Retro-style pixelation is a tricky commodity to master. Pull it off well in a game and players can bask in warm, fuzzy nostalgia or (for the young'uns) simply enjoy an artful use of the form. If you don't integrate it well, players might just wonder why the style choice was made in the first place. 8Bit Hero unfortunately leans toward the less desirable end of this scale.
8Bit Hero is not entirely pixelated, but makes the choice of placing 2D pixelated characters in a 3D-constructed space. While the brain might experience a brief moment of trippiness at first glance, it quickly becomes a feasible look. Think Paper Mario with its "cutout" style.
Moving around the world in this dungeon crawl-ish adventure works well in most places, although there is a baffling lack of D-pad implementation on the GamePad or Pro Controller. Only the analogue stick is usable on these devices. The controls are not fine-tuned enough to make analogue a big advantage, and one would assume a more retro style would be reason enough to provide a more traditional mode of control. Additional players can join in using Wii Remotes if they want the digital experience, but poor player one will always be stuck on the GamePad no matter what.
Slashing through 8Bit Hero has a slight Legend of Zelda vibe to it, albeit a more straightforward and arcade-like one. Much of the quest is point-A-to-point-B trekking through different stages, poking things to death with a sword and picking up a few other usable items along the way. It's basic combat and nothing particularly stands out about it.
Up to five players can join in simultaneously. Each is given a base 5 lives to start and, based on the difficulty, anywhere from 3 to an infinite number of continues are provided to finish the game. If all players lose their life in a section of the stage they will start back at the beginning of that section. It feels pretty pointless, though, because if you've been systematically slaughtering the baddies like a good hero, you'll be walking a path of nothingness until you get back to the point where you gave up the 1up. Lose all your lives in a stage and a continue will start you back at its beginning.
Losing lives can be quite easy to do, as heroes start with short life meters and not much invincibility between hits. The game seems to counteract this by offering lives for a relatively cheap sum in its interstage shop, but this seems a rather cheap way to mitigate things. Sometimes, however, especially in single player, it feels like the first attempt through a stage is only going to be good for gathering enough gems to spam a bunch of lives for your next run.
Also, one big warning about multiplayer and losing lives: keys gathered are assigned only to the player who collects them. So if your friend collects a key and falls down a hole to lose their last life? Tough. That locked door that's likely your only way forward is locked for good and you'll have to restart.
The soundtrack here is, naturally, chiptunes. It can be repetitive at times but still matches the world rather well. There's a story here, too. Kind of. Something about an evil queen and her evil posse. It plays out in some cutscenes, but isn't going to serve as much motivation for proceeding.
Conclusion
8Bit Hero is a workable game on a technical level, with only a few control and rule choices holding it back. What may be the bigger problem for it, though, is finding the spark in it that gets one to keep playing. It's not likely to be found in the generic-looking characters of its pixelated gimmick, nor in the basic combat or barely-there story. Those looking for a low-key multiplayer adventure might dig it, but 8Bit Heroes could really stand to flesh itself out more to live up to its potential.
Comments 27
Never heard of it and after that review I'll never buy it.
no video? (T_T )
It looks cute, and I remember Witch and Hero got a bad review and I loved that game. So anything that could show me more about the gameplay and its faults would be appreciated because, it could be a game I would like. (^_^ )
@Utena-mobile
What a shame. From the trailer, I was actually really hopeful and excited for this one as a possible co-op with my wife. I've seen similar thoughts elsewhere, though, and was holding out hope NintendoLife would give me enough positives to drop the money on it.
@DiscoGentleman Agreed. It's a pretty lacking review.
from the sceens it reminds me of 3D DOT HEROS On the PS3.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Thanks for the Vid. It looks alright I might get it for the right price.
Too bad, this one actually looks kinda cool. Lousy review. Witch & Hero actually IS bad though.
@Rumorlife NL also gave The Legend of The Dark Witch and its sequel even worse review scores than this so take these reviews with a mountain of salt.
@DiscoGentleman I searched for an elaborated review about the game but all I got was a similar review to this one. They also describe the music as "chiptunes". It feels like any extended comment more than a review according to me, but maybe it will prove useful to you: http://www.gamesreviews.com/wiiu/05/8-bit-hero-review/
Nothing on youtube either.
This review seems like rushed.
Not much of a review, very little breakdown on actual gameplay. Was really interested in this one and was hoping the review could shine some light on it. I'm not sure if this is going to be fair to go off of, or if it's another Witch & Hero/Chronicles of Teddy debacle. I'll have to wait for another review i guess.
Why is everyone reviewing the review?! It's an opinion, read it, read a few more, watch a video or two if you're still unsure, and make your mind up. You might find it was spot on, or disagree wholeheartedly, that's the thing with opinions...
@Neko_Ichigofan Someone needs to tell this faceless company to stop then.
@MJKOP Because what opinion lies therein does not have the substance that consumers who are deciding how to spend their money deserve.
Guess I'll pass on this one for now.
I watched this games preview on my Wii u and at first I might be interested...but I'm tired of supporting and donating to these indie devs just jumping on the retro bandwagon, and trying to be the next Shovel Knight. I'd much rather play old SNES or NES or Genesis games when I go through my yearly retro binge.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Thanks!! It looks pretty cute. I'm seeing some weird hit-detection going on though, like you can swing your sword, but if you're not properly aligned, you'll miss completely. would have been better if the sword swing was in an arc and had a bigger hit box. But I might pick it up in a sale. (^_^ )
@Rumorlife You didn't like it because you were probably looking for a "game" game. It's more like a mobile game that would be comfortable next to candy crush and flappy bird. If you're looking for a fun way to kill time while waiting for someone, or just to mess around with with friends, Witch & Hero is a lot of fun, with some really solid gameplay. I have both of them, and they rank a lot higher than most indie games on the eShop.
@Utena-mobile Uh no. That's not how I work, it just has to be not boring and it was, and clearly the majority agree with the fact that Witch & Hero was not fun. No where does it have above a 5 rating and the eShop rating is abysmal as well.
After waiting a week for the review I finally spent $5 and downloaded it. If you like the look of it then it'should for you. It's very grindy. But I played it with 3 other people and it was a lot of fun. Just basic hack and slash. As for the music, it's great; absolutely perfect by 80's and 90's standards. 6/10
@Rumorlife I just realised your nickname ,it's so cool and suits this website perfectly.
On topic, I'm not a fan of this generation's indie shovelware, but better reviews would be appreciated, as sometimes Nintendo Life is almost the only website that reviews these games.
@MJKOP Because that is the point of a COMMENTS section.
@VanillaLake I didn't ask what is the point of a comments section. I asked why is everyone reviewing the review, and it wasn't really a question I expected an answer to, it was, you guessed it, a comment.
@MJKOP And what's the point in asking why do people make comments about a review in a review's comments section?
@VanillaLake I felt a teensy bit bad for the reviewer in question as people were criticising the review, that's basically why I made the comment. Just to clear that up for you, in case it ruins your day or something
@MJKOP Of course not, but your comment was a bit too weird.
This type of game is how I always imagined as a kid that games in the 2010s would look like. That's enough for me! It's not like I never played games rated 5/10 before!
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