HERO DEFENSE

Starting at $1.31Buy now

Get on Steam

Get on Xbox Games Store

Hero Defense is a fantasy tower defense game where players summon heroes and build defenses to protect their kingdom from invading hordes. Players can upgrade heroes and towers, collect loot, and complete quests to unlock new content. With various game modes, including a story-driven campaign and survival mode, Hero Defense offers a challenging and engaging experience for strategy fans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 241 reviews

graphics39 positive mentions

grinding52 negative mentions

Innovative take on tower defense with movable heroes instead of static towers, adding a fresh gameplay dynamic.
Well-designed skill trees and rune systems allow for deep customization of heroes, enhancing strategic gameplay.
Visually appealing graphics and engaging sound design contribute to an enjoyable gaming experience.

Game suffers from significant grinding, requiring repetitive play to upgrade heroes and progress, which can become tedious.
Multiplayer features are limited, with a small player base and lack of meaningful co-op or PvP options.
Controls and camera movement can be clunky, making it difficult to manage heroes effectively during fast-paced gameplay.

graphics
63 mentions
62 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cartoony and aesthetically pleasing style, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful artwork and smooth performance on various hardware. However, some players reported graphical glitches and optimization issues that detracted from the overall experience, leading to frustration despite the appealing visuals. Overall, while the graphics are considered a strong point, they are marred by inconsistencies and technical problems that can impact gameplay.
- “Great graphics that aren't a drain on my old PC and fun to play.”
- “Beautiful graphics and a good storyline to accompany novel tower defense play.”
- “This is a really well put together tower defense game with great graphics, good sound, some nice characterization and good voice acting.”
- “It has horrible graphics, and the game stutters on an RTX 2080 with i7-9700.”
- “Overall the graphics are okay-ish but overall dark and unremarkable.”
- “Small graphical errors which should have been caught before release such as mob walking animations do not sync up with the speed at which they walk, bolts from the vampire hunter are fired from his feet instead of the crossbow, text on some runes goes beyond the text box.”
story
61 mentions
26 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered basic and cliched, with some players appreciating its quirky elements and character dialogue, while others find it lacking depth and engagement. Although the visuals and character design are praised, many reviewers note that the narrative does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience, often feeling repetitive and underdeveloped. Overall, while the story adds some charm, it is not the main focus of the game and may leave players wanting more.
- “I enjoyed the art style and story of the game, and there's a good amount of replayability and challenge to be had.”
- “Great game, nice story with good characters.”
- “Beautiful graphics and a good storyline to accompany novel tower defense play.”
- “The story of the game is cliched and basic; no points for that.”
- “But after you bear the 'story' (and it's pretty easily done), there really is no point in continuing to play the game.”
- “I usually don't pay any attention to the storyline in this type of game, but it's noticeably weak.”
grinding
53 mentions
2 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often described as tedious and repetitive, requiring players to repeatedly farm levels for resources and upgrades. While some players find the grind manageable or even enjoyable, many express frustration with the excessive time needed to achieve completionist goals, suggesting that the grinding detracts from the overall experience. The game includes features like a 2x speed option to alleviate some of the tedium, but the core mechanics still emphasize a heavy reliance on grinding.
- “That said, it's a fun distraction, but grindy as hell, which will probably keep most people from bothering with each difficulty tier on every map, never mind the absurd lengths required to get achievements.”
- “The grinding just doesn't feel that rewarding very often in this game.”
- “All of this adds up to an absolute ridiculous amount of farming maps over and over and over again and not giving you anything new to do.”
gameplay
52 mentions
40 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a blend of traditional tower defense mechanics with innovative features like movable hero units and strategic placement, offering a fresh challenge for players. While many appreciate the depth and addictive nature of the gameplay, technical issues such as stuttering and control problems detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game is visually appealing and provides a fun, albeit somewhat repetitive, experience for fans of the genre.
- “I really like the mechanics and strategy, as it gives you more of a challenge. Unlike most tower defense games where you can endlessly buy as many towers as you want, you actually have to strategize where to place your heroes on the map, and I really enjoy that part of the game.”
- “The gameplay is solid and kind of a mash-up of different genres while still relating strongly to a traditional tower defense game.”
- “Hero defense has nice graphics, smooth gameplay, and sets itself apart by allowing you to customize your hero 'towers' with runes, as well as the skill tree.”
- “Sooo many messages to click away... like every fing 10 seconds... like shut up game... I lasted less than 1 hour before giving up... fine have text but don't make it interrupt our gameplay.”
- “Well, the game drops to about 0.1 fps for 30-60 seconds at a time when doing the following: loading any level, dropping any character (which you have to do at most 5 times during gameplay), powering up a character (you get to do this a lot), finishing any level, picking up money, any transition.”
- “- grindy and extremely repetitive gameplay.”
replayability
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the challenge of locked difficulties and the potential for replay value, others criticize the removal of key features like the endless mode and the grindiness of progression. Technical issues such as lag and freezing further detract from the experience, leading to a consensus that while there is some replay value, it is significantly hampered by these factors.
- “The harder levels add a lot of replayability, however.”
- “I enjoyed the art style and story of the game, and there's a good amount of replayability and challenge to be had.”
- “There's lots of replay value here.”
- “Obviously, I felt compelled to purchase it at 90% off, but I would have skipped the game knowing important replayability and endgame features are disabled.”
- “The bonus map (after defeating 'Count') rewards way too much gold, decreasing the replay value of other maps and massively reducing the time needed to level up buildings and heroes.”
- “6/10 for replayability.”
music
11 mentions
55 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere. However, some reviewers noted that it can become repetitive and lacks variety, leading to a mixed overall impression. While the soundtrack is catchy and complements the art style, it may not be particularly innovative.
- “Music is lovely, so is the artwork.”
- “Imaging which is excellent and the music is very impressive, the entire board in the second world does not want to get out of the game this gorgeous and spirited experience.”
- “It's basically just the same taunting haunted music the whole game.”
- “Music fits the mood but is uninspired.”
- “The soundtrack will get stuck in your head.”
optimization
11 mentions
36 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and lag during level loading and hero summons. While some users note that the game runs smoothly and is well-balanced, others express frustration over a lack of updates to address these optimization problems, particularly following a recent update that negatively impacted performance. Overall, the consensus indicates that while the game has potential, its current optimization leaves much to be desired.
- “Optimized skills for what I want to do (farm gold).”
- “Overall, this feels like a well-balanced, well-optimized game.”
- “Runs smoothly.”
- “There were seemingly no performance updates or changes to the asset loading made since release.”
- “The game is sluggish at times; it's badly optimized.”
- “It's really a shame it's not optimized and lags when loading in each level and some hero summons.”
monetization
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the absence of microtransactions, while others criticize the presence of paywalls that require purchasing gems to enhance characters. Many feel that charging for the game upfront and then introducing gear-enhancing microtransactions is unethical, as it creates an imbalance based on players' financial capabilities. Overall, while the game itself has redeeming qualities, the monetization strategy has left a negative impression on a significant portion of the player base.
- “I am rescinding the bit about the microtransactions, because of this I would highly recommend the game. Aside from the gems aspect, everything else (while maybe being a tad unbalanced and encountering some quirks with the tutorial) the game wasn't bad and I could see myself enjoying this.”
- “To add to this, there are no microtransactions in this game whatsoever, but perhaps gems wasn't the best choice.”
- “I'm not some guy who doesn't support developers at all; I understand there are costs for server maintenance, etc. However, there are better types of microtransactions to add to your game to generate revenue. Allowing players to gain an advantage over one another based on who has the bigger pocketbook is, in my eyes, extremely unethical.”
- “Thankfully, none of that free-to-play or monetization is actually in the game, but with it removed, you can see how shallow this game really is.”
- “I've come to expect gear-enhancing microtransactions from free games, or even cosmetic microtransactions from purchased games; however, when a game that you purchased supports gear-enhancing microtransactions, it feels like a betrayal.”
- “I'm not someone who doesn't support developers at all; I understand there are costs for server maintenance, etc. However, there are better types of microtransactions to add to your game to generate revenue. Allowing players to gain an advantage over one another based on who has the bigger pocketbook is, in my eyes, extremely unethical.”
stability
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and graphical glitches, particularly in bonus levels and during selection screens. While the main campaign is mostly stable, the overall experience is marred by bugs that detract from gameplay, leading to a recommendation against purchase due to these persistent problems.
- “Somewhat entertaining, but very buggy and it's not going to get any better.”
- “However, the last level freezes up when playing.”
- “At this point in time, the game hangs/freezes for a short time regularly on very good PCs.”
character development
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game features impressive character designs and a compelling campaign climax, the overall character development may have been overshadowed by a focus on voice acting and game mechanics, leading to a less robust narrative experience.
- “The campaign of this game features interesting character development, especially towards the end when you defend Jack's father on the insane difficulty in the castle map.”
- “Character designs are great.”
- “I felt the budget went more into the voice acting and game mechanics than into character development.”
- “The characters lack depth and their growth feels forced and unconvincing.”
- “There is little to no meaningful progression for the characters throughout the game.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by effective voice acting and a quirky storyline that adds to the overall enjoyment, despite the relatively short campaign length of around 11 hours. Players find the humor to be a strong aspect that enhances the addictive gameplay experience.
- “The voice acting is humorous but effective.”
- “The storyline is quite funny and quirky at times, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing each map!”
atmosphere
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is highly praised for its impressive quality, complemented by stunning graphics that enhance the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere is incredible, and the graphics are stunning!”
- “The immersive environment truly enhances the overall experience.”
- “Every detail contributes to a captivating atmosphere that draws you in.”