Dungeons & Dragons Heroes

"Falls somewhere between Gauntlet and Diablo"

I'll try my best to judge D&D Heroes on its own merits (or faults) rather than compare it to Gauntlet or Diablo, except to say that, being another "Hack 'n Slash" RPG/Adventure, the gameplay in Heroes is very similar.

The story is pretty standard: Four heroes (a human fighter, elven sorceress, dwarven cleric and halfling archer) banished an evil wizard a really long time ago only to have the persistent S.O.B come back and terrorize your old town, the Kingdom of Baele. You and your pals have been resurrected to stop him once and for all. You can embark on this quest alone or, depending on how many friends you have, a full-blown four party fellowship.

The gameplay is simple, which is a good thing. You'll spend most of your time mashing the "A" button and hacking away at the nearest goblin or zombie but, with the help of a real-time sub-menu, you can assign magic items, potions, throwing weapons, and special attacks to the other three buttons. The coolest element, though, is the ability to "purchase" said special attacks or attributes with points you get from levelling up. You control when and how your hero grows, making the characters customizable and adding a new dimension to the gameplay, which, aside from a few side-quests that involve little more than finding hidden objects, is pretty linear. It also adds an addictive quality to the game, as you'll want to keep playing so you can level-up and finally use that cool bastard sword you found. As you develop your traits, your character will become more versatile, progressing beyond the hacking and slashing. The onl real complaint I have with the gameplay itself is that there's an over-abundance of creates and treasure chests that tend to break up the action, although you can always choose to walk past them toward the next horde.

The graphics are decent, if a little boring at times. All of the environments are well-detailed, although some of the settings, such as dank dungeons and dilapidated castles seem a little drab, bogged down by dull grays and browns. The characters are also pretty detailed (the rendered model changes depending on what armor you have equipped, for example) as are most of the bad guys. Unfortunately, this detail will usually go unnoticed because you spend most of the game pulled back to a bird's-eye view. With pretty satisfying cut scenes, the graphics do this game justice.

The sound is another matter. Most of the effects and music is pretty uninspiring. Landing sword slashes produce little more than a sedate “thump, thump, thumpity-thump” rather than any satisfying sounds of tearing flesh or anguished cries from your foes (the exception is when you hack up steel golems and are rewarded with the sound of polished steel on ages-old iron). At times you can't even tell when you're hitting an opponent, as some generate nothing more than a boring “whoosh, whoosh” when you strike. The music is appropriately dark and dreary, but a little too modest. It's forgettable throughout most of the game. Most of the sound (except for the voice acting) fails to create any sort of visceral connection to the game—disappointing for what is, essentially, an action game.

Luckily, there are many elements in D&D Heroes to keep it from becoming repetitive very quickly. If you're like me, you may find replay value in going back and maxing out your character's stats or find all the soul shards once you've beat it. Or you can try going through it as each kind of hero. That said, this game's probably best enjoyed with at least one companion there dishing out the violence alongside you, however. The action is satisfying enough that you can pop the game in and kill an hour or so with a buddy without getting bored.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/04