Stones of Harlath is a first-person hack-and-slash platform that requires players to battle powerful enemies within an open-world environment. Melee weapons, arcane skills, and magical spells can all be used to face such challenges.

Some of the visual elements (such as the levels themselves) can be compared to other games, such as Tunic, in regard to their overall appearance. However, Stones of Harlath can be considered to represent a classic dungeon crawler.

The use of virtual reality

The combat experienced throughout Stones of Harlath is quite immersive due to the fact that it takes place in a VR environment (note that players can either sit or stand). Therefore, it is more immersive when compared to standard hack-and-slash perspectives.

A purposely simplistic environment

While some players may find the levels and backgrounds underwhelming, this was actually the intention of the developers. They wanted to create a dungeon crawler that mimicked classic games (such as those which were released in the latter half of the 1990s).

More than hacking and slashing

The player has been shipwrecked on a deserted island, and they will encounter foes from time to time. However, this game also involves a fair amount of exploration and resource farming. There are instances when puzzles will have to be solved in order to progress further.

A classic dungeon crawler with a modern twist

Stones of Harlath can be classified as a classic dungeon crawler, making it on par with other well-known platforms, such as Wolfenstein 3D. However, this game offers players a mythical flavor, thanks to magical spells and the ability to trace runes in order to create powerful attacks.