Herc's Adventures

"Mythical wacky hijinks, in a not so friendly world."

Herc's Adventure is a odd little game that doesn't really stand out with me. It has a certain sense of humor to it, but it's choppy mechanics and cruel design don't remain fond in my memories.
You are Herc, as in Hercules. Not the Disney one, although you are very cartoony. No, you're a whiny he-boy with the ability to pick up houses and help Zeus rescue the goddess of spring from Hades, lord of the underworld. But if big dumb Herc isn't your type, there is the agile Atlanta, who runs like a doe and shoots like wild bill with her bow. Or maybe Jason, presumably of the Argonauts, but he's a little young looking- and seems very proud of his small little sword. Each of these characters come with different strengths and weaknesses, and of course, voices. If fighting off Hades sounds too tall for 3 goofballs, don't worry- the gods themselves will help you (sort of). All are quite comical themselves, and Hades is nothing to give little children nightmares.

Praise:

It's downright silly!
This game has a healthy dose of humility, never taking itself very seriously. It's funny enough to have your kid brother laugh his head off when the cyclops picks up the sheep and says ''Oo, Fuzzy!'' or pick up a house to see a soldier in his boxers.

The voices are pretty good!
Herc is funny, Jason is pompous, and Atlanta -well she actually seems pretty level headed. The Gods are where the real wackiness comes from though, and no voice is simply awful.

Gripes:

Unfriendly waters?
You'll soon shudder at crossing water. Not because you can't swim, but the ravenous fish that dwell in it will puree your life like a blender. Once you're in, then they all zone in on you, and there is no ''ye olde harpoon''. Trying to hit them on land is quite a chore.

I gotta go back?
There is alot of backtracking, and when I hit Egypt, how I wished for some ''Divine Teleport''

cyclecyclecycle
The weapon/item lacks a menu to quickly select and it hurts the game. Much like 'Zombies ate my neighbors' you'll have to hit the shoulder buttons repeatedly for that needed item while the enemies punch at you. It'd be a little easier with a better interface.

Atlanta, queen of the game?
All is not equal in Greece, as the are problems with two of the three characters!! Atlanta outclasses the boys by leaps and bounds thanks to her greater range AND ability to shoot arrows anywhere on screen if she can hold the attack button long enough. All Herc and Jason get are lame straight shot attacks. Herc starts out stronger than the others, but with a little money invested, you can easily get as strong as him. Weapons unfortunately, lack that kind of upgrading power.

Graphics: 6
While a little watery looking, the graphics are bright, and designs are original enough to not yell ''Disney rip off!''

Gameplay: 4
That cycling issue was highly annoying, and the game seemed to miss several jumps (then again, is it the control's fault for making the steps so small?)

Sound: 6
It's light, kind of campy, but it's nothing memorable. The voices however, are a plus. They really add to it.

Story: 4
I could write it in a sentence. You rescue the damsel in distress! There is the occasional odd deviance from the story, like the dysfunctional gods and goddesses themselves.

Originality: 8
There are refreshing takes on many a Greek legend. Circe is here, complete with her pigs! Greeks eat gyros! And of course, the space alien or cow rescue.

Challenge: 7
When not trying to kill you with it's odd jumps, the game's bosses themselves are nothing to sneeze at. The first boss alone will try to trample you, eat you, send it's followers after you, and maybe even shoot you with a high powered laser. The lifegiving gyros are much more expensive the further you go along.

Replay: 4
It's laughs grow old midway through. I doubt you'll be so eager to pick it up and go down memory lane.

Overall(Mr. T's bottom line): Slapstick comedy that's a hit with kids, sometimes hard enough for adults! This game teeters on what it wants to be. And I teeter on deciding if it's a half done job or a quirky cult title.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/01, Updated 01/28/01