When comparing Hammerwatch vs Magicka, the Slant community recommends Magicka for most people. In the question“What are the best local co-op PC games?” Magicka is ranked 12th while Hammerwatch is ranked 62nd. The most important reason people chose Magicka is:
Since the main gameplay mechanic of casting spells is skill based on how quickly you execute a certain key combination, there's a high chance of misclicking or mistargeting and accidentally attacking your ally. There’s nothing quite like thunderbolting or summoning death on your friends.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Support for up to 4 player local and online co-op
The game can be played with up to 4 other people on the same computer or over the internet, making this a good game to play on a Steam Machine in the living room if you can.
Pro Allows for different playstyles
There are 6 different classes to choose from: paladin, ranger, wizard, warlock, priest, and thief. Each offers a different way to play the game, giving you a fair amount of freedom in your play style.
Pro Open-ended character builds
Players can upgrade their characters as they progress through the game. By choosing to upgrade certain moves instead of others, players can create different builds that have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Pro Shared money-pool
Everyone gets money when someone collects it, but when spending it only subtracts money from your own "bank account".
Pro Chaotic gameplay that results in amusing friendly fire
Since the main gameplay mechanic of casting spells is skill based on how quickly you execute a certain key combination, there's a high chance of misclicking or mistargeting and accidentally attacking your ally. There’s nothing quite like thunderbolting or summoning death on your friends.
Pro The spell system is pretty unique
Magicka has a unique spell-casting system based on adding elements such as fire, water, and stone to an action queue.
There are eight basic elements (each assigned to a key), of which up to five can be queued at a time. Some elements can be combined in the queuing process (such as fire and water to create steam). The effect of the spell changes to match the elements you add to the queue. Additionally, there are four casting methods: beam (right-click), area (shift+right-click), self-cast (middle-click), and imbue weapon (shift+click).
Pro Funny story and music
Story twists and music create an fun and easy gameplay atmosphere.
Pro Two different gameplay modes
Other than the standard campaign mode there's also a survival mode that's your standard affair with increasingly difficult waves of enemies. There's also an online leader board for survival mode.
Pro Casual fun with friends
Not too complex gameplay allows hilarious time with friends even if they don't know the game.
Cons
Con Can get very repetitive
There's not much variety in the game, and killing waves of enemies in the same way can get a bit boring after a while. This is especially true if you’re playing single-player.
Con A bit of a learning curve
With the number of spells you have at your command comes the challenge of discovering and remembering them all. But once you know them, you'll be able to counter anything that's thrown at you.
Con Memorizing spells is extremely difficult
The vast combination of elements make it all but impossible to blindly figure out what spell combos the game has and even the wiki page has no usefulness in finding spells for your play style.
Con Optimization could be better
At certain times during competitive play, the game can lag or slow down (not rare for an online game), which may mess up the timing of skill shots in the game. Being that timing is highly important to the gameplay, having a poor netcode that fluctuates during play can be upsetting, especially if it results in a loss.