Game Reviews

Hero Siege

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Hero Siege
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| Hero Siege

Optimistically billed by its developer as a mix between the legendary Diablo and indie darling The Binding of Isaac, Hero Siege at least lays its cards on the table before you start playing.

From the moment you select your character type - limited in this initial build to Viking, Pyromancer, and Marksman - it's made perfectly clear that your aim here is to kill enemies and collect loot.

Beyond that, there's little to report - which will be music to the ears of those who like their RPGs to be as action-packed as possible.

Your warrior valiantly stalks through a range of pixel-heavy environments dealing with waves of monsters, only pausing to interact with parts of the scenery, scoop up the aforementioned gold, and acquire magical potions, which can augment the power of the user.

Stellar performance in battle is rewarded with points which can be used to level up various attributes - such as health, strength, and attack speed - as well as a talent tree which is unique to each class.

Best in class

The eye-catching 2D visuals and excellent sound make Hero Siege a game that's both attractive to behold and enjoyable to listen to, and the arcade-style gameplay further enhances its appeal. However, after a few hours its shortcomings become glaringly apparent.

For starters, the character classes are all wrong. The Viking - a close-quarters combat expert - is at a distinct disadvantage when compared to the projectile-throwing Pyromancer and Marksman.

This is because these two classes can comfortably keep enemies at a distance without taking damage, while the Viking has no choice but to get in close - and even when he does, he doesn't possess the kind of stopping power you'd expect.

Keep your distance

There are rarely any moments in Hero Siege when either the Pyromancer or Marksman are at risk, and the game therefore becomes a repetitive slog as you simply move your character away from monsters whilst continually blasting them. Hit the boundary of the level? Simply adjust your direction and then repeat as before.

With some rebalancing, Hero Siege could easily overcome such problems. The developer has made it clear that the game is very much a work in progress, and feedback collected at this stage will undoubtedly be put to good use to make the title better.

However, at the time of writing Hero Siege is a long way from being as good as it could be, so be aware that you're essentially investing your valuable time into a swords and sorcery adventure which is far from complete.

Hero Siege

Well presented and action packed, Hero Siege has the potential to be something special, but it's poorly balanced and clearly needs more work
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.