It becomes addicting and enticing to anyone. Even someone like me who struggles with in-game strategy.
I’ve had days where it just feels like I’m going in a complete circle. Constantly running back and forth: at work, between places, going back to work, on the same project to make no gains, or even just in my own head. Repeating thoughts, memories, or ideas over and over. Loops are already tough to figure out and get through, but when you add the impending doom of all humanity, then it becomes a weight on those shoulders. That’s where ‘Loop Hero’ comes into play.
‘Loop Hero’ is a Strategy/Adventure RPG that thrusts you into a dim world (both figuratively and literally). The world is dark and the end is near. Stars are falling from the sky and blinking out, day time seems to have no meaning as the darkness begins to encompass any and all. You play as an unnamed protagonist. You literally can’t even remember your name. You’re left minimal memories of the world before, but you know one thing. You have to continue on and save humanity. I know it’s a concept you could have heard before, but that’s about it when it comes to things you know.
You go in a 16-bit style loop. That’s the game at its base. As you travel in a circle and fight the creatures of the dark you create the lay of the land, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. As you travel through the loop and find/complete combat you will earn cards at random. Bigger antagonists reap more ‘reward’ in more cards. Once you have the cards you place them around the map or in the loop themself and once added vary in effects. Most land cards affect your stats and character play. Cards that you play on the actual loop will provide new landscapes and new enemies and bonuses. Building the literal path for yourself is where the strategy plays start. I found myself trying to keep all similar cards together, creating large mountains, lush meadows, super long graveyards, or vampires who are next-door neighbors. I often found myself not using cards that I knew would cause me issues. I ended one loop with five spider cocoons not used because I didn’t really want to deal with them and fight it. Obviously not using them will not really advance the game and your character, but the fact that you can just choose the difficulty is a double-edged sword.
The actual gameplay is a weird type of addicting. It’s like the first time you find a new drink and you start to really like it the more and more you drink it…LIKE GINGER ALE. The game is passive in a lot of senses. You travel through a loop, watch the combat, and pick some cards. Then you actually begin to get dragged into it. The is the plus side of the strategy mentioned earlier. I found myself trying my best to play as smart as I could. Going into super deep dives about my armor and weapons and which ones really mattered to me at that moment. Even the way you plan your placement of cards, I would think on for minutes at a time just to put a meadow down in the same place that I started. You get caught up in the protagonist making a loop as new enemies spawn in. That’s where the role play element really starts to hit home with this game. The concept and presentation of the story and gameplay are going to keep you coming back for more and more. Just trying to get that little bit further somehow.
The visuals of this game are as lovely as you would expect. Most of it is based on 16-bit when in combat and looking around the camp. While simple, the character design, and color scheme work really well. Again, it makes you feel like you’re in a Dungeons and Dragons game. The dialogue and storyline, the creatures, the combat, and weapons. All of it comes together well in a visual storytelling aspect. Also, the fact that the games have a text option for people with dyslexia is a really great feature. The music follows in the same vein as the game. A classic 16-bit soundtrack that is perfect for battle. Though my only complaint is that some of the tunes do get a little old and begin to drown you out of the gameplay. They tend to slightly drag on and make the longer, more tedious events a little bit harder to bear.
‘Loop Hero’ was a great surprise for me. The idea of a game just going in circles had me hesitant at first. It turned out to be a wonderful little treat. The story and art style are solid and the music is fair, but the meat really lies in the gameplay. The world-building allows you to personalize it, but also to develop your own strategy. It becomes addicting and enticing to anyone. Even someone like me who struggles with in-game strategy began to just stop, think, and develop the plan for a long game even in the first run of a loop. These mechanics are really what help bring the game to a higher level and pull it up than just a normal 16-bit Adventure/RPG game. While a simple concept on the face, ‘Loop Hero’ has mountains more depth behind it.
