Topic: Heroland

Has anyone played Heroland? I've just found out the people (but not Shigesato Itoi) who worked on Earthbound made it but the Nintendolife review is only a mini review and doesn't really say much beyond a synopsis.

The art stye is really cool and might be worth getting the game just for that.

I've played less than half an hour. The art style and characters are charming. The combat isn't quite turn-based though, it's closer to FF XII's style of combat. Your party members have a set of actions they can perform and you (playing as Heroland's tour guide) make suggests about what actions they take. But unlike FF XII where your party is always on autopilot, in Heroland there's a cooldown period before you can tell them what to do again.

The gameplay system is closer to the Criminal Girls series now that I think about it.

@jump It's funny you mentioned this. I just bought a physical edition, on amazon, that had a bunch of swag for $25. Haven't played it yet but hearing that it had ties (however tenuous) to Earthbound was one of the reasons I bought it.

The concept seemed cute. A theme park for adventurers is a neat idea.

Cheers!

I’ve googled a few reviews and it seems like it’s a great concept but with a wonky execution. I’ve seen a physical version for £15 so I reckon it’s worth a punt.

It looks an attractive proposition, getting a physical copy and the extra goodies for £15, but reviews seem to emphasise the grind, and the funny writing. But I've watched the trailer on the eshop and didn't get much of a sense of it being particularly funny. Couldn't really see anything in it to quite enthuse me enough to buy it. Would be good to get some user reviews.

@jump aye, did you end up buying it? I've enjoyed my time with it so far, but the story has lulled a bit.

@Losermagnet I ordered it a couple of days ago when I found it new for £11. It hasn’t been delivered yet.

I’m looking forward to it but I’m keeping my expectations low as it sounds experimental rather an epic RPG.

@jump Yeah it's good in short bursts. The grind isn't that bad, it just has a habit of killing the pacing of the story and dialogue.

Alright I've got over five hours into the game now. I think the in-direct party control in combat combined with the charming art style makes this a unique experience. But because of that in-direct party control the gameplay feels kind of one-note. Lots of waiting, watching, and not enough of a spectacle going on to distract you from the waiting and watching. You'll be abusing the built-in 3x combat speed mechanic, no doubt about it.

And although there is item durability (which is a game mechanic I cannot stand in my video games), it isn't as offensive as AC:NH or BotW. Like in Diablo III you can just throw in-game currency towards item durability and it becomes a non-issue.