12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus
- December 19, 2016
- Jetdogs Studios
In "12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus," Hercules and Megara embark on a detective mission to find the missing Zeus, exploring snowy peaks, underwater levels, and volcanic landscapes filled with puzzles and challenges. The game features full HD graphics, new seasonal attire for characters, and introduces ice skating workers for varied gameplay.
Reviews
- The game maintains the enjoyable time management mechanics of the previous installments, providing a fun and casual experience.
- Graphics and audio are well done, with crisp visuals and enjoyable music that enhance the gameplay.
- For fans of the series, this installment offers new environments and challenges, making it a worthwhile addition.
- The requirement to beat all developer records for achievements is seen as tedious and frustrating, detracting from the casual nature of the game.
- Many players feel that the game lacks originality, as it follows the same formula as previous titles without significant innovation.
- Some levels can become repetitive and overly challenging, leading to a grind that may not appeal to all players.
- gameplay19 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as casual and accessible, with some players noting a lack of meaningful skill or decision-making involved. While the core mechanics remain consistent across the series, recent entries have introduced fresh visuals and minor gameplay tweaks that enhance the experience. Overall, the series continues to evolve, with improvements in mechanics and themes, making it enjoyable for both new and returning players.
“It's fun, casual gameplay all through, unless you want to go for the developer records.”
“While the gameplay is the same, the visuals are fresh, something that this series needed.”
“+ The game feels, looks, and plays better than any entries prior in the series, with new mechanics and themes which are much more enjoyable, making this game one of the best in the series, and worth the playthrough if you want to experience the series genre.”
“There's no meaningful gameplay, skill, or decision making involved.”
“Even though they have different themes, they all have the same gameplay style and overall quality.”
“Beginner levels spoon-feed game mechanics.”
- music16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many users appreciating the high-quality, beautiful tracks that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers noted the addition of new music that complements the gameplay, creating a relaxing atmosphere without becoming repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is described as captivating and well-integrated with the game's visuals and sound effects.
“The one thing I really like this time is the new music.”
“I also need to mention the great work they did with the soundtrack, really beautiful tunes.”
“There are some really pretty levels in this one, and the music is beautiful.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“When I bought the very first game in this series, I was addicted to the gameplay, and hoped it would borrow the basic sequel style other casual games adopted - keep the basic gameplay style and some of the sprites, change the story, levels, power-ups, make minor tweaks to the gameplay, change the music (since you're using royalty-free tunes regardless).”
“There’s a few gameplay additions, but this time there’s new environment art and music.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their crispness and high quality, featuring well-designed visuals and detailed animations that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the beautiful artwork and sound effects, noting that the visuals feel fresh and engaging, particularly for fans of the "12 Labours of Hercules" series. Additionally, the option to adjust graphics settings allows for a customizable visual experience, making it suitable for various display setups.
“The graphics are crisp, controls are clean, level design is really good and the extras all add up to a fun experience.”
“The animation is great, the artwork is superb and very detailed and even looks fantastic on a 40" 4k screen, it's certainly something you could play through a TV!”
“The game looks and feels like a mobile game, but the visuals are crisp and well-designed.”
“While the gameplay is the same, the visuals are fresh, something that this series needed.”
“I want to mention that the visuals in the game are well done.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is characterized by a simple and often underwhelming narrative, with players noting that while there are attempts at humor and thematic elements—such as a goofy Greek mythology backdrop—the storytelling is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop to the gameplay. Cutscenes are infrequent and lack depth, leading to a perception that the story could benefit from more investment and creativity. Overall, the narrative is straightforward, with each title featuring its own theme, allowing for independent play without a need for continuity.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“This one does, giving us a goofy Greek mythology-based story and some mythological allies.”
“I do enjoy the little story that's always interwoven between the levels.”
“The story was different, but unlike the Emily series, it amounts to a terrible cutscene every 10 levels.”
“Although they have a background story, the narrative is very simple and each title has its own theme, so there is no need to play them in any specific order.”
“The plot is incredibly simple, as has become the standard with this series: Zeus is missing from Olympus and it seems that the other gods are responsible.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often requiring them to replay lengthy levels multiple times to achieve developer records or complete achievements. This repetitive gameplay detracts from the casual experience the game aims to provide, demanding significant time and effort to master the mechanics and meet the challenges.
“I detest having to replay the same level over and over and over – tedious and frustrating.”
“This one adds a time-consuming, tedious achievement that requires replaying most of the levels repeatedly, for no clear reason.”
“For a game marketed as casual, that's anything but, and will require hours and hours of grinding to learn the levels enough to beat the dev time on every level.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some casual players find it enjoyable enough to revisit, many users feel that the developers have overstated its replay value, leading to a generally low assessment.
“There is some good replayability here for casual players.”
“The replay value for the game is low.”
“Developers overrated the replay value of this game.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, featuring well-chosen tunes, engaging banter, and a more coherent story that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the funny puzzles and recommend exploring earlier titles in the series for a richer comedic context.
“Very funny game.”
“New free tunes (well chosen, I really enjoyed the western-inspired one), new sprites, some actual fun banter that makes the game story feel like more of a story. At least a few new interesting power-ups and level designs... even the story was less terrible than usual - the sort of thing that could make for an actual funny story, if anyone would invest the effort.”
“If you're new to the series, I totally recommend checking the earlier games so you can catch up. It'll be absolutely worth it; there's a ton of amazing and funny puzzles to solve.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization of "12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus" has been criticized as a low-quality cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over its mobile app origins and pricing strategy on Steam.
“12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus is another mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
“It's frustrating to see a game that could be enjoyable turned into a pay-to-win experience.”