Great Hero's Beard
- October 17, 2018
- OneShark
- 32h median play time
"Great Hero's Beard" is a simulation game where players grow and style a hero's beard. With various customization options, players can create unique looks and maintain their hero's beard through various challenges and events. The game features humor and a light-hearted tone, providing a relaxing and entertaining experience.
Reviews
- Great visuals and charming art style reminiscent of 1930s cartoons.
- Addictive gameplay with satisfying progression and a variety of loot.
- No microtransactions, providing a complete experience for a low price.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, especially after reaching higher levels.
- Lack of automation means players must manually start each fight, which can be tedious.
- The game has a steep difficulty curve at certain points, requiring excessive grinding to progress.
- gameplay112 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is characterized by a repetitive loop involving launching raids, managing loot, and upgrading stats, which can lead to a sense of tedium over time. While the prestige mechanic adds some depth and allows for quicker progression after initial playthroughs, many players find the overall mechanics simplistic and lacking in variety compared to other idle or clicker games. Despite its engaging graphics and user interface, the gameplay often feels slow and grindy, with limited options for strategic play.
“The loop mechanic is excellent for keeping you from spinning your wheels, starting at level 1 but with a few levels worth of extra stat points from the get-go.”
“This game might have an ending, but still is a true incremental game that manages to surprise its player with new mechanics and more things to do.”
“It's pretty fun and the prestige mechanic is well done, adding big experience and skill gains to help smooth out one's early game.”
“The aesthetic is strange but it works, the progression and scaling is nasty, option-limiting, and generally utterly preposterous (there's like one way to get through the game and areas are often defined by the strategy you use to get past them). The prestige mechanic is doing the same thing over and over for linear rewards if you don't feel like gambling, and there's like a ten-hour wall less than ten hours into the game.”
“The main goal of rescuing the princesses is completed on your first run through, so it really feels like there is nothing left to do but grind for achievements through the overused retire-rinse-repeat mechanic.”
“Making things worse, most of your midgame-lategame stats are based on random loot--which wouldn't be such an issue, except for the fact that there are no idle mechanics (outside battle itself, obviously), meaning that you basically have to come back every few minutes and pray you get a lucky drop.”
- graphics106 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their appealing, colorful art style reminiscent of 1930s cartoons, with many comparing it favorably to the visuals of Cuphead. Players appreciate the well-animated and original artwork, which enhances the overall aesthetic experience, although some note that the animations can become repetitive over time. While the graphics are generally considered a highlight, there are mixed opinions on their optimization and the depth of gameplay they accompany.
“The art style is just downright gorgeous, the game runs flawlessly, it's easy to pick up and hard to put down, plus the soundtrack is the best I've heard in a game for a very long time.”
“Love the creative, old-time cartoon artwork that changes based on your choices, the fast animations, easy gear comparisons that keep you moving forward.”
“Can't go wrong with this at the sale price: nicely presented graphics, clear interface, and a satisfying level progression.”
“Visuals: looks like some sort of flash game.”
“- badly optimized graphics”
“Were it not for its graphics, I wouldn't have paid the game's admittedly small price and gone on to another free-to-play idle game.”
- grinding54 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "Great Hero's Beard" is a significant point of contention among players, with many finding it excessively tedious and repetitive, especially after reaching level 100. While some enjoy the idle mechanics and find the initial gameplay engaging, the lack of new content and the mandatory nature of grinding for loot and levels lead to a sense of burnout for completionists and casual players alike. Overall, the game is described as fun but ultimately overstays its welcome due to its grind-heavy design.
“It's been a fun distraction on my evenings off, interesting and strategic enough with gear maximizing each run to keep my attention but not really grindy.”
“I was done at level 100 (nearly 5 hours in) as the XP slows to a crawl at that point and it's down to grinding levels over and over again and selling the same loot repeatedly.”
“If you're a completionist like me, then once you start, you're in this for 100+ hours of mindless grinding.”
“Great Hero's Beard makes this process, the fundamental mechanic of its gameplay, infuriatingly tedious.”
- music40 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its pleasant and calming soundtrack that complements the game's art style. While some find the tracks repetitive and suggest the addition of more dynamic battle themes, the overall consensus is that the music enhances the gaming experience and is enjoyable to listen to. Players appreciate the solid integration of music with the game's themes, making it a standout feature despite some calls for variety.
“The soundtrack/OST will never annoy you; in fact, you just want to sit there and listen to it.”
“While it doesn't reinvent the wheel with its moment-to-moment gameplay, it keeps things engaging with a very pleasant ambient soundtrack and hand-drawn art and animation style.”
“The art style is just downright gorgeous, the game runs flawlessly, it's easy to pick up and hard to put down, plus the soundtrack is the best I've heard in a game for a very long time.”
“Audio: immediately mute the SFX and music after 1 hour.”
“The music is the same mostly throughout and each stage will only have 20 - 30 seconds that repeat itself.”
“It needs a few battle style songs and boss themes to make the game more dramatic; it also needs an actual theme tune on the start screen.”
- story26 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely underwhelming, with only a brief and somewhat engaging introduction before devolving into a typical quest structure of rescuing princesses and battling enemies. Players are left to piece together the narrative from stage names and equipment, as there are no further cutscenes or dialogue to enrich the experience. Overall, the story lacks depth and engagement, leading to a general consensus of disappointment among reviewers.
“It's harder than you might think to find a premium idle RPG, and this one actually has a story.”
“When this game would seem like another 2-hour clicker-themed story, it's totally not the case.”
“Zero for the story, except the intro; zero for interest in the prolonged gameplay, except for getting all the achievements - which will surely take some prolonged time.”
“There's no more cutscenes or dialogue after this point, and you're left to extrapolate your own story from the names of the stages you pass through and the equipment that you gather.”
“Well, there’s not much to say here, as it’s basically a classic and typical story about a gigantic man named Turgut, trying to live peacefully in his village and forget his past.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a strong sense of humor, with amusing tooltips, pop-up commentary, and clever loot names that initially engage players. However, while the humor is appreciated at the start, it tends to lose its charm over time, becoming repetitive and less impactful as players progress. Overall, the developers' comedic style adds value, but its effectiveness may diminish with extended play.
“It is fun to get all sorts of loot and then read all the hilarious names of them.”
“Developers have a nice sense of humor for sure, and this is a big plus as well.”
“It has style and a sense of humor; for the price, it is more than worth it.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its fair monetization model, being priced at just one dollar with no microtransactions, DLC, or in-app purchases. Reviewers express appreciation for the quality of the game relative to its low cost, highlighting the absence of paid upgrades as a significant positive aspect in today's gaming market.
“This is only one dollar with zero microtransactions.”
“No DLC or microtransactions, and in the gaming market we have today, I was truly impressed by the quality for money.”
“No in-app purchases!”
“A good number of developers opt instead to offer microtransactions, so that the player has a choice in whether they're supporting the title or not.”
“The game feels very fair throughout, and this is proved by the lack of microtransactions or paid upgrades.”
“No in-app purchases!!”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional response to the game's challenging grind wall, describing it as a heart-breaking experience that leads to frustration and prolonged struggle, often requiring dozens of attempts to overcome. This aspect significantly impacts the overall enjoyment and emotional investment in the game.
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant frame drops and severe stuttering, particularly after extended play sessions, leading to a frustrating experience for some users.
“I enjoyed the game, but I also encountered frame drops to single digits and even sub-1 FPS stuttering whenever the game ran for a few hours.”
“I enjoyed the game, but I also encountered frame drops to single digits and even sub-1 FPS stuttering whenever the game ran for a few hours.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with players noting its immersive quality and appreciation for a straightforward purchase model that avoids additional monetization tactics. Overall, it creates a rich and engaging environment that enhances the gaming experience.
“This game is dripping with atmosphere, and it's nice to have a game in this genre that you can just buy and then that's it; it doesn't try to milk you for cash.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the game's high replayability, noting that it remains enjoyable across multiple playthroughs, all while being offered at an attractive price point.
“Bottom line: fun game, lots of replayability, great price point.”