In March, our resident racing aficionado and all-around fantabulous human Benjamine Branscum wrote a glowing review of Loop Hero. In short, Ben argues that there’s a pleasant surprise that comes from playing a simple game of looping around and around, and worth considering on PC. However, it is now December (almost 2022, yeesh!!). Nine months since release, Loop Hero has also released on Nintendo Switch and has seen a few smaller updates and a significant mid-year update. Thus, it’s worth begging the question: How has Loop Hero held up?
I took some time to catch up on some Loop Hero this past week on PC, and I’m in complete agreement with Ben on his assessment of Loop Hero. It’s simple yet deceptively deep. Weirdly addicting? Absolutely. I see this game as a perfect type of game to play on the train or on a plane this holiday season (making the Switch a smart platform to play this game). One friend mentioned that this game feels similar to an idle mobile game, which is a fair assessment at face value. However, I am hesitant to label this game as an idle game altogether, since there is a level of depth that wouldn’t have been found in an idle mobile game for iOS or Android. That said, I do think this game would be a great fit on Android or iOS. If you see yourself traveling in the future, or if you want a laid-back game to play, then Loop Hero is a very easy recommendation.
Since release, Four Quarters have released a number of updates to Loop Hero that have since made the game more manageable and variable. The smaller updates that have been released throughout 2021 have been mainly bugfixes, balance changes, and translations. However, in June, their first new large update added several quality of life changes, additional enemies, and new tiles to add variety to your loops. Some of these quality of life changes give you the option to speed the game up (both adventuring and battle), saving on the go (great for mobile and Switch!!), deck switching, and item-locking. One initial gripe I had with Loop Hero is that I wanted to save some items that I wasn’t able to use until I was able to find another comparable item; my gripe no longer exists.
If these past few months are any indication, I have high hopes for Loop Hero’s support into 2022, and maybe beyond. I would love for Loop Hero to make its way to mobile, but having it on the Switch and so many PCs may keep us satisfied. Loop Hero is now available on the Switch and on multiple PC storefronts.
