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Next Up Hero

Next Up Hero feels a bit more like an online app or a means of promoting Mixer rather than a fully realized game. If you happen to have the Xbox Game Pass, this might be worth giving a try, just don't expect much substance or variety.
Next Up Hero Game Cover
56%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, grinding
52% User Score Based on 112 reviews
Critic Score 66%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Mac OSPlaystation 4Xbox OneWindowsPlayStation
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Next Up Hero Game Cover

About

Next Up Hero is a multiplayer hack and slash game. It was developed by Digital Continue and was released on June 28, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

Next Up Hero is a challenging Gauntlet-style dungeon crawler with hand-drawn heroes and co-op gameplay. Battle the Ceaseless Dirge, craft your own dungeon, and defeat bosses on higher difficulty levels for rewards. Community involvement is encouraged, allowing players to design and share their own custom dungeons.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
Next Up Hero screenshot
+19
Skip User Reviews

52%
Audience ScoreBased on 112 reviews
gameplay11 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique mechanic where players can use their 'echoes' (previously fallen characters) to assist in combat, adding a strategic layer to gameplay.
  • The art style is bright and engaging, with a fun soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The game offers a variety of heroes with different abilities, allowing for diverse playstyles and character customization.
  • The game is online-only, which can lead to connectivity issues and limits playability for those without a stable internet connection.
  • Gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, with a lack of meaningful progression and variety in levels.
  • Many players report frustrating difficulty spikes and unbalanced mechanics, particularly with melee characters being less viable due to high enemy damage.
  • gameplay
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Next Up Hero" has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the initial fun and challenge it offers, particularly in boss fights and character mechanics. However, many criticize the repetitive nature of the gameplay, lack of depth, and connectivity issues, leading to a feeling of redundancy and a lack of rewarding progression. While the game has potential with its charming art style and mechanics, it currently suffers from a grindy experience that may deter long-term engagement.

    • “Nice character development mechanics, although the game seems more based on skill than gear for the most part, allowing new players to delve pretty deep if they can dodge and target enemies well while upgrades still feel meaningful.”
    • “The gameplay itself was solid; each match felt different, each world had different paths, and each hero had different play styles to make the variety ongoing.”
    • “Gameplay is fun and challenging, and I'd definitely suggest this to anyone.”
    • “As someone with a tolerance for this sort of gameplay loop, Next Up Hero has to be one of the worst experiences that I can recall in recent memory.”
    • “Unfortunately, as I attempted to play the game, I found the gameplay extremely redundant without a real purpose for continuing to play if the depth of gameplay was so shallow.”
    • “Repetitive gameplay prevents the release from becoming a standout indie title, but it may have enough charm to entice a few aspiring heroes for at least a few hours.”
  • graphics
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant and cute art style, as well as the improved visuals of enemies and attacks. However, some players feel that the graphics lack uniqueness and depth, comparing them to other similar games. Overall, while the art style is engaging and colorful, opinions vary on its originality and overall impact on the gameplay experience.

    • “The graphics are absolutely amazing; they've done one hell of a job. I really like the art style and the look of the game.”
    • “The art style is bright and fun, and makes all the action easy to see.”
    • “A lot of the graphics have been improved, especially enemies and attacks, which make a big difference.”
    • “The art style is just a hair away from having that bland cartoon-y look that every 'Clash of Clans' type game would have, and the camera lazily sits directly above the player, not allowing you to look ahead, as nearly any other isometric game of this kind should have.”
    • “Neither the graphic style nor the general gameplay loop is appealing to me, so I would have never picked it up otherwise.”
    • “As I said earlier, I am not a huge fan of cartoon graphics, but the animations and assets look solid to me and nothing really stands out.”
  • story
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally viewed as underwhelming and disconnected from the gameplay, with many players finding it boring and lacking depth. While there are cutscenes that advance the narrative as players level up, the storytelling is sparse and simplistic, leading to a perception that it is not a central focus of the game. Overall, while some appreciate the community aspect and the potential for engagement, the story fails to leave a significant impact.

    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “In Next Up Hero, you take control of nine legendary heroes in their quest to stop the 'Ceaseless Dirge'.”
    • “So, clearly the story is not really the main focus here, given how spaced out it is and that it's simple text-filled cutscenes, but at least there’s a story.”
    • “The story is boring and pointless.”
    • “The game's story is pointless; it doesn't connect at all with the gameplay.”
    • “Next Up Hero does have a story, but it's really only told via cutscenes that activate each time you level up. Within an hour, I was at 25% story completion according to the statistics.”
  • music
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many users praising its pleasant and upbeat nature, which enhances the overall experience. The soundtrack, along with sound effects and occasional voice acting, contributes to an engaging atmosphere that keeps players motivated and immersed. Overall, the combination of nice graphics and a solid musical score adds to the game's charm.

    • “Next up hero is a decent RPG with a pleasant art style and a nice soundtrack.”
    • “The bright graphics are engaging, but the soundtrack was definitely an upbeat surprise.”
    • “The music is also amazing; it keeps you hyped and going. The sound effects are also good, and the little voice acting that you hear in-game is very good.”
    • “The music!?”
    • “[0.3] sound & music”
    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and repetitive, often leading to a sense of blandness and lack of reward for their efforts. While some appreciate the cooperative and single-player elements, many feel that the time invested yields minimal improvements, making the grind feel unrewarding and frustrating.

    • “However, the grinding feels bland and you literally have no reason to play the game.”
    • “So basically you invest hours and hours grinding just to gain an increase in stats by like 1% more.”
    • “The core gameplay is way too grindy and unrewarding.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game features engaging mechanics that allow players to progress based on skill rather than gear, making it accessible for newcomers. However, some reviewers feel that the system could be improved with more customization options and a better end-game rewards structure to enhance the overall experience. The art and character designs received high praise, contributing positively to the game's appeal.

    • “Nice character development mechanics, although the game seems more based on skill than gear for the most part, allowing new players to delve pretty deep if they can dodge and target enemies well while upgrades still feel meaningful.”
    • “Awesome art and character designs!”
    • “Character design: 5”
    • “It's not all roses, as no game truly is. I still feel like the game needs better character development, including progression, more skins for customization, and a better endgame rewards system. This would really make the game spectacular.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is heavily criticized due to numerous glitches and bugs that significantly hinder gameplay, including intrusive messages that disrupt the experience. While it offers cross-platform play, the persistent technical issues make it frustrating and nearly unplayable, leading to a lack of recommendation from users. Overall, the game is seen as a promising concept marred by its current unstable state.

    • “There's more than a few glitches that are immediately obvious, but it is cross-platform.... so there's that.”
    • “This could be an extremely nice and rewarding game, but it is extremely buggy and poorly synchronized instead, which kind of kills the whole purpose and makes it an annoying bugfest.”
    • “As of right now, insanely buggy and practically unplayable.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is derived from its quirky graphics and gameplay, but it is overshadowed by a lack of content and repetitive mechanics. Players find it amusing that the game requires an internet connection for a multiplayer experience, yet can be tedious when played solo, especially with the added frustration of dying and having to pay to re-enter levels. Overall, the humor seems to stem from the game's absurdities rather than intentional comedic elements.

    • “The most funny part is there is not even a search/ranking option and you have to select levels all by your hand then review their content.”
    • “You can also join other people's games and help them out or keep watching and grant them a heal, but here's the funny part: when you die, and believe me you will die, you can return to that game (pay a small fee to enter the same level again) and start off from where you died.”
    • “This is not a game to play alone (funny is it that it requires an internet connection), but the real meaning of this is that even playing alone would make the experience very boring.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is praised for delivering good performance with minimal issues, making it easy for players to achieve smooth gameplay without the need for extensive synchronization.

    • “Runs very well, no performance issues.”
    • “Good performance.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts high replayability, with players consistently noting its engaging mechanics and varied content that encourage multiple playthroughs. Many users appreciate the different strategies and outcomes available, making each session feel fresh and rewarding. Overall, it offers a compelling reason to return for more.

    • “The game offers endless replayability with its dynamic choices and multiple endings, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
    • “I love how every decision I make leads to different outcomes, encouraging me to replay the game and explore all the possibilities.”
    • “With various character builds and strategies to try, I find myself coming back to this game time and time again for a new experience.”
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66%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Up Hero is a hack and slash game.

Next Up Hero is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Next Up Hero.

Next Up Hero was released on June 28, 2018.

Next Up Hero was developed by Digital Continue.

Next Up Hero has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Next Up Hero is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Dungeon Souls, Fight The Dragon, Lost Castle / 失落城堡, Dungeons of Sundaria, Blightbound and others.