Heads Will Roll
- September 4, 2021
- 1917 Studios
Get on SteamIn "Heads Will Roll," play as a medieval soldier in the Hundred Years War, starting as a footman with the goal of survival and upward mobility. The turn-based RPG features survival mechanics, a complex combat system, and over 150 lootable items to discover. Your character's stats, weapon choice, and health all play a role in your success in battles and exploration.
Reviews
- The game features an engaging story with multiple branching paths and character interactions that enhance replayability.
- The combat system, while challenging, encourages strategic thinking and planning, making victories feel rewarding.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively work on updates to improve gameplay and balance.
- The combat heavily relies on RNG, leading to frustrating experiences where players can miss high-percentage attacks repeatedly.
- There are numerous typos and grammatical errors in the dialogue, which can detract from immersion and overall enjoyment.
- The game can feel unbalanced, especially in the early stages, making it difficult for players to progress without save scumming.
- story62 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging medieval setting and character development, while others criticize it for being linear, shallow, and riddled with typos. Many users express a desire for more depth, additional content, and better integration of side quests, as well as frustration with the game's difficulty and resource management. Overall, while the foundation of the story is seen as solid, it is often described as feeling unfinished or lacking in meaningful choices.
“The story is quite good, the heroines are attractive.”
“There's a decent story and memorable characters.”
“Brilliant storyline and feeling!”
“The story is shallow and the characters are bland.”
“Hwr is.... no different from the previously released free version [hwr: downfall], which is painstakingly torture for hardcore players whose fantasy includes being stomped on repeatedly by the plain linear story with choices that do very little to matter anymore than minor events to the story as a whole.”
“You're perpetually short of money, which is fine, but you get some rather high-profile quests forced upon you that require it, with no way to earn the necessary gold before the quest will fail due to time limits.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating the engaging combat and role-playing mechanics reminiscent of "A Legionary's Life," but expressing frustration over the punishing RNG and lengthy battles. Many feel that the mechanics lack adaptability and polish, leading to a repetitive experience that can be daunting for newcomers. While the game shows potential for fun through its training, quests, and choices, significant improvements in content and mechanics are desired for a more enjoyable experience.
“The gameplay loop with training, quests, and battles is fun.”
“Very engaging combat and role-playing mechanics.”
“The gameplay is very similar to a legionary's life, which is nice.”
“In summary, the battle system has limited mechanics that are determined by stats and gear and has little adaptability in-fight.”
“The combat mechanics as they relate to virtue/reputation with soldiers also seems somewhat broken, as the only way to survive battles that can drag on for dozens and dozens of rounds is by regaining stamina, which in turn drains both of the prior stats.”
“In short, the gameplay is terrible and forces you to save scum more than you ever have in your entire life.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their nice artwork and fitting art style, enhancing the overall experience. While the game features static graphics typical of a text-based RPG, it successfully creates an engaging atmosphere through its visuals and music, contributing to the storytelling. Overall, players appreciate the aesthetic quality, which complements the medieval theme and diverse narrative routes.
“The artwork is nice and fitting.”
“The game in and of itself was particularly remarkable with its art style and music.”
“The good points are that the story is quite nice, I assume quite diverse routes with several endings, as I only have unlocked one route with quite decent graphics and art style, music is a bit ok-ish as it gets the mood going, whether you are staying in a quiet village, preparing for a siege, or during battle.”
“The graphics are quite basic and lack detail, making the game feel outdated.”
“While the story is engaging, the static graphics detract from the overall experience.”
“The art style is decent, but it doesn't compensate for the lack of dynamic visuals.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a significant drawback, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating, especially when compounded by RNG elements and game bugs. While some see it as a way to pass the time, the overall sentiment suggests that the grinding experience detracts from enjoyment, leading to recommendations to wait for improvements or sales before playing.
“So, unless you are very fond of grinding games and being annoyed, why bother playing this game?”
“Wait for this game to be on sale or to be a finished product, as relying on RNG is tedious and the fights tend to be generally unsatisfying.”
“It's even worse when you're grinding through, reloading from the last save point multiple times, and then hit a game bug that forces you to restart from the beginning.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a good amount of replayability due to its light-hearted writing, choices, and consequences, which enhance the unpredictability of each playthrough. However, some players feel that the repetitive nature of battles and the game's incomplete aspects detract from its long-term replay value.
“The writing being light-hearted and silly can be compensated by great gameplay and replayability value, choices, and consequences.”
“I like the unpredictability and replay value as well.”
“There is a good amount of replayability, which counters the fact that a single playthrough is rather short.”
“Not to mention the fact that it is incomplete, and the battles just turn into torturous grind, which reduces this game's replayability.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as meaningful and occasionally funny, though it often leans towards childishness and lacks sophistication. Some jokes fall flat, relying on crude imagery rather than clever writing, resulting in a mixed reception regarding its comedic value.
“Due to this, the dialogues seem meaningful and funny.”
“The writing is not exactly Shakespeare, but it is funny in some places.”
“It's childish at best with its attempts at humor or to entertain you.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as adequate, effectively setting the mood for various scenarios, though it occasionally lacks presence during conversations. While some players find it to be just "ok-ish," others appreciate its contribution to the overall atmosphere, particularly in conjunction with the game's art style.
“The good points are that the story is quite nice, I assume quite a diverse route with several endings. The music is a bit okay as it gets the mood going, whether you are staying in a quiet village, preparing for a siege, or during battle.”
“Another issue plaguing this game is the lack of music during certain conversations, which is a common flaw for most indie games.”
“The music is a bit okay-ish; it sets the mood, whether you are in a quiet village, preparing for a siege, or during battle.”
“The game in and of itself was particularly remarkable with its art style and music.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Post-update, users report significant improvements in optimization, enhancing gameplay experience and providing more options in the storyline, making the game feel more worthwhile.
“After the update and optimization, along with more options in the storyline, I can confidently say this game is worth it.”
“The optimization has significantly improved the gameplay experience, making everything feel smoother and more enjoyable.”
“I appreciate the developers' commitment to optimization; it has really enhanced the overall performance and responsiveness of the game.”
“The game still suffers from severe optimization issues, making it unplayable on lower-end systems.”
“Despite the updates, the optimization remains poor, leading to frequent frame drops and crashes.”
“I was hoping for better performance after the last patch, but the optimization is still lacking and frustrating.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's medieval atmosphere is praised for its design and authenticity, providing good value for the price; however, some users note that balance issues detract from the overall experience.
“I really like its design and real-world medieval atmosphere; it offers a lot of value for the price.”
