Hero's Hour

About

Hero's Hour is a single player and multiplayer tactical role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Benjamin "ThingOnItsOwn" Hauer and was released on March 1, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

Hero's Hour is an accessible, yet-deep and content-rich Strategy Roleplaying Game. Take control of your hero, explore the world, build up your town, fight fast-paced battles, level up your hero and amass an army large enough to take out the opponents - before they take you out. TURN BASED + REAL TIME While exploring the overworld and developing your town and army are both turn-based, giving you …

Skip User Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,045 reviews

gameplay67 positive mentions

optimization23 negative mentions

The game offers a lot of fun and replayability with its diverse factions and heroes.
The real-time auto-battler combat adds a unique twist to the traditional Heroes of Might and Magic formula.
The pixel art style and soundtrack are charming and nostalgic for fans of the genre.

The AI can be unbalanced, often overwhelming players with larger armies and cheating mechanics.
The game suffers from performance issues, especially during large battles, leading to lag and crashes.
There is currently no campaign mode, which limits the depth of gameplay and story.

gameplay
254 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The gameplay of "Hero's Hour" is a blend of familiar mechanics from the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series, enhanced with real-time combat and a variety of unique faction abilities that add depth and replayability. While many players appreciate the streamlined mechanics and engaging core gameplay loop, some criticize the balance issues, repetitive gameplay, and AI behavior that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic yet fresh take on the genre, appealing to both veterans and newcomers, though it may require patience to fully grasp its complexities.
- “Chaotic, rapid-fire gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop is addictive, and the overland map development is pure HOMM3 crack.”
- “Tons of fun, each faction plays differently enough to feel fresh and unique and a surprising amount of depth in the strategy and mechanics.”
- “The gameplay loop can get a bit repetitive and usually just becomes who can mass the bigger force when playing vs. AI.”
- “Clunky gameplay is the final nail in the coffin.”
- “Weak imitation of HOMM3, and battle mechanics are rubbish, getting boring very quickly.”
graphics
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
The graphics of the game are predominantly pixel art, which has garnered mixed reactions from players. While some appreciate the charming and simplistic style, others criticize it for being overly basic and lacking detail, making it difficult to distinguish between units and elements during gameplay. Overall, the graphics are seen as a nostalgic nod to retro aesthetics, but many players feel they detract from the overall experience compared to the more polished visuals of classic titles like Heroes of Might and Magic III.
- “Hero's hour does not have ball-busting graphics, but what it does have is a pixel art style that satisfies the eyes for hours on end as you conquer the world with your armies.”
- “The pixel graphics are tuned to just the right amount of stylization that keeps everything on screen looking clear and well made.”
- “Hero's hour combines all the best features of the heroes of might and magic franchise and puts a unique spin on them, with a cute and beautiful minimalist pixel art style the game is a joy to look at.”
- “The game is basically a copy-paste of the overworld with graphics that are barely discernible, leaving out one of the best aspects of Heroes of Might and Magic: the combat.”
- “Graphics are way too simplified to the point it's not charming, just annoying.”
- “I'm not much of a graphics snob, but the only way this game could be more visually confusing and uninspiring is if it was ASCII-based.”
music
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy and atmospheric qualities, while others find it repetitive and lacking variety. Many appreciate the nostalgic pixel art style and how the soundtrack complements the gameplay, but there are frequent calls for more diverse tracks and thematic music for different factions. Overall, while the music has its fans, it often feels limited and can become tiresome over extended play sessions.
- “Amazing pixel art and soundtrack too.”
- “Very fun and charming game, and amazing soundtracks, some of the catchiest music in any game I've played.”
- “The music is catchy and it ought to be, since you get to listen to the same tracks several times throughout a single game.”
- “The music is completely unremarkable and treads the line between being so inoffensive you don't notice it and annoying given limited tracks and track time.”
- “The music also abruptly changes quite a lot which sucks because it has some groovy music but too jarring of a change from one tune to another (city -> world map & end of turn music transitions in specific).”
- “Music is terrible had to switch it off asap, was really getting on my nerves with every higher pitched tone, possibly just a matter of taste.”
replayability
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
53%
5%
The game boasts high replayability due to its diverse factions, unique heroes, and procedurally generated maps, offering players a variety of strategic options and playstyles. While many players find the core gameplay loop engaging and fun, some express that the lack of broader goals or campaign modes may limit long-term interest. Overall, the combination of different elements and customization options contributes to a robust replay value, making it appealing for both casual and competitive play.
- “It has an insane amount of replayability due to there being so many factions and so many heroes for each faction.”
- “The individual elements--town building, resource management, hero customization, exploration, and massive real-time battles--seamlessly integrate into a whole experience with ridiculous levels of depth and replayability.”
- “Lots of factions and heroes to pick from and combat is very rewarding, so it's got a ton of replay value.”
- “If you are looking for replay value, I would recommend against it.”
- “Tactically, the AI doesn't counter moves effectively; they will just bunch troops in the center and never spread, causing you to feel like there isn't any replay value.”
- “The replay value feels a bit thin if you're not playing with friends.”
optimization
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
53%
40%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly during larger battles and on bigger maps, leading to frequent lag and frame rate drops, even on decent hardware. Players report that performance deteriorates in longer sessions, with some experiencing severe stuttering and slowdowns when managing large armies. While the gameplay itself is enjoyable, the optimization problems detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to recommend without improvements.
- “Now if it got an HD remaster with improved optimization, I'd positively say this is a game of the year, or in my opinion, a game of the decade title.”
- “The game runs smoothly and at no point have I experienced a game-breaking bug or crash.”
- “Although I'm having little trouble with performance and reading on the web that is a thing with the game, it makes up for it in content and gameplay.”
- “But sadly it has some severe performance issues; games that last longer than an hour will have you in frequent <30fps.”
- “The game has some severe optimization issues with high unit and resource counts that drop the frame rate down and cause stuttering in both the overworld and in combat, which is the worst general thing about the game.”
- “The performance is so bad I won't be playing anymore, but the game is fun enough to play if that weren't an issue.”
story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
57%
26%
The game lacks a cohesive story or campaign mode, with players expressing disappointment over the absence of narrative elements and lore. While the gameplay is entertaining, many reviewers feel that the lack of a structured storyline diminishes the overall experience and connection to the factions. Suggestions for future updates include the addition of a story mode to enhance engagement and replayability.
- “I need some missions with some nice quests and a storyline!”
- “The day it gets a story mode is the day it takes a big step to being perfect.”
- “If there was a story or something to it to continue to motivate you to push on and 'progress', it would be more rewarding.”
- “The game doesn't really have a story or anything to that effect - this is a game for the sake of the game itself; it's to entertain the player.”
- “This game is missing a storyline to play through.”
- “There is no story or campaign or lore.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including frequent bugs that affect gameplay, such as disappearing units, unresponsive features, and significant performance problems on larger maps. While some players find it enjoyable despite these glitches, the overall consensus is that the game is currently unplayable for many due to its instability.
- “It's buggy as f*ck, your units disappear or don't show up on heroes, windmills don't reset every week, town portal doesn't work, etc. The list goes on and on.”
- “The game has a lot going for it, but is completely unplayable on larger maps, resulting in game freezes that last whole minutes at random times.”
- “Still buggy... decent game just not in its current state.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players enjoying the comedic elements of battles and character interactions, often finding the absurdity of the AI and gameplay mechanics amusing. While some critiques mention that the humor can wear thin over time, the overall consensus is that the game offers a lighthearted and entertaining experience, making it a recommended choice for those who appreciate a funny twist in their gaming.
- “Combats are not turn-based, which might be considered bad by HOMM fans, but it's actually funny and the game has a nice replayability factor.”
- “Still, watching your units evolve and getting the feel of different heroes and factions is super satisfying, and the battles are just the right mix of awesome and hilarious.”
- “Funny little HOMM clone, recommended.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, often describing it as tedious due to repetitive talent trees, the necessity of deathstacking, and the slow pace of larger games, especially when waiting for AI turns. While some appreciate the strategic elements and variety of races, many feel that the endgame and resource management can become monotonous, leading to a sense of frustration in trying to eliminate opponents or manage large armies. Overall, the game offers enjoyable moments but is marred by periods of tedium and repetitive tasks.
- “While having many different races that use different mechanics is a good thing, having heroes that more or less use the same talent trees makes the game feel tedious at times, as usually you will follow the same path to gain and use the most overpowered abilities.”
- “In larger games, waiting for AI turns gets extremely tedious if there are 3 or more AIs.”
- “High-level monster NPCs guarding resource nodes makes the game tedious, as you have to wait at your base for weeks doing nothing, capture a node, then wait another two weeks since half your units died.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of nostalgia and disappointment regarding the game's emotional impact, highlighting its potential to evoke fond memories reminiscent of Heroes of Might and Magic 3. However, frustrations with technical issues have led some to consider abandoning the game altogether, indicating a longing for improvement before they re-engage.
- “An enjoyable pixelated auto-battler that gives you those wholesome HOMM3 feels.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its charming spritework and immersive music, which contribute significantly to the overall experience. However, some players feel that the audio and visuals do not match the quality of other titles in the genre, and the ability to see opponents' screens in multiplayer may detract from the intended atmosphere found in traditional 4X games.
- “The game does have Steam Remote Play, and although I'm happy with how it works, there is a certain atmosphere you get from other 4X games by not seeing the opponent's screen.”
- “It's got a lot of soul, the sprite work is wonderful, and the music is really atmospheric.”
- “I am not a fan of the audio and visuals; especially in the previous game, they did really well in creating atmosphere and feeling, which I feel is lacking here.”
- “The game does have Steam Remote Play, and while I'm happy with how it works, there is a certain atmosphere you get from other 4X games by not seeing the opponent's screen.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is perceived as a lazy cash grab, lacking originality and creativity, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “It feels like an uninspired copy-paste from a classic, just to have a quick and lazy cash grab.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like I'm being constantly pushed to spend more, which ruins the overall experience.”