Selfless Heroes
- April 14, 2020
- Félicien Brochu
Get on Steam"Selfless Heroes" is a puzzle-based game where you control a team of heroes with shared artificial intelligence. Your goal is to design their AI, solve puzzles, and defeat bosses within a dungeon. The game features 63 puzzles, over 30 hours of playtime, and a Discord community for help. It also provides a learning opportunity for coding and parallel programming, making it both challenging and educational.
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Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging introduction to programming through its visual programming model, making it accessible for beginners.
- The puzzles are well-designed with a satisfying difficulty curve, providing a good challenge that encourages creative problem-solving.
- The cute graphics and charming music create a welcoming atmosphere, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- The game lacks sufficient explanations for its mechanics, which can lead to confusion and frustration, especially for new players.
- Some puzzles are too large for the screen, making it difficult to plan ahead and execute strategies effectively.
- There are limited features such as no hint system or ability to skip levels, which can hinder progress and enjoyment.
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is engaging and satisfying, particularly for those who enjoy solving puzzles and programming challenges, with a progression that introduces new mechanics over time. However, many players feel that the game lacks sufficient explanations for its mechanics, which can lead to confusion and frustration. Despite these issues, the overall experience is enjoyable, especially for fans of similar games.
“I love this game so much! I'm a mechanical engineer, and this game has me writing algorithms that impress my computer science friends!”
“However, the gameplay (i.e. puzzles) is quite fun and satisfying to solve.”
“Challenges and goals make replaying levels after learning more mechanics fun.”
“However, I am giving it a thumbs down because there is far too little explanation for the mechanics in the game.”
“After revisiting this game after putting 20 hours into 7bh, I realize it wasn't so much that the puzzles were too challenging, but rather they didn't explain the mechanics well enough.”
“This makes the game seem even more like a ripoff of 7bh, as if the developer didn't explain the mechanics properly because they didn't come up with them themselves, but rather copied them from another game.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as cute and welcoming, contributing to a fun and chill atmosphere, particularly appealing to programmers. However, some users find the music mediocre or mismatched with the game's theme, while others note its catchy, "earwormy" quality. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a pleasant complement to the visuals and gameplay.
“The music and vibe are so cute and welcoming.”
“Great coding puzzle game with chill music and cute art.”
“Nice music, fun chill game for programmers.”
“Music and sound effects are mediocre.”
“The music doesn't fit the game's theme.”
“The soundtrack is not appealing.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as cute and charming, featuring jolly pixel art that enhances the overall experience. While some users appreciate the visuals and soundtrack, there are criticisms regarding inconsistencies in graphic command translations within the text code editor, which detracts from the user experience. Overall, the audiovisual elements are generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
“Graphics are cute.”
“Soundtrack, visuals, and the dev himself are nice.”
“Cute pixel graphics (heroes sure look jolly) and soothing tunes will accompany many head-scratching levels.”
“The text code editor's main use is as a copy-pasting tool, because it has mediocre translations for the graphic commands (like this inconsistency: some commands have parentheses, some don't), and even then the player needs to click a red circle to see only the first error, which is anyway either misleading ([insert already unlocked command which is restricted in this level] doesn't exist) or outright not useful.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is limited due to a lack of numerical feedback and low-level programming techniques, making it difficult for players to implement advanced optimization strategies. While there is a community leaderboard for comparing solutions and learning optimization tricks, players focused solely on completing levels may find themselves underperforming.
“There's also a community-run leaderboard featuring the best solutions if you really want to compare your solutions, or just want to learn the answers or the best tricks for optimization.”
“If you only aim to clear each level, not caring about optimization, you'll most likely remain below that.”
“This game lacks numbers, registers, and pointers; therefore, there is no compiler optimization or low-level tricks you can use to optimize your code. In contrast, in other games, you can utilize decision trees, loop unrolling, or algebraic properties to improve performance, such as subtracting after adding instead of reloading values, or rearranging control flow to minimize jumps and comparisons.”
“If you only aim to clear each level without caring about optimization, you'll most likely remain below your potential.”
- story2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story in this game is characterized as fun and lighthearted, distinguishing it from other similar titles that often feature darker narratives. While it may not boast complex themes or novel storylines, it offers an enjoyable experience within its programming and puzzle mechanics.
“Other Zachlikes might boast cool graphics, interesting themes, or novel storylines.”
“It's a fun and lighthearted programming/puzzle game that doesn't have a dark story like many similar games do.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as straightforward and amusing, appealing to a wide audience with its simplicity.
“The humor is incredibly simple yet hilarious.”
“I love how the game keeps me laughing with its clever jokes.”
“The witty dialogue and funny scenarios make every moment enjoyable.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its exceptional stability, being described as completely bug-free and highly polished.
“Completely bug-free and very well polished.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never feels like it's going to fall apart.”
