This is the most frequently mentioned aspect of the game.

Available on multiple platforms: The game is available on Switch and Steam, and also works on Linux via Proton, suggesting good compatibility. Reviewers mention playing on both Switch and Steam.

Comparisons to classic shmups: Reviewers compare the game to titles like Trouble Witches, Zeroranger, Cotton, Magical Chase, and Twinbee, noting similarities in gameplay and aesthetics. The game is considered easier than some of these.

Low price is a plus: Reviewers appreciate the game's low price, calling it a steal and noting it's cheap. One reviewer bought it at half price and felt it was appropriate for that price.

Online leaderboard exists: The game features an online highscore table that lists the top 40 scores, and there is also a leaderboard. This adds competitive replay value for players.