Heroes in Time - (by Chillingo)

[timedblades]

There certainly no shortage of RPGs in the iOS which is very welcome. I just hope that the gameplay would differ a bit from the norm. It needs to break away from zelda

[ednan]

I didn't find it quite like Zelda... more like Zenonia without IAPs in your face

[timedblades]

What I mean is the combat system which is action oriented. I miss the command oriented RPGs. I guess that's just me. I still love games like this though.

[blebhertz]

So what are the impression on the classes so far?
Just started the game, but can't decide between the warrior and the mage

[ednan]

Ah, yeah. I wish we had more games like the "Tales of..." series, just played Tales of Graces f on PS3 and loved. Still, this one is a really good freemium =)

[timedblades]

Originally Posted by blebhertz

So what are the impression on the classes so far?
Just started the game, but can't decide between the warrior and the mage

I always go for warrior. I feel like mages are usually weaker in these type of games. You play mage for a challenge, and warrior for the story.

[ednan]

Originally Posted by blebhertz

So what are the impression on the classes so far?
Just started the game, but can't decide between the warrior and the mage

I went with the dude with 2 blades, until now he completely obliterates everything

[blebhertz]

Have to admit this game is pretty good so far. Must be one of the best KARPGs on the IOS. And I don't think IAP is necessary. I do plan to buy a couple of inventory slots to support the dev.

[Rumand]

Originally Posted by ednan

There is only one annoying thing which is the inventory space, the items you carry are a bit limited, but that's a push to buy more (99c, you can buy it 6 times). I'm contemplating buying once to support, it has been a great game so far. No pushing to buy scrolls to identify items or whatsoever.

That's my main problem also, that fact that equipped items still take up inventory makes it really short on space.

It's a pretty solid game though, good variety of quests.

[squarezero]

Originally Posted by Rumand

That's my main problem also, that fact that equipped items still take up inventory makes it really short on space.

It's a pretty solid game though, good variety of quests.

Agreed about the inventory. Then again, for .99 you can buy 12 permanent slots, which goes a long way towards solving the problem.

Now, I've had a chance to put in some serious time in the game (I'm playing a level 15 knight) and I think I've seen enough to give it a proper assessment. There are many ways to measure the quality of an RPG -- mechanics, world-building, exploration, scope, etc. The one that matters the most to me is emotional heft. Do you identify with the struggles and accomplishments of the characters? Does the game make you feel anything? It's what sets apart games like ChronoTrigger or Final Fantasy 3/6. All the other stuff can make a game fun, but emotional storytelling (when done well) is what makes the experience matter.

Well, Heroes in Time just pulled off that trick for me. I've been enjoying the characters and the storytelling overall (in general, people behave like, well, people, not plot points), but I just hit a major turning point and was surprised by how much it actually impacted me. I don't want to spoil things or oversell it, but it really caught me off guard because I just don't expect effective writing from a KRPG. I'm not claiming that the story is original (it reminds me a lot of the original Deus Ex, actually) but it is -- so far -- well told.

In a way, it also explains (perhaps) the biggest fault with the game: it seems too easy. Even without grinding you can easily match the bosses if you are judicious about equipment, stat placement, etc. The funny thing is, one of the characters remarks the same thing ("He's so much more powerful than the other soldiers!" or something to that effect), which suggests to me that the imbalance is intentional, and soon you will be facing real challenges in the game. Time will tell.

To anyone concerned about IAPs, all I can say is: it hasn't been an issue (except for the aforementioned equipment slots). There are no random, ridiculously overpowered bosses like in Zenonia 4, which forced you to pay up for resurrect scrolls. Interestingly, there's also little in the way of fetch quests -- as someone mentioned above the missions have been pretty varies and plot driven (there's even a fairly challenging escort mission earlier on). In other ways this is still very much a KRPG: the combat is button-mashy, the enemy designs sometime border on the random. But folks who are willing to overlook some of the sins of the sub-genre might be pleasantly surprised by the game overall. I know I was.

BTW I cannot believe that this was made by the same folks who made Seed 1 and 2.