88 Heroes

The best part of this game is the hero variety. My first run I didn't really end up caring about winning, but seeing what the next character would be and how they would play. I didn't understand every hero on my first run, but in subsequent playthroughs I learned more about what each of them can do. Some characters are the typical run and jump sort, some can fly, and some can't jump much at all. Many characters have unique talents that can change how you approach levels. Talents like reversing gravity, teleporting, or destroying terrain. There are also more exotic things like flipping a coin to instantly win or lose a level. Some heroes are definitely more generally useful than others, but it can depend on the level's layout. Each hero comes with their own description and voice lines. The game tends to include humor or references in things. There are some obvious joke characters, but even they can be pretty strong. This is a very difficult game. You will die a lot. Everything is a one-hit kill and you are always on a timer, both per-level and over the whole run. Though, most of the time the per-level timer is pretty generous. The really tricky part is that you are only allowed to lose, on average, one hero per level (Though the auto-save system does let you save scum with your last hero). The game runs well, with no noticeable loading times. I saw no performance issues or graphical glitches (on Linux). The game's music is pretty good, especially in the last area. Overall, I enjoyed playing through this game. It is unique and I would recommend it.

88 Heroes is a pretty fun and funny game. It takes a lot of inspiration from the kind of mean, unfair games like I Wanna Be The Guy, while still being fair and friendly and eminently playable even by sausage-fingered n00bs like myself. The difficulty in the levels is mostly the sort of thing you need patience to pull of perfectly - and you will eventually run out of patience and do something stupid, and you can only blame yourself for it. Usually. The game is so so close to have perfectly tight gameplay that would make it shine. It's so close that when it slips up, and you fall off an elevator you were clearly in into a spike pit, or get crushed between an elevator and a wall that weren't even close, it hurts way more than if the game was bad all the way through. And this hurts the game a lot more than it'd hurt an easy-going platformer. It adds up to levels that are often complex and confusing (which is good and nice) and lots of different characters with different jump arcs and movement velocities (also good and nice). Another bad thing about the game is that... it ends up being boring. Some of the characters are crazy, and can fly, shoot stuff, float, reconfigure the level in all sorts of ways, and it's excellent. But a lot of them - a real big bunch of them - just jump. So every level has to be able to be completed by a character that does nothing but jump, and usually does that by having a slow, methodical route you'll be forced to take with most character. The end result is that many of them feel the same, and even if they aren't, there's no difference between two attack-focused characters in areas without enemies. However, I still really love the game. It's charming, well-drawn, and can somehow make stupid catchphrase humour really funny. And the characters are so charming, designed with such love, it's a real delight to watch them move and jump and duck (especially try ducking). It's a game that makes me sad for what it could be, but I'm glad it exists.

The idea that that there are 88 crappy superheroes meant to take on a thematic supervillain is entrancing. Which is exactly why the game is disappointing when the player first takse control of a hero. Sloshy controls; Sloppy level design; Gimmicky characters that seemed designed to die; core mechanic works against learning the game; Only-Funny-The-First-Time jokes; The game pretty much works against itself. The core mechanic in this game is that every time the player dies, or reaches the end of a level, they will switch characters. Some of the character have very fun mechanics, potentially even deserving of their own game. Others are supposed to be fun challenges, but the procedurally-generated levels make them difficult to appreciate. Even if they are granted a decent character, it is difficult to get used to a level's layout, before the player must literally switch game mechanics, and figure them out in under 88 seconds. Xbox (One) Controller works fine upon plugging in - once you launch the game, you can ignore your mouse. I recommend waiting for a sale. There's a reason it has an average of 3 /5⭐.

Its a fun little platformer but the central premise of the 88 heroes doesn't really work. Too many are similar or downright useless. It's mechanically Ok, there is a little 'slippyness' to the control of some of the characters and a 'stodgyness' in others. I can just about recommend in a sale but there are far better on here at £13.