Heretic Operative

About

"Heretic Operative" is a tactical espionage game where players lead a team of agents with unique abilities infiltrating a hostile empire. Make strategic decisions in and between missions, balancing resources, loyalty, and exposure to uncover the empire's secrets. Experience a rich, immersive story with multiple endings based on your choices and the consequences of your actions.

Genres & Tags

Role Playing

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and interesting spin on a fantasy setting, with a variety of mechanics and cults that change the context of each game significantly.
Once players understand the mechanics and play at a slower pace, the game becomes much more enjoyable and strategic, providing a satisfying challenge.
The art, writing, and thematic elements create an immersive experience that feels like a blend of a board game and a solo RPG.

The game suffers from a clunky UI and poor controls, making it frustrating to navigate and manage characters effectively.
There is a steep learning curve with minimal guidance, as the game lacks a proper tutorial, leading to confusion and reliance on trial and error.
Many players find the game overly reliant on RNG, which can lead to frustrating experiences where success feels more dependent on luck than strategy.

gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
77%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by a rich variety of mechanics, particularly the spellcasting system, which introduces a unique tension between power and corruption, enhancing replayability through different cults and operatives. Players engage in strategic resource management while navigating a well-designed core loop, although some actions may feel less impactful and the corruption mechanic can be punishing. Overall, the game offers innovative mechanics and a compelling narrative, though some users note that the user interface and gameplay flow could be improved.
- “The variety of mechanics, especially spells, keeps the game very fresh even when replaying the same story, and the different cults change the context of each game to a surprisingly high degree.”
- “The basic gameplay loop is that you move your operatives between points of interest while collecting resources--influence and gold--to recruit helpful NPCs, recruit other operatives, purchase powerful items and spellbooks.”
- “The mechanic where as corruption goes up, so does your operatives' magic power - but if it goes too high, you lose the operative - creates a fun tension where you're at your most powerful when you're also the closest to losing, so the game often remains in the balance till the end.”
- “Others have stated that some of the locations and actions that you can take on the gameplay map are not as useful as others, as you only have two actions you can take per turn (later you can increase this to three actions).”
- “One last concern that others sometimes bring up is that the corruption mechanic seems too punishing.”
- “In addition to that, the UI and gameplay flow is just bad.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The game's story offers an intriguing fantasy setting with a variety of cults and missions that enhance replayability, though some players find the narrative minimal and repetitive. While the mechanics and character options provide fresh experiences, the overall complexity and balance issues can detract from the enjoyment of the story. Despite mixed opinions, many appreciate the elegant design and engaging gameplay that allows for diverse combinations of heroes and objectives.
- “Really interesting spin on a fantasy setting, I especially like the 'flesh abomination' story.”
- “Elegant design, well-written story, and incredibly fun!”
- “The different combinations of story/goal decks and enemy cult types give a lot of replayability.”
- “The game is really unbalanced, the story is minimal, there isn't enough variation between the missions so you feel like you're replaying the same thing over and over again.”
- “Boring story delivered in the worst possible medium: digital board game.”
- “$20 is a bit too much for the content you get and the complexity of the story.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game offers significant replayability through its diverse combinations of heroes, story goals, and opposing cults, reminiscent of Arkham Horror Second Edition. While the underlying map remains constant, players can enjoy varied experiences by experimenting with different character and enemy combinations across multiple game modes. Overall, the game's mechanics provide ample opportunities for replay value.
- “There is a ton of replayability by mixing up your hero, the story goal, and the opposing cult.”
- “Multiple game modes provide lots of variety and replay value.”
- “Doesn't seem like it's replayable, but it somehow is to me.”
- “Like Arkham Horror, the underlying map does not change, so the replay value comes from trying out different combinations of heroes, enemies, and quests, and you can get a lot of run time out of those combos.”
- “The different combinations of story/goal decks and enemy cult types give a lot of replayability.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The graphics are simple and reminiscent of a tabletop card game, which some may find underwhelming; however, the solid and consistent art style effectively supports the game's mechanics and rules. Overall, while not visually stunning, the graphics serve their purpose well in enhancing the gameplay experience.
- “The art style is solid and consistent, the rules are good, and the mechanics are a tool-tip away.”
- “Not amazing graphics, but it feels like a very good port of a tabletop card game.”
- “Simple, board game-like graphics are misleading.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its great art and writing, which immerses players in a fantasy experience. However, some users feel that the story is lacking and poorly suited to the digital board game format, detracting from the overall emotional impact.
- “Great art and writing really made me feel like I was in a fantasy book.”
- “The characters' struggles resonated with me on a personal level, making their journeys feel incredibly real.”
- “I was moved to tears by the story's depth and the emotional connections I formed with the characters.”
- “The emotional depth of the story is completely undermined by the lackluster gameplay.”
- “I felt no connection to the characters, making the emotional moments fall flat.”
- “The attempt at an emotional narrative feels forced and unengaging.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, the game is praised for its smooth performance, appealing art, and enjoyable sound design. However, players noted inconsistencies in gameplay experience across different maps, with some finding later levels less engaging due to rule variations.
- “The game runs smoothly, and I appreciate the beautiful art and sound design. The themes are engaging, and the first challenging map was a blast!”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for a seamless experience even in complex scenarios.”
- “I love how well-optimized the game is; it maintains a steady frame rate and responsive controls, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere is enhanced by the immersive mechanic of researching spells from decrepit tomes, which evokes a sense of mystery and decay.
- “Researching spells from decrepit tomes creates a uniquely atmospheric experience.”
- “The haunting sound design and eerie visuals immerse you in a captivating atmosphere.”
- “The game's world is rich with detail, making every corner feel alive and atmospheric.”