Game Reviews

Heroes of Destiny

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| Heroes of Destiny
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Heroes of Destiny
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| Heroes of Destiny

Follow this narrow path, kill a prescribed number of generic baddies, collect loot, level-up, and repeat.

For so-called epic games set in rich (if derivative) worlds, the vast majority of fantasy RPGs all boil down to that same core formula.

Heroes of Destiny is strangely refreshing because doesn't try to hide from this fact - it positively embraces the linear grind-fest at its core.

Essence of RPG

This is a neat, distilled action-RPG with nearly all of the flabby bits trimmed away, leaving an experience that feels perfectly at home on iOS and Android.

There's no time wasted trudging around seemingly open locations here. Each level you tackle with your hardy band of four (eventually) warriors is a corridor of action that's as tight and funneled as any number of Temple Run clones.

Indeed, you fill those brief periods in-between scraps in a familiar over-the-shoulder-running view, tapping on loot containers to pick them up.

Violence is a drag

Each fight is a simple case of dragging from each of your warriors onto an enemy. They'll then stroll up (or not, if they use ranged attacks) and start hammering away until one falls over.

As ever with RPG games such as this, the strategy comes in the optimal use of each warrior's unique abilities. So you'll need to keep your weak healer out of harm's reach and constantly targetting those attackers who appear to be under the cosh.

You can also activate each warrior's special attacks, which take a while to recharge, so need to be used sparingly.

Experience essential

Each mission lasts only a few short minutes, but they can be accessed repeatedly from the boardgame-like map screen. Subsequent playthroughs unlock higher difficulty levels with the promise of greater loot and experience points.

These experience points serve to level-up your warriors, which in turn unlocks new abilities on their individual skill trees.

Progressing through these will take many hours of play, but it does gradually serve to make the characters feel a little more like your own creations - even though the simple nature of the gameplay naturally limits the scope of such customisation.

Can't get the staff

This being a Glu game, there's a hefty IAP system at play, though you can plough a number of hours into the game without feeling like you have to spend.

You may need to travel back and grind through the previous levels again on a tougher difficulty level, but the levels are brief and entertaining enough for this not to matter.

Of course, if you want to play for free you'll have to reconcile yourself with the fact that you won't see the vast majority of the heroes for hire (or weapons for purchase) - many of which bring their own team bonuses.

You simply have to invest real money in the game's gem currency if you're to create a truly varied team.

However you feel about this necessity, there's no denying that Heroes of Destiny offers a nicely streamlined and highly polished - if a little shallow - take on the action-RPG.

Heroes of Destiny

A concise and enjoyable action RPG-lite with an irritating - but not deal-breaking - IAP system
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.