Hedon Bloodrite

Both fourth slot weapons - the Hellclaw and the Paingun - are generalist weapons whose quirks are fun and powerful, even though I still don't really get what the Paingun's alternate fire does.

It's hard to strike a balance between ambient exploration tracks and battle music, but Hedon does that and beyond, experimenting with various forms of dynamic music (particularly throughout the second map cluster).

I was expecting to just run-and-gun for some fun, but I found myself surprisingly invested in the story and characters.

Sound design and visual design are the two easiest components of Hedon (or of any game) to talk about, but the component that kept me playing was...

Difficulty selection is handled with more creativity than simply increasing enemy health or damage.

A unique theme/art style, unusually varied gameplay for a shooter - including platforming, challenging puzzles that are more creative than the traditional Doom style key sequences, light RPG elements, optional side quests, open + interconnected world (Metroidvania and Dark Souls 1 fans will love the maps)...