Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption

I'll keep this short. If you were like me and grew up playing Quest for Glory, Hero-U will probably be right up your alley. After much Kickstarter turmoil, The Coles ultimately outdid themselves here, and delivered a fully realized vision that I hope will grow into a series. The game is indeed a mix of Harry Potter and Persona. The dialog, narration, and flavor text is full to the brim of the good natured Dad Joke humor they're known for. The characters have depth and charm, and I really felt I got to know them. Combat is OK, but you learn some neat tricks as the game progresses as you flesh out your build. I loved the story, and hope you will too. Please support The Coles, because their decades of game dev experience have truly brought something new to the table in the field of modern RPG/adventure games. 5/5.

I have been waiting for this game for almost 5 years? Maybe longer? I was anticipating this game and suddenly here it is in its full glory. Thrilling and I can't believe it was actually worth the wait. Cheers to the Coles.

There is a reason we have common themes in stories. They speak to us. It is certainly true of this game. Hero-U has a very standard story structure with all the usual character types... and it works. There are more subtle world building elements to add details to the background but the key elements of the story are simple and enduring. I found myself excited to continue where I had left off previously, something that only happens when I've become invested in the people in the game. I cared about what happened, not just as a mechanical interest in completing the game but in seeing these people find their way through to the end. The failures of this game are minor. The art style was a compromise from the hand drawn 2d golden age of adventure games, instead opting for a fixed 3d view that never allowed for the majesty and coziness of the original QFG games. Probably not a failure of creative direction but instead a lack of resources. Some of the UI could have used a bit more polish too. Onto mechanics: Combat(I played a rogue with a magic affinity) was interesting. I found a lot of different strategies in the simple tools the game provided. Minigames and puzzles had enough variety to remain fresh until the end of the game. The RPG element along with the limited time made management of progression a thoughtful excercise. The only problem I had with the mechanics were the time sensitive nature of the puzzles. Because we know its a game, its hard to tell when we should abandon a puzzle as not being solvable yet vs just something we missed. That is a common problem with adventure games. This game isn't just for nostalgia fans. Its a good game that stands on its own.

I grew up on Sierra games and so was glad to see this homage to the old Quest for Glory series come out. The sense of humor and witty writing make this rather enjoyable along with the variety of things to explore and uncover. The lore of the world is also genuinely fun and interesting to look into. There are a couple ways to solve each problem as well making for an experience about tackling problems your on way. If you like a good old fashion point and click adventure combined with some RPG elements, such as stats, equipment, and sneaking past enemies (or fighting them), then this is an excellent game to consider. There were some negative points though and these include: The game is rather grindy for increasing stats and going through the motions of the day to day. Most of the problems that come up in the game are time locked and so you may not even proceed to solve the problem until a specific day making any work/time you put in before then fruitless. The ending was a let down as I expected a Report Card or Yearbook with comments to reflect my school year made me regret all the time I put into the game getting good skills and stats for Shawn.

Hero U is one of the most fun games I've had the pleasure of playing in 2018 and true successor to the QFG games. Don't let the price put you off. By the end you'll see it was a worthwhile investment which will not only provide you with dozens of hours of enjoyment, but also support a small independant team bring you the next chapter. Its not perfect some of the animation regarding character movement can either be tortiously slow (sneaking) or janky (running). The 'time management' of the game certainly adds a sense of urgency, but maybe a little too much at times. Every action moves the clock forwards so sometimes I would skip over ambiant dialogue, or clicking on objects altogether, because I didn't want to waste precious minutes. Which is a shame when some of the jokes/background info are so good. Though fair warning the coles have never met a pun they didn't like and there is an onslaught of them in places. Additionally, I thought the end game was a little weak compared to say the previous 95%. However, these are minor niggles. I enjoyed the story, it had a great cast of supporting characters, real challenge and humour throughout. I loved learning new secrets and discovering hidden areas of the school, the thrill of discovery was prevalant throughout the game. Having finished it I'm looking forward to diving back in and finding all the things I missed when I was learning the ropes. If you're an old QFG fan, enjoy RPG's or old school point and click adventures, you're in for a real thrill.