Released 11/3/2009.

Play on Wayback Machine.

Read artist commentary.

Tracks that Hammerkind features:

• Beagle Aegis by Stephen Maxwell
• Stairs of Skaia by Stephen Maxwell
• Explode (Candy) by Stephen Maxwell
• Impocalypse by Stephen Maxwell
• Forgery by Stephen Maxwell
• Beat the Game by Stephen Maxwell

Artist commentary:

Stephen Maxwell: (official website, excerpt)

» Fight shale imps to collect grist, to build, to climb!
» 6-7 different powerups that you can purchase (using shale, of course)!
» Special unlockable game modes!
» At-home multiplayer! (No online functionality yet, sorry.)
» Secrets!
» Tons of (midi) music inspired by songs from Homestuck canon!
» Lots of love for the first three acts!
» Extra-canon boss battle!
» So many surprises. All of the surprises.

Stephen Maxwell: (Tumblr post, excerpt)

Hammerkind is a unique little fangame that I've put a lot of time and love into. It's the first thing of this size I've completed, and I'm really excited to finally let everyone play it!

Hammerkind features original game mechanics inspired by Homestuck. Fight imps to gather Build Grist to build, to climb through the seven gates to reach Skaia! This mostly takes place as if in Act 3, though some secrets diverge from this concept if you can find them. If you stick with the game, you can unlock quite a lot of extra content.

Note that Hammerkind has weird physics, and will not function like most platformers or brawlers. The jump has no air-control, John accelerates quickly while running, and the way attacks work is odd. A large part of the game is learning to use this to your advantage!