Hero-U manages to capture the magic of the Quest for Glory games while fixing their biggest faults (the skill grind and unsatisfying combat). I've been a fan of the Cole's QFG series since childhood, but replaying them as an adult has made their shortcomings stick out more. While Hero U may be further from the cutting edge of technology than these earlier games were, the gameplay and the interactions help it to punch above its Indy weight. After getting caught while attempting to join the local thieves guild, Shawn O'Connor is send to Hero U, instead of jail. Here he must pass his classes, build his relationships with the other students, and discover the mysteries of the castle that houses Hero U. The game is on a clock, and it took me a couple of in-game days to get used to (and figure out how to sneak out of) the routines of University life, but once you get in a grove, and become more enmeshed in the world, its awesome. While you aren't always able to tackle obstacles as soon as you encounter them, there's always multiple things to do. More, in fact, than you have time for, so you need to make some choices about what you want to focus on. The game does an excellent job of giving you enough time to keep building relationships, earning money, exploring, and building up your skills at a steady clip as the story advances. Limiting the game to a single semester allows the character interactions to be much more substantial than in most games. But the think that this game absolutely nails is the thrill of exploration, with secret passages to be found and mysteries to be solved. Unlike the QFG series, Hero U has a tactical, turn based combat system. I have been spending more time on Shawn's thief skills than his fighting skills, but I'm pretty sure that you will always be too squishy for mindlessly slashing your way through the battles. But between stealth, careful movement, and as assortment of items, you can handle most enemies as you encounter them.
