In 'Heavy in the Hand', Every Reload, Hammer Cock and Trigger Squeeze Are Your Responsibility

Heavy in the Hand is an eerie, surreal 2D top-down horror shooter with some impressively deep weapon handling, placing every bolt, shell ejection, hammer cock, bullet reload and trigger pull directly in the palm of your hand, demanding skilful marksmanship to survive the horrors which await you.

This, coupled with the simple yet highly stylised design of the game, makes for what looks to be a pretty exhilarating experience.

Each reload matters, and each part of the reload is done by you. This mechanic looks amazing in this setting and creates considerable tension; this is, in my opinion, the main draw to the game, as it is a great way to form a tense environment through mechanics that players are familiar with.

This unique mechanic comes with a shooting range to test your skills and improve your marksmanship and reloads, with custom challenges for each gun, too.

As you learn to manage your ammunition and get used to the gun in your hands, you will make your way through a gothic, surreal horror story set in the tight, dark, dingy corridors of your home. Long abandoned by you and the family you left there, it is full of collectables and secrets, but the evil hidden behind the moon calls you back once again.

Akin to the gameplay, the art style of this game is amazing; its simplicity is one of its greatest strengths, as you can just see how much thought went into it – everything from the purple outlines of the playable area to the contrasting white of important objects against the black, it all speaks of intentional stylistic choices and readability, which is required when a game is this dimly lit.

If you enjoy surreal horror or stylised low-resolution art styles (or maybe both), I highly recommend checking out Heavy in the Hand now on Steam with a 10% discount, making it £5.66 instead of the usual £6.29.