Shop Heroes

About

Shop Heroes is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game. It was developed by Cloudcade, Inc. and was released on August 15, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Brand new fantasy shop simulation & RPG game packed with endless adventure!

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64%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,203 reviews

story4 positive mentions

monetization28 negative mentions

Addictive and fun gameplay with a good variety of activities including crafting, shopkeeping, hero questing, and city building.
Fair free-to-play model with opportunities to earn premium currency without spending money, and no forced pay-to-win mechanics.
Supportive and active community with helpful players and responsive developer support, plus cross-platform play between PC and mobile.

Long waiting times for crafting and quests escalate significantly in mid to late game, making progress slow and sometimes tedious without premium currency.
Microtransactions and premium items are present and can speed up progress or provide conveniences, but some content is locked behind costly purchases.
Occasional bugs, UI inconsistencies, and server instability hamper the experience; matchmaking in PvP is unbalanced and arena gameplay is underdeveloped.

story
141 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
95%
2%
The game's story revolves around managing a fantasy shop and sending hired heroes on timed quests to gather resources for crafting better equipment, which in turn facilitates further shop and city expansion. While the narrative is minimal and mostly serves as a backdrop for gameplay loops, players engage in repetitive questing, equipment crafting, and city-building without a strong plot, leading some to find the story lacking depth or meaningful progression. Overall, story elements function primarily to support the game's economy and hero progression rather than provide engaging storytelling.
- “Firstly, this game is about managing your very own fantasy shop and becoming a young entrepreneur, but it’s more than just that… you also unlock adventurers who will quest for you and gather rare resources from across the land.”
- “Craft and sell items to increase your level as the shopkeeper, outfit the heroes your city attracts and send them on timed quests to bring back crafting ingredients or rare loot, and invest in your city to improve resource generation, hero levels and available quests and raids.”
- “You play the role of a mayor for a city (starting out as a village) and you try to build up everything by making investments with the gold you earn through sending heroes on quests to gather gold and materials, having smiths, leatherworkers, and crafters making equipment for customers, and finally making sales through the market.”
- “Nonexistent gameplay or story.”
- “There's no plot here.”
- “Final straw was when a story driven quest was given, tutorial instructed me to optimize the heroes' equipment just to have the quest fail two hours later.”
monetization
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
62%
29%
Monetization in this game is heavily focused on microtransactions, often perceived as expensive, intrusive, and designed to pressure players into paying to speed up progress or gain advantages, with many reviewers labeling it a pay-to-win cash grab. While some players note that it is possible to play for free and that certain purchases are optional or cosmetic, the overall experience is frequently marred by aggressive monetization tactics, lack of meaningful free content, and poor communication from developers. However, a few reviews highlight the absence of ads and the presence of ways to earn premium currency in-game, making microtransactions less mandatory than in similar titles.
- “I have found that you can get by just fine without spending money, but there is a heavy pay-to-win side with gear blueprint packages and boosts, extra heroes, speeding time, etc. I've not regretted any of my in-game purchases, but I wish they would add more free content for players at an end-game level.”
- “Great tech support, lots of staff that answers emails within 1 hour, lots of bug fix patches every month, some microtransactions to speed up your progress, but not necessary at all to play.”
- “There are a couple things only obtainable by spending more money, but they only provide greater convenience and speed, so the microtransactions are pay-for-convenience, not pay-to-win.”
- “Shop Heroes is a pay-to-win mobile app dumped on Steam as a nasty, greedy cash grab from morally void mobile app developers.”
- “The developer has neglected years of community feedback and kept cash grab practices without delivering meaningful new content.”
- “The microtransactions in this game are especially obnoxious and expensive for a free-to-play game; I would wager the worst I have ever seen.”
gameplay
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
75%
4%
The gameplay offers a visually appealing and feature-rich shop and crafting sim with cooperative and PvP content, but it is heavily grindy and relies on time-gated mechanics that often pressure players toward microtransactions. While some find the depth and community engaging for long-term play, many criticize frustrating mechanics like frequent gear breakage and limited free currency that impede smooth progression without spending real money. Overall, it suits casual, idle-style play but may feel repetitive and monetization-driven for more active or competitive players.
- “Game mechanics aren't terribly complex, but there are a lot of activities and features to play around with (including coop and PvP content).”
- “Fun and fascinating, I'm always discovering new aspects of gameplay (or old ones I've previously missed), leading to almost a thousand hours of gameplay!”
- “The mechanics are fairly interesting and complex and there are multiple guides to help you figure it out.”
- “Gameplay consists of basic screen tapping to 'run' a 'shop', where you will quickly find you're time/paygated and must buy mobile peasant in-game currency with real world money to progress.”
- “Seven gear per hero, multiple heroes per quest, and even with each gear having only a small break chance, the way the developers coded the mechanic basically ensures that by level 15-ish there's a 75% chance each quest that at least one piece of gear will break. But considering the number of people who have complained and quit playing because of this, the gear-breaking mechanic is essentially a game-breaking element.”
- “Well, as you level up, the game frequently hamstrings the player by placing various demands on them that cannot be overcome without waiting several levels and spending obnoxious amounts of in-game free currency, or spending considerable real-world money in the form of blue gems just to return gameplay to a sense of reasonableness.”
grinding
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently describe the game as extremely grindy, with repetitive resource farming and slow progress that can become tedious and frustrating over time. While some appreciate the challenge and enjoy the steady growth aspect, many criticize the heavy time investment required and the game's reliance on real-money purchases to speed advancement. Overall, grinding dominates the gameplay experience, which may appeal mainly to those who enjoy slow-paced, management-focused titles.
- “All the fun just gets sucked right out of the game and it becomes a horrifically tedious inventory management slog.”
- “Game is very grindy, and getting regular prizes off city raids and/or other events requires a load of real time and/or money.”
- “Shop Heroes becomes extremely grindy and they have an absolutely tear-your-hair-out mechanic, where your hero's items break on nearly every series of quests.”
graphics
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
51%
5%
The graphics are generally praised for their cute, charming, and approachable art style with clean and polished visuals, though some find it basic or reminiscent of older styles. While visually appealing and functional for casual play, the graphics may feel somewhat generic or a simple reskin of previous versions, lacking innovation or dynamic animation in certain areas. Overall, the aesthetic is pleasant and accessible, enhancing the gameplay without being particularly groundbreaking.
- “Outstanding graphics, great mechanics, lovely amount of in-game loot to keep you feeling like a successful shopkeeper.”
- “The graphics are beautiful (both NPC models and portraits), the sound is good, the music is... well, there is music so that's fine.”
- “After thirty hours or so, it still seems polished, the artwork is well done, there's a lot to do and balance upgrades around.”
- “This is the same game as Swords and Potions 2 from a few years ago with slightly better graphics.”
- “The art style is very basic and has a bit of a 'stock image' feeling, reminiscent of isometric PS2 games.”
- “Played it for several days - actually it was reasonably enjoyable until I started it after the update and it came up as a 5 millimeter graphic window that you couldn't interact with - it's a bug that's a deal breaker - unplayable, so the rest is really irrelevant.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game's music is generally described as simple and relaxing but tends to become repetitive and monotonous over time, leading many players to mute it. While some find it charming and fitting for the game's casual atmosphere, there is a consensus that the soundtrack could benefit from more variety and improvement.
- “The graphics are cute, and so is the music; for the most part, it could be a relaxing, easy-going game.”
- “The cartooning is simple and fun, along with the music.”
- “I really like it, nice music and sounds, full of colors and nice characters, interesting gameplay.”
- “Music sucks and it gets repetitive at endgame, but that's pretty much my only complaint.”
- “Music/sound: 3 (monotonous, you will turn it off after a short while).”
- “Music needs improvement.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often described as lighthearted and entertaining, adding a fun and refreshing twist to gameplay. Players appreciate its amusing moments and funny stories, which help make routine or challenging parts more enjoyable and engaging.
- “No rush game, funny and interesting advanced game with quests and stuff.”
- “Really funny and addictive game.”
- “The micromanagement, the funny stories, the new perspective of being an NPC instead of the 'hero that destroys everything' is so fresh that it will keep you seated for hours and hours.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes, glitches, and progress undoing, which greatly affect gameplay. Users report problems with item selection, connectivity drops, and unresponsive features, making it frustrating to play. However, one reviewer noted no major glitches and consistent graphics across platforms.
- “There are no glitches, no huge changes implemented between the platform versions, and the graphics are still adorable on the 'big' screen.”
- “The game is riddled with glitches, often freezing or undoing completed progress. I can't seem to scroll through item lists without repeatedly selecting an item, and you don't have an option to keymap. Since playing this game, my internet disconnects or game freezes and kicks me out.”
- “But having been asked if I recommend it I would have to say no, as it freezes all the time.”
- “Can't even open the chest. The game is buggy and gets stuck.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly across platforms with minimal lag or technical issues. Its base optimization mechanics are engaging, and the user interface is effectively designed for touchscreen use. Some minor desync issues occur but do not significantly impact gameplay.
- “The optimization of your base is fun, although the game gets repetitive after a while.”
- “The game runs smoothly, with only minor desync issues that are not too troublesome.”
- “Optimized for touchscreen, which is reflected in the user interface.”
- “This game is very fun, and runs even better on Steam than other platforms I've tried it on - less lag, stuttering, or random relogging.”
- “Optimized for touchscreen, and it shows in the user interface.”
- “The optimization of your base is fun, though the game lacks some sort of mid or end game as it becomes repetitive and boring after a while.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as calming, happy, and positive, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Its low learning curve enhances this soothing ambiance, making it accessible and pleasant for players seeking a stress-free environment.
- “An amazing shop game with a really low learning curve and calming atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere is kind of happy and relaxing.”
- “Happy and positive atmosphere when you are in that mood.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is praised for its detailed and diverse character designs, ranging from charming chibi styles to realistic close-ups. However, some users wish that gem spending was focused more on enhancing furniture or character customization rather than other gameplay aspects.
- “It has great pieces of character designs from its chibi to anatomically correct close-up portrayals of the NPC heroes, almost as if at first glance this will be a great shopkeeper simulator game.”
- “If they took away all the ways to blow massive amounts of gems, and made them just boost furniture or character design I would be happy.”