Horde of Heroes - (by Everplay)

Thanks Sanuku, was waiting for this. Everplay is great in my book. Downloading with my CA account

Cool! Let us know your imps

Graphically this looks gorgeous! Does this play like Block Legends where you tap the block areas? Tbh I didn't like that method very much because I felt like I wasn't that involved with the game when I did that.

Yes I will, its from CookieBit, a favorite since 1001 Attempts (who also did the good and fun Leaping Legend) so this is a must for me. Just installed, going for it later...

Okay just played it. I think we may have another hit on our hands (thought only 10 minutes of play since it's way late here).

It plays pretty smoothly. The art looks gorgeous and it seems there's a lot to equip. Big plus that everything you can equip is shown in game. There's helmets, body armor, shields, and swords. And did I say I love the art? Music is also pretty snazzy.

What I like about this over Block Legends (they're actually quite a bit different but have a similar look) is that there's more battle animations and I don't feel "rushed". I feel like RPG games shouldn't have a rushing feature in them.

I am a bit confused about what stats are what in the level up screen but I'll play some more and add more impressions later.

Btw, there is a heart timer and extra currency to open up chests and other stuff but we'll have to see how that works out. It does seem that regenerating takes a long time. I forgot how long since I last played but the timer reads that there's over 10 minutes left so it must be higher than that.

Edit: There's also a really cool feature where you tilt your device horizontally and you can see really detailed player stats and maps stats which I love (stat tracking imo increases game longevity). However the issue with this feature is I 98% of the time have orientation lock on so I may not use this at all since I'd have to turn off orientation lock just to see it. I wish they had a button which would switch to stat mode manually.

---

Last edited by L.Lawliet; 04-01-2014 at 07:01 AM.

24 Apr worldwide, can't wait

---

Last edited by kenken11; 04-01-2014 at 07:12 AM.

Woohoo! Happy birthday to me! But i cant wait so i'll pull out the CA account!

Spellsword, Leaping Legend and 1001 Attempts are favorites, so another Everplay title is a must!

Well isn't this just a wonderful game! L.Lawliet has already covered the impressions but it's the kind of game you want to talk about once you've played so you'll just have to indulge me!

The core gameplay is a traditional Match 3 with swiping/tapping to swap adjacent blocks to make matches. It's tried and tested and a lot more involving than Block Legend and some of the other Matching RPGs that have ben released lately. It's also pretty frantic; games are played in real time so time is of the essence and combos are fairly common. It's a very satisfying but intuitive interface that everyone should feel at home with.

The game plays out a little like Knights of Pen and Paper; the world map is made of jigsaw parts on a tabletop in a similar meta experience. It also shares a lot of the humour that KoPaP excelled at with pop culture references littering the whole game. That's not to say that there isn't a solid and serious experience underneath the lighthearted exterior though.

I actually found the tutorial a little deceiving. You're talked through certain features in stages and left to defeat the enemies at certain interludes. These fights are incredibly short and simple, I was initially worried that the game would be far too simple to be a substantial product. As soon as your set free, the battles become much longer, much tougher though certainly not unfair by any means. So if you find yourself a little disappointed by the first levels, stick it through.

Visually and aurally, the game absolutely excels. I know for some the retro style and chiptunes will be a turn-off but to those that it appeals, it's absolutely top notch. The fact that your equipment is represented by your sprite and the large amount of loot just shows how much attention to detail and effort has been put into the game.

It's also a really nice touch that the various monster encounters are level-based and therefore replayable, either to grind out experience or to raise your ranking out of three stars. Having an incentive to perfect each objective definitely adds to the longevity. It's also good that there's variety to each battle. Sometimes you'll be thrown a fetch quest between enemies where you need to make matches underneath certain objects to get them to the bottom of the playing field so you can retrieve them. It's a nice nod to an RPG trope without coming across as tedious as the source can sometimes be.

Even the freemium elements of the game are well conceived. There's one currency so far, which is most definitely a premium but totally unnecessary to enjoy the game. The diamonds are used to buy keys to unlock bonus chests but you receive one item for each battle anyway so it feels more like a reward for spending than a punishment for refraining. The energy bar is only drained on a defeat, which hasn't happened to me so far so has yet to stall my play time. There's an energy doubler IAP too but sadly no removal IAP, still, it's one of the most generous examples I've come across.

All in all, it's a really polished and enjoyable product. Well worth making an account for if you don't have one and without a doubt worth dusting it off if you do.