Hero Generations: ReGen

About

In Hero Generations: ReGen, every turn represents a year of your life as you explore, find a mate, build a home, and raise a child before you die. This remake of the original game features updated graphics, a larger overworld, new quests, and permadeath, providing a challenging and meaningful experience. With its unique blend of Roguelike and 4X Strategy elements, you'll make every choice count.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 86 reviews

replayability2 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and interesting concept with a roguelike mechanic that involves managing characters' lifespans and generational progression.
It is highly addictive and can serve as a good time killer, providing a fun experience for players who enjoy turn-based strategy games.
The art style is appealing, and the game has a decent replay value, with fresh maps generated for each playthrough.

The game suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of depth, leading to a feeling of pointlessness in gameplay as actions often reset with each new generation.
There are significant issues with RNG in combat and mechanics that can frustrate players, making it difficult to strategize effectively.
The developer's business practices have been criticized, including the release of a new version without providing free updates to previous owners, leading to dissatisfaction among the player base.

gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
75%
13%
The gameplay of the game is described as unique and simple, featuring an interesting lifespan mechanic that requires players to manage generational transitions, which can disrupt progress. While the tutorial effectively introduces the mechanics, many users criticize the core design as broken and plagued by bugs, leading to a frustrating experience. Additionally, there are concerns about limited character diversity and inconsistencies in gameplay mechanics, such as the adoption system.
- “It is a unique and very simple game with a very interesting approach to using lifespan as a game mechanic.”
- “Beyond simply being a clever roguelite/empire builder/puzzler, this game's central mechanic, living out several generations of the same dynasty line, means often right when you've finally got a winning hero kicking butt, you'll find yourself suddenly needing to make a mad dash to the nearest town to produce an heir, which means scrapping whatever quests you might have been in the middle of to restart with a new hero that might have complete crap stats and in no way can take up daddy/mommy's footsteps.”
- “The tutorial really leads you into a full-fledged game and works out the mechanics well.”
- “I hoped regen does at least something right, but no, it's the core mechanics and most of the design that are broken.”
- “In April 2015, Heart Shaped Games released a crappy game called Hero Generations which was infested with game-breaking bugs and shallow gameplay mechanics.”
- “Any responsible developer should release free updates to fix the bugs and to improve the gameplay mechanics, correct?”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The graphics in the game have seen some improvements, with a more polished look and enhanced interfaces, but many users note that these upgrades are minor and come with bugs. While the art style remains engaging, the lack of significant graphical options and the repetitive nature of the visuals have drawn criticism. Overall, the enhancements may not justify the price increase for some players.
- “Graphics feel improved.”
- “While most of the game is similar to the original release, graphics have been improved, interfaces have been improved, additional traits, items, etc. have been added, and the world map is much better streamlined.”
- “The art style and gameplay keep me really entertained.”
- “There is no graphics option; there are no real options to speak of.”
- “I mean the graphics were upgraded, but it's rather buggy. I think even more than the Facebook 'beta' version of sorts, and it gets repetitive very quickly.”
- “Which is essentially the same game with some minor graphical and quality of life improvements.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
67%
25%
The music aspect of the game is tied exclusively to the collector's edition of the original version, which includes the soundtrack but lacks modern quality of life upgrades. In contrast, the regen version offers improved graphics and features but does not provide access to the soundtrack, leading to a choice between enhanced gameplay or the musical experience. Overall, players must decide whether they prioritize the soundtrack or the upgraded game experience, as there are no standalone options for the music.
- “If you get the collector's edition of the original game (that must be played in windowed and lacks several quality of life upgrades), you will get the art book and the soundtrack.”
- “The only way to get the soundtrack (here on Steam) is to buy the original version of the game with the collector's edition.”
- “There is no offering for the soundtrack on its own or with the regen version of the game.”
- “If you get the regen version of the game, you will have a game that has slightly better polished graphics, with lots of quality of life upgrades to the options, but you will not be able to get the soundtrack, and you will pay $14.99 (assuming you pay full retail price) as opposed to $5.99.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and an unfinished feel, suggesting it is even more unstable than previous versions. Many players feel misled by the developer, accusing them of prioritizing profit over delivering a polished product. Overall, the consensus is that the game suffers from significant stability issues that detract from the experience.
- “In other words, every player of the old game was ripped off by buying an unfinished and buggy product that will never be improved by the developer.”
- “This revamped game is still buggy as hell.”
- “Do not support this irresponsible and unethical developer called Heart Shaped Games who is trying to grab more cash again with a buggy product and false advertising.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often involving repetitive tasks like farming gold over generations to build specific structures and optimize character abilities. This process can feel laborious as it requires careful planning and waiting for ideal conditions, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “And the rest of the game is tedious and grindy.”
- “This is generally accomplished by spending a few generations farming gold and slowly using that gold to build the exact buildings and cities you want (probably want a training center area with tons of barracks so you can walk around and become godly in a minimal amount of turns), connecting the 6 sub-areas with train stations so you don't waste turns on moving around the board, securing the two pieces of equipment you want, waiting until you have a hero that is born with an ideal set of bonus cards/perks (e.g., golden child and vampire), and finally taking that character around and clearing as many quest objectives in one sweep as you can and hoping that you don't roll 1s in combat.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players consistently highlight the game's high replayability, comparing it to rogue-like titles due to the fresh maps generated in each playthrough, which keeps the experience engaging and varied.
- “I love this game - the replayability is just like a rogue-like, with fresh maps generated each playthrough.”
- “An interesting game with a high replay value.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's story revolves around the unique mechanic of managing a dynasty over several generations, where players must balance building their empire and preparing heirs. This creates a dynamic narrative where players invest in their heroes, only to face the challenge of starting anew with potentially weaker successors, adding depth and unpredictability to the gameplay experience. Overall, the intertwining of strategy and generational legacy enriches the storytelling aspect, making each playthrough distinct.
- “Beyond simply being a clever roguelite/empire builder/puzzler, this game's central mechanic, living out several generations of the same dynasty line, means often right when you've finally got a winning hero kicking butt, you'll find yourself suddenly needing to make a mad dash to the nearest town to produce an heir, which means scrapping whatever quests you might have been in the middle of to restart with a new hero that might have completely inadequate stats and in no way can take up their predecessor's footsteps.”
- “This is generally accomplished by spending a few generations farming gold and slowly using that gold to build the exact buildings and cities you want, probably wanting a training center area with tons of barracks so you can walk around and become powerful in a minimal amount of turns, connecting the six sub-areas with train stations so you don't waste turns moving around the board, securing the two pieces of equipment you want, waiting until you have a hero that is born with an ideal set of bonus cards/perks (e.g., golden child and vampire), and finally taking that character around and clearing as many quest objectives in one sweep as you can while hoping that you don't roll ones in combat.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization practices of the game have been criticized for misleading marketing tactics that potentially violate federal advertising laws, leading players to feel deceived about the game's quality.
- “This is just blatant false (and illegal) marketing/advertising from the developer to fool players into believing that this is a good game.”
- “What the developer does in the trailers is actually in complete violation of marketing and advertising laws upheld by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game to be quite amusing, particularly highlighting the absurdity of unlocking multiple achievements simply by entering and exiting the tutorial in windowed mode. This unexpected and comical experience adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay.
- “Let me give you a hilarious example: I've successfully unlocked the following 5 achievements simply by entering and quitting the tutorial in windowed mode: 1) Kill the End Boss; 2) 50 Generations; 3) 30 Generations; 4) 20 Generations; and 5) World Traveler.”