Hands of Necromancy II Review Summary

Improved sequel with fun new character, innovative necromancy combat, and excellent level design plus great music, though levels are often too dark to navigate.

Strong Improvement Over Original: Many reviews highlight that the game surpasses the first installment in numerous ways. It is described as less janky, more accessible, and a big improvement that refines the overall experience.

Fun New Playable Character: The addition of a second playable character is well-received, with her unique weapons, transformations, and spells adding enjoyable variety. Many find her more fun and powerful than the original protagonist.

Innovative Necromancy Mechanic: The necromancy feature is praised as novel, well-integrated, and tactically flexible. It allows resurrecting fallen enemies as temporary allies and is considered more effective and useful this time.

Excellent Level Design: Reviewers consistently praise the level design as top-notch, varied, and well-crafted. It is frequently noted as a significant improvement over the first game, with many calling it phenomenal or fantastic.

Enjoyable Soundtrack and Music: The soundtrack and music are frequently praised as good, interesting, and genuinely incredible. It significantly elevates the game's atmosphere and vibe according to reviewers.

Levels are too dark to navigate: Many players report that maps are excessively dark, making it hard to see enemies and environments. Enemies often blend into the background due to poor contrast. This significantly hampers playability.

Summons have poor AI and pathing: Summoned allies suffer from terrible pathfinding, often getting stuck, wandering off, or failing to follow. The teleport system to recall them is unreliable. This makes necromancy and minion management frustrating.

Level design is mediocre and inconsistent: Many players find the level design passable at best, with incongruent themes and a lack of cohesion. Some levels feel like filler or cut content. The overall quality varies greatly.

Feels like an expansion, not sequel: Many describe the game as more of the same, essentially an expansion of the first game rather than a true sequel. It reuses enemies, weapons, and forms without enough new content. This leads to a sense of déjà vu.

Technical issues and crashes: Several users report severe technical problems, including crashes, high CPU usage, and suspected malicious behavior. The Linux version is broken, and alt-tabbing can cause issues. These bugs severely impact playability.

Necromancy Combat Mechanic: The necromancy mechanic is widely praised for letting players resurrect fallen enemies as temporary allies during combat. It is frequently mentioned as a core gameplay hook that adds tactical depth.

Second Playable Character Added: A new playable character with unique morphs, weapons, and transformations is a notable addition, offering a different playstyle. Reviewers appreciate the extra variety it brings.

Retro Heretic Hexen Inspiration: Players frequently describe the game as an old-school FPS inspired by Heretic and Hexen, retaining classic fantasy horror aesthetics and linear design. This positions the title as a deliberate throwback to 90s shooters.

Boomer Shooter Genre: Many reviews categorize the game as a boomer shooter or retro shooter, appealing to fans of old-school first-person action. This genre label helps set player expectations.

Shapeshifting Abilities: Shapeshifting into living things or animals is a distinctive feature, often combined with necromancy for varied gameplay. Reviewers highlight it as a fun and strategic element.

High CPU usage and system hangs: Multiple reports describe the game driving CPU utilization extremely high, up to 68% on an i9, and causing system hangups or restarts. This affects overall system stability during play.

Alt-tab causes serious issues: Players report the game sometimes hijacks the computer when alt-tabbing and prevents updating reviews with the game open. This makes multitasking or switching away from the game problematic.

Discord streamer mode and screen capture: The game unexpectedly triggers Discord streamer mode and screen capture, which can disrupt streaming setups or privacy. These side effects are surprising and unwanted by players.

Good battery life and performance: The game barely strains laptop batteries, allowing play on the go, and no levels kill the framerate like in the predecessor. This makes it suitable for portable gaming and maintains smooth performance.

Startup and tutorial problems: The game had to be force-closed before finishing the tutorial, indicating reliability issues early in the experience. This can block new players from progressing.

Ideal for Retro FPS Fans: Most reviewers strongly recommend the game to fans of old-school shooters, boomer shooters, and classic FPS titles like Heretic and Hexen. It stands out as a natural fit for anyone who enjoys fast-paced, exploration-heavy action.

Sequel Improves on Original: Several reviewers note that this game builds on the first Hands of Necromancy, offering a more accessible and polished experience. While some still prefer the original, many consider it a worthy follow-up.

Strong Value and Cheap Price: Reviewers frequently mention the low price as a major factor, making it worth trying even for those uncertain about the genre. It's described as a solid pickup with high replay value for the cost.

Cheap Enough to Try: The low price point makes it an easy recommendation even for those not typically into boomer shooters. It's often described as worth the money and a low-risk purchase.

Strong Recommendation Overall: Many reviewers give a clear, strong recommendation to play the game, with some calling it awesome. It's often described as a definite must-have or a very strong yes.

Game completion: 7.0h.

Session length: 1.5h.

Reports describe early friction in the tutorial and the first two levels, but the third level/3rd Episode is explicitly highlighted as when the game opens up and improves. Some players still feel this improvement comes too late, so the time-to-fun profile is mixed but leans toward later enjoyment.

Friction: Tutorial randomly removes control and causes confusion; Forced to close the game before finishing the tutorial; Awkward item selection controls, including mouse wheel clicks and the Enter key; First two levels are simplistic and boring in design; Combat feels tedious and slow; Enemies are boring to fight and lack strategy beyond kiting or line-of-sight.

Unlock drivers: Third level opens up when going outside; The 3rd Episode gets better.

Old-School Boomer Shooter Veteran: Aggressive run-and-gun combat, hunting enemies across large sprawling levels while collecting weapons and items. Motivation: Reliving the classic 90s run-and-gun FPS experience with brutal combat and rich level exploration. Stance: buy.

Series Continuity Loyalist: Playing the sequel as a direct extension of the first game, comparing mechanics and content against the original. Motivation: Continuing a series they already love and getting a refined version of the same formula. Stance: buy.

Movement-and-Level-Design Purist: Speed-focused, technical play that values movement tech, snappy weapons, and straightforward navigation over exploration puzzles. Motivation: Finding fast, fluid Quake-style movement, satisfying combat, and clear readable level design. Stance: no buy.

Strong Heretic and Hexen comparisons: The game is repeatedly compared to Heretic, Hexen, and Shadowcaster, often described as a modern Heretic or with a Hexen-like vibe. Some consider it the best blend of the two, while others note a shift toward Heretic-style linearity.

Sequel to Hands of Necromancy: Multiple reviews confirm this is a direct sequel to Hands of Necromancy, a Doom total conversion. It follows the same lineage and core identity as the original.

Retro 90s shooter aesthetic: The visuals and tone are deliberately retro, evoking 1990s shooters like Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, and Windows 95-era games. The low-fi aesthetic and fantasy setting are frequently highlighted.

More linear, hub worlds removed: Compared to the first game's hub-based structure, this sequel adopts a more linear progression with no backtracking. This change is noted as both a shift in design and a point of comparison.

Compared unfavorably in some reviews: A minority of reviewers found little difference from the predecessor or preferred the first game. Some also consider other retro shooters like Dusk or Amid Evil more interesting for the price.