Vertical Drop Heroes HD

First things first I have to address the technical issues that some reviews mention for the Mac version I have been playing VDH HD since mid February of 2015 it wasn't nearly as stable at that time as it is now. Congrats to all who have made the updates possible and fixed the problems. I now feel I can safely write a review about the game and recommend it without any reservations. VDH HD is a rouge like platformer I feel it has a good difficulty curve so far of not feeling impossible it feels like you get unlocks at a reasonable pace when compared to some other rogue like games. Controls work with either a keyboard or a Gamepad I'm using a oldish Logitech USB one which works perfectly. I like the fact that the original VDH is included as a free bonus so you can compare and contrast just how much work went into the HD version.

Vertical Drop Heroes HD is a fun, addictive, arcade and rogue-lite game. It's easy to pick-up and play, but takes time to master. You pick from 3 randomly generated heroes and can re-shuffle for different heroes for a cost of 5 coins. Then you go through 10 levels while collecting coins to power-up your character's stats which are attack power and HP and buy abilities within levels. When you die you must start from the beginning, but you will keep your coins and abilities which you unlocked during the game. The graphics and music are good, but not great. The main feature are the controls and co-op play. It has great controls that anyone can use. Really worth playing at an affordable price. The only thing I wish I could do is create a hero by choosing the abilities that I want. I really love the game, but I ran into some bugs: game crashing, freezing and getting trapped or stuck in part of the level with no way to exit and have to either do suicide or quit the game. Also where is the Halloween DLC? I really hope that comes to GOG.

You can jump around for a bit, but after a while it's not gonna get more entertaining. There are many unlocks, but they don't bring you as much joy as the ones in e.g. Crimsonland. To be honest, I had better fun with some of the Nerdook online flash games, so I consider this purchase a way of supporting the developer :)

I played the original Vertical Drop Heroes when it was a free flash game and liked it so much I purchased this shiny new HD version right away. But this new version did not just have updated graphics and gameplay tweaks. It was almost a completely different game. Once I got past my initial disappointment at the differences though I really began to enjoy myself. The Good: This is a friendly game. From the cartoon fantasy hero aesthetic, to the engaging soundtrack, to the speedy way you can pick a totally unique hero and drop right into the action, it is all put together in such a way that makes the entire experience feel fun, light, and crispy. The game manages to combine a large number of useful hero traits, moves, and powers together without feeling overwhelming or slowing things down at all. That makes this game perfect to play with a friend, though you can also pretty much master the game alone in just a few hours. In every way this is a "rougelite" game, with all the randomness and constant dying you would expect, but without having the weight of a game like Spelunky which might otherwise have been prohibitive to more casual gamers. The Bad: Most of the problems I had with the game had to do with how different it was from the original free version (that you can still play on flash-game platforms like Kongregate and Armor Games). The original game focused more on the "Vertical" of Vertical Drop Heroes, with a slower pace and more emphasis on falling down through a vertical maze. There was much less randomness too, as you could switch your hero class whenever you found the right cages to open in a level. The HD version of the game focuses more on the "Heroes" part of the title, with a larger emphasis on unlocking future traits, powers, and weapons for future play-throughs. There is more action and less choice. Is this truly a bad thing though? It depends on what you want from this game. I can personally play and enjoy either version, appreciating the way they feel different. I should also mention there were a few bugs as I played. Occasionally the music would stop or restart as I played a level, which was not game-breaking but it was distracting as the soundtrack is pretty energetic. There were times my characters would get stuck on corners of boxes or on top of invisible glitch boxes. My game crashed one time, at the end of a 40 minute play-through, at the exact instant I killed the final boss. For anyone who has played any kind of rougelike game perhaps you understand how frustrating that was. (I have since played through twice more without problems.) The Verdict: This game is fast and fun. It is not so simple that you can be completely mindless when you play, but it is not overly thoughtful to the point where the action slows down or where you will get stuck making characters and making choices. You will die allot, but not nearly as often as you will with other rougelike games (I died about 30 times before I finished this game, compared to the 300+ times I died in Spelunky without even finishing it once). So if you are okay with a game that definitely falls into the "rougelite" category , and especially if you are looking for something simpler to play with friends, this is a good choice. It is certainly worth the $4.50 I paid for it, as a fan of the genre.

It was fun for some time. I played it in several cca 20-30 min sessions over longer period of time until I finished all 10 levels of the game and the final boss. Then I played it some more (it has new game+) to unlock everything in the game. However the game got really repetitive, especially after I defeated the final boss once. The randomized nature of the levels does not mix things up enough and the levels feel almost the same every time you play them. Co-op multi-player is a great addition and recommended way to play. I would score it 3/5 if you have someone to play it with and 2/5 if not. Pros: - co-op multi-player - single player is somewhat enjoyable too - different unlockable abilities and character traits to keep you motivated even after you die again and again (some abilities are very fun to use) - beating the game for the first time is satisfying Cons: - after you kill the main boss for the first time the game becomes much less interesting and trying to unlock everything makes the game overstay it's welcome - I could only play it in shorter sessions because the game becomes repetitive quickly (I can imagine that most people will loose patience with the game before they finish it for the first time) - basic attacks lack impact and the battles are not very satisfying