Heartwood Online

About

Heartwood Online is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with anime, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by E Bros and was released on August 18, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

JOIN OUR DISCORD About the GameGAME FEATURES Heartwood Online is a true cross-platform free-to-play MMO currently available on Steam, Apple, and Android. We plan to bring it to all major consoles as development progresses. Explore a vast and immersive world filled with adventure and exploration. Join forces with other players to battle fearsome raid bosses, uncover hidden treasures, and unlock …

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,771 reviews

gameplay44 positive mentions

grinding522 negative mentions

Charming pixel art style and nostalgic old-school MMORPG feel.
Free-to-play with no pay-to-win features, supported by cosmetic microtransactions.
Active, helpful community and responsive developers with ongoing updates.

Excessive and unrewarding grind for leveling and crafting, slowing progression significantly.
Limited content with small map size and lack of meaningful quests or storyline.
Unbalanced classes and skills, poor loot/drop rates, and often frustrating gameplay mechanics.

grinding
526 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game is overwhelmingly grind-heavy, requiring players to repeatedly farm the same mobs and resources over extended periods with minimal quest variety or meaningful progression, leading to a tedious and sometimes frustrating experience. While some players enjoy the old-school grind similar to games like Runescape, many criticize the slow leveling, poor rewards, scarce content, and repetitive gameplay which make the grind feel unrewarding and exhausting. Updates have slightly improved leveling speed, but the game's reliance on grinding remains a major barrier for many.
- “Crafting is nice, not too grindy; the farming is quick enough.”
- “Not that grindy for an RPG.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “After grinding for hours, I'm often forced to log out; sometimes the game freezes or bad network happens (and this happens very often even when my WiFi is absolutely fine).”
- “The worst part of this which makes grinding even less satisfying is that when you level up a skill the experience you gain drops until it reaches 0, yet the required experience to level up goes significantly up.”
- “Progression takes very long and can be very tedious and repetitive; this game is in no way better than ancient kingdoms.”
story
218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
81%
11%
The game’s story and quest system are widely criticized for being minimal, linear, and overly grind-heavy, with few early quests and poor progression pacing. Quest rewards are often unusable due to level restrictions, and extremely low drop rates make many fetch quests tedious and frustrating. Overall, there is a lack of engaging narrative, quest variety, and proper tracking, leaving players feeling unmotivated and stuck in repetitive farming rather than experiencing a meaningful story.
- “Like the lovechild of World of Warcraft and Minecraft, Heartwood Online delivers both immersive storytelling and creative freedom.”
- “The gameplay in Heartwood Online is a seamless blend of exploration, combat, and intricate storytelling.”
- “The way the story unfolds as you progress through the game is both captivating and emotionally resonant.”
- “The quests are strictly kill and fetch and you will be spending 30+ minutes for some of them because the drop rates are a joke.”
- “The game's quest system is horrendous: collect 10/15/30/35/80 items that have a 5% or lower drop chance from mobs that take too long to kill.”
- “It gets worse as the quest levels increase. There isn't enough quest content to give you experience without mindless farming.”
gameplay
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The gameplay is generally praised for its simple, accessible mechanics and enjoyable cooperative elements, with a charming pixel art style and smooth combat. However, it suffers from excessive grinding, slow and repetitive progression, limited skill variety, and a lack of engaging or innovative mechanics, which leads to a monotonous experience that may hamper long-term player retention. While the game offers a solid foundation and potential, many reviews highlight the need for deeper content, improved progression systems, and more compelling gameplay loops to maintain sustained interest.
- “The world has a great foundation, and the gameplay already hooks you.”
- “As the game is a bit simple but its mechanics are impressive. PvE-ing with organized guild members, practicing PvP to win tournaments, getting exclusive mounts that can't be obtained even with money which means only real grinders will get it, and most impressive, the game is not pay-to-win in any way.”
- “The gameplay in Heartwood Online is a seamless blend of exploration, combat, and intricate storytelling. The combat mechanics are skillfully designed, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience.”
- “Without significant improvements—such as expanding character classes, introducing deeper customization, and enhancing progression mechanics—the game risks losing its player base and failing to sustain long-term engagement.”
- “Extremely slow gameplay, game consists of 99% bots and quests are pretty much useless since they don't give any exp, only items you won't be able to equip because you're still not the required level, and to level you have to kill about 60-100 mobs each time.”
- “Horrible progression, the developers themselves stated that they artificially stretched it out to lengthen the gameplay due to lack of content.”
graphics
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
3%
The game's graphics feature a charming, nostalgic pixel art style reminiscent of early 2000s RPGs, which many players find cute, simple, and visually pleasing. While the art style is praised for its aesthetic appeal and clarity, some users feel it lacks polish, is repetitive, and could benefit from further development. Overall, the graphics suit the game's old-school MMO vibe but are limited by small map sizes and relatively basic visuals.
- “The art style is really great and very cute, but still needs to be polished in terms of questing.”
- “If you like pixel games, this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing ones I've ever played.”
- “Heartwood online's rich lore and stunning visuals have me hooked, and the seamless transition between platforms makes it all the more enjoyable.”
- “Bad graphics and kinda long grind made this game slug through into a quit moment, and I tried hard—really hard—to put in some effort.”
- “From a graphic design background, I would say the pixel art needs to be more consistent.”
- “-Graphics look very amateur.”
monetization
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
27%
63%
The game's monetization is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, featuring expensive microtransactions and a grind-heavy design that pressures players to spend without offering meaningful content updates. While it is free to play with no pay-to-win elements, the heavy focus on cosmetic purchases and slow progression frustrates users, compounded by a lack of substantial new content and questionable developer practices.
- “And it is currently free to play and there is no real benefit to making in-game purchases: it will bleed your time, not your wallet.”
- “The game, despite being 2D, has a very pleasing, easy-on-the-eyes aesthetic that doesn't bombard your UI with pointless offers, microtransactions, and other stuff.”
- “Monetization is definitely in place, but not pay to win.”
- “The cash shop in game seems purely designed as a cash grab - want an extra bank tab?”
- “Cashgrab expensive microtransactions (you're either stupid or really have faith in the game if you purchase anything right now).”
- “Pair this with devs that delete negative feedback and harass players, predatory monetization that actively punishes you for not spending real money on the shop... what a sh*tshow.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
11%
Users consistently note the lack or scarcity of in-game background music, with some only hearing brief or occasional tracks despite volume settings. While existing music and sound effects are described as soothing and fitting for relaxation, many players feel the game would benefit greatly from more diverse, continuous, and better-integrated music to enhance atmosphere and immersion. Additionally, improvements to sound effects and overall audio design are frequently suggested.
- “I'm hooked so far, love it! I wish you could loop music and that they had more music in the game. Love the game and it has a bright future - awesome!”
- “The sounds and music are super relaxing as well.”
- “Art style and the game music are well done.”
- “There is a volume control for music but there is no music except for maybe 30 seconds.”
- “3- Sound effects need a lot of improvement; there are many bugs and the game feels very quiet. I miss background music in areas like the city and forest. Sound effects are very important in games.”
- “One last thing I noticed was there was no music.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often highlighted through amusing player interactions, quirky in-game moments, and entertaining community dynamics, with some users laughing out loud at characters or situations. However, some find the moderation and community responses ironically funny or contentious. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted and enjoyable layer despite occasional grindiness and community tensions.
- “I have had some truly hilarious encounters with mobs and other players.”
- “Very good game, can't get enough of it, chill and funny.”
- “(My thought he was referring to the skins for real money) I laughed out loud IRL so hard because he was funny and the way he said it was funny.”
- “What a funny role.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The game's stability is inconsistent, with frequent bugs including freezing on exit and UI glitches that sometimes require restarting. While overall performance is generally good, these issues can be frustrating and impact the user experience.
- “Overall, the game runs great. I have not experienced any performance issues.”
- “When exiting the game it always freezes and you have to force close it through the task manager. So pathetic.”
- “Very buggy, you will have problems even closing the game. The UI sometimes bugs and you have to restart the game to see the interactions.”
- “Too many glitches.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's optimization is mixed, with some users experiencing smooth performance even on low-end devices, while others report significant performance issues across all platforms. Early access status may contribute to these inconsistencies. Additionally, progression mechanics are seen as restrictive, limiting optimized gameplay.
- “Runs smoothly on potato device.”
- “Overall the game runs great, I have not had any performance issues.”
- “Progression feels very locked and doesn't allow for optimized gameplay.”
- “Note: worst of all, it has performance issues on any device.”
- “The game is just a pixel game with nothing in it, yet it already has performance issues.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere is praised for its enchanting pixel art, vibrant colors, and whimsical charm, creating a truly immersive environment. Users appreciate the solid animations and detailed landscapes, though some suggest adding a day-to-night system to enhance the ambiance further.
- “Enchanting atmosphere: the pixel art world of Heartwood is brimming with brilliant hues and whimsical charm.”
- “The landscapes, character models, and atmospheric effects are a testament to the developers' dedication to creating a truly immersive environment.”
- “And last, add some day to night system in your game so we can feel the ambiance and atmosphere that we live inside the game.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a captivating and emotionally resonant story that unfolds well as you progress, supported by a wholesome and helpful community. While the experience feels simple and heartfelt, it currently lacks content, likely due to its beta status.
- “The way the story unfolds as you progress through the game is both captivating and emotionally resonant.”
- “The game is progressing at a great pace and the community is extremely helpful and wholesome.”
- “It's a simple, wholesome game but it lacks content (obvious since it's beta).”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers better replayability when played with friends, enhancing the overall experience through social interaction.

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31h Median play time

144h Average play time

5-92h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 17 analyzed playthroughs

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Heartwood Online is a open world hack and slash game with anime, medieval and historical themes.

Heartwood Online is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 144 hours playing Heartwood Online.

Heartwood Online was released on August 18, 2023.

Heartwood Online was developed by E Bros.

Heartwood Online has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Heartwood Online for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Heartwood Online is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Drakantos, Nevergrind Online, Grimdoria, Definya, The Goblin Lord and others.

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