A sinister force has waged war with the Dwarven Kingdom in Berdian Torres’ animated short, Fall of Hammerdome. Our tale takes us to the land of Highreigne in the Kingdom of Thrum led by King Theos. One day, communication from the Ironnest’s steward stopped altogether. King Theos sends his youngest son, Thress, to investigate.
After a long journey to the steward’s hall, Thress finds a darkened chamber with the bodies of its dwarf workers dead, bloodied and beaten. As Thress wanders through the devastation, he is confronted by a dark force he’s never seen before.
“…finds a darkened chamber with the bodies of its dwarf workers dead…bloodied and beaten.”
Fall of Hammerdome is a quite impressive indie animated short. It’s 2D animation harkens back to the old Hobbit television special. The characters are hand-drawn and nicely designed. Limited animation techniques are used for movement. A love for Dungeons and Dragons inspires its art design. The opening voice-over is a bit muddled, but the sound design of the Dwarf hall and battle scenes are fantastic.
As far as the action, this is where Fall of Hammerdome shines. Action is difficult to animate, but the filmmaker has Thress run the gamut of action. The fights are staged well and easy to follow along with the more sinister moments. Torres also employs some excellent ethereal effects, which only enhances the story of the demise of the Dwarven kingdom. Running at only 6 minutes, I definitely want to see more of this world and its lore.
Fall of Hammerdome is available on the Berdhouse Studios YouTube Channel.
"…the action...is where Fall of Hammerdome shines."
