Heads Will Roll

About

Heads Will Roll is a single player role playing game with a historical theme. It was developed by 1917 Studios and was released on September 4, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 188 reviews

story36 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of classic turn-based games, providing an engaging and fun experience.
The story is well-written with interesting characters and choices that impact the gameplay, enhancing replayability.
The developers are responsive to player feedback and are actively working on updates to improve the game.

The combat system is heavily reliant on RNG, leading to frustrating experiences where players can miss high-percentage attacks repeatedly.
The game can feel unbalanced, with difficulty spikes that make progression challenging and often require save-scumming.
There are numerous bugs and grammatical errors that detract from the overall experience, making the game feel unfinished.

story
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
69%
2%
The game's story is generally engaging, set against the backdrop of the 100 Years War, with memorable characters and a decent narrative structure. However, many players find it lacks depth and feels linear, with choices that often lead to minor variations rather than significant outcomes. While the potential for expansion exists, the current content is perceived as short and somewhat unfinished, leaving players wanting more from both the story and its execution.
- “The story is quite good, the heroines are attractive.”
- “I love this game so far, the story is great and the gameplay reminds me of legionaries' life.”
- “There's a decent story and memorable characters.”
- “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.”
- “The story is shallow and the characters are bland.”
- “You don't really have the options to pick your own build and make your own choices in the story.”
gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The gameplay is a mix of engaging turn-based combat and resource management, reminiscent of "A Legionary's Life," but it suffers from frustrating RNG mechanics and lengthy battles that can feel punishing. While players appreciate the depth and replayability, many express a desire for improved mechanics, more content, and a more serious tone in future updates. Overall, the experience is enjoyable for those who can tolerate its flaws, but it may require patience and adaptation to fully appreciate.
- “The gameplay is very similar to a legionary's life, which is nice.”
- “Very engaging combat and role-playing mechanics.”
- “The gameplay loop with training, quests, and battles is fun.”
- “This game may be daunting at first, as the mechanics of the game take time to get used to, battles are unforgiving, and the RNG is insanely unfair (you almost always miss your attacks even at 70% chance).”
- “In short, the gameplay is terrible and forces you to save scum more than you ever have in your entire life.”
- “The combat mechanics as they relate to virtue/reputation with soldiers also seem somewhat broken, as the only way to survive battles that can drag on for dozens of rounds is by regaining stamina, which in turn drains both of the prior stats.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their nice and fitting artwork, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere. While the game features static graphics typical of a text-based RPG, the art style is considered decent and enhances the storytelling experience. Additionally, the music complements the visuals, setting the mood effectively during various gameplay scenarios.
- “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 static, which detracts from the overall experience of the game.”
- “While the story is engaging, the graphics feel outdated and lack the depth needed to immerse players fully.”
- “The game has a decent art style, but the graphics are not enough to elevate the gameplay experience.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with players finding it tedious and frustrating, especially due to reliance on RNG and frequent bugs that can force restarts. Many suggest that only dedicated fans of grinding games might find it worthwhile, while others recommend waiting for a sale or a more polished version before playing. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback.
- “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.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
12%
13%
Overall, the game offers a good amount of replayability due to its light-hearted writing, engaging gameplay, and the impact of choices and consequences. However, some players feel that the incomplete nature of the game and the grindy battles detract from its long-term replay value. While the unpredictability adds to the experience, the short single play-through may limit overall replay incentives.
- “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.”
- “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.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as childish and inconsistent, with dialogues that can be meaningful yet often rely on crude or poorly executed visuals for comedic effect. While the writing lacks sophistication, it manages to elicit laughter in certain moments, appealing to a more juvenile sense of humor.
- “Due to this, the dialogues seem meaningful and funny.”
- “The writing is not exactly Shakespeare, but it is funny in some places.”
- “It is childish at best with its attempts at humor or to entertain you.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game is described as "ok-ish," effectively setting the mood for various scenarios, such as quiet village scenes and battle preparations. However, some players noted a lack of music during certain conversations, which is a common issue in many indie games. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, it may not be consistently engaging throughout the gameplay.
- “The game in and of itself was particularly remarkable with its artstyle and music.”
- “The good points are that the story is quite nice, I assume quite diverse routes with several endings. The 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.”
- “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.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players have noted significant improvements in optimization following recent updates, which have enhanced gameplay and introduced more storyline options, ultimately making the game more enjoyable and worth playing.
- “After the update and optimization, along with more options in the storyline, I can confidently say this game is worth it.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its immersive medieval atmosphere and appealing design, 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, and it offers a lot of value for the price.”