Songs for a Hero

About

"Songs for a Hero: Definitive Edition" is a rhythm game where players tap buttons in time with music to control a character's movements through story-driven levels. The game features a diverse soundtrack, including pop, rock, and electronic music, and allows players to customize their character's appearance and abilities. The game's story follows the journey of a young hero as they fight against evil and uncover the truth about their past.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+11

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 295 reviews

music56 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game's unique musical mechanic, where the hero sings about the player's actions, adds a fun and engaging layer to the gameplay.
The visuals are charming, with colorful pixel art and well-designed levels that evoke nostalgia for classic platformers.
The humor in the lyrics and the overall creativity of the game make it a delightful experience, especially for fans of 2D platformers.

The singing can become repetitive and annoying over time, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
Gameplay can feel simplistic and lacks depth, with some players finding it too easy and not challenging enough.
There are technical issues and bugs that can disrupt the experience, including problems with controls and level design.

music
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
65%
2%
The music in "Songs for a Hero" is a standout feature, characterized by witty and humorous lyrics that adapt to the player's actions, creating a dynamic and engaging experience. Players appreciate the catchy melodies and the unique concept of a singing protagonist, although some find the repetitive nature of the songs can become tiresome over time. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the gameplay, making it a memorable and entertaining musical platformer.
- “The gameplay is very good, but the combination with the witty songs is what makes this game exceptional.”
- “The music not only complements the gameplay but also adds a layer of entertainment with its witty and amusing verses, making 'Songs for a Hero' a highly enjoyable adventure.”
- “The songs are hilarious, and really help keep the player engaged (and quite possibly laughing at) what is going on or what they are doing.”
- “The singing gimmick is interesting at first but very annoying when you can't skip/fast forward and there's a lot of places where you'll just stand still and wait for the song to finish to let you proceed.”
- “The lyrics make less and less sense the further you progress and the whole soundtrack in combination with the singing always sounds the same.”
- “It was a really nice attempt, it was mostly well done and polished, but for a game where the music is the main feature, they really should have put a lot more effort into it.”
gameplay
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The gameplay of "Songs for a Hero" is a mixed bag, with many players finding it to be generic and simplistic, often feeling repetitive and unchallenging. While some appreciate the integration of music and humor into the platforming mechanics, others criticize the level design and unclear mechanics, leading to frustration. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for its unique singing gimmick, but it struggles to deliver a compelling gameplay experience on its own.
- “The gameplay is very good, but the combination with the witty songs is what makes this game exceptional.”
- “The gameplay itself is pretty fun, but the music improves this from an 8/10 into a 10/10.”
- “Songs for a Hero is a fantastic blend of very familiar platforming adventure mechanics that have been fine-tuned in the last 20 years, with a musical that will sing-song its way into your heart.”
- “The gameplay is safe and generic; the story (what little there is) explains nothing, and the singing sucks.”
- “Singing becomes boring, and gameplay suffers from inelegant, too old-school design - some elements that should be hard are too easy and vice versa, very easy level with one frustrating moment, unclear mechanics (it's totally unclear what can be blocked by shield and what can't, for example).”
- “The idea is very interesting - a musical game, but the gameplay gets real repetitive real fast, which is made even worse by the fact that one of the collectibles - the musical notes - increases the amount of notes used in the singing, which means if you don't collect them, it actually makes the musical aspect worse. The gameplay is too shallow to make replaying levels fun or even really continuing to play.”
humor
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
91%
2%
7%
The humor in the game is largely centered around its catchy and witty musical lyrics, which many players find hilarious and engaging, enhancing the overall experience. While the singing and rhymes add a unique charm, opinions vary on the delivery, with some finding it grating or repetitive. Overall, the game is praised for its clever humor and entertaining musical elements, though some players feel the gameplay itself does not match the comedic quality of the lyrics.
- “The game offers a unique experience through the songs of our hero, injecting a delightful touch of humor and dynamism into the gameplay, guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.”
- “The songs are clever, fun to listen to, and hilarious!”
- “Playing this game, I almost always have a smile on my face from the humorous vocals that accompany you through your journey, which makes it feel like the game should have been worth more.”
- “No wait, a nail hammered into your ear would be more tolerable than this incessant, completely unfunny singing.”
- “So much so that in the fourth level, I asked myself, 'What am I even doing, listening to so much unfunny nonsense?'”
- “The lyrics, though, are so very unfunny it's painful.”
story
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
56%
9%
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it charming and whimsical, while others criticize it for being generic, nonsensical, and poorly executed. While certain elements, like the narrative song and character designs, are appreciated, many feel that the plot lacks depth and coherence, leaving significant gaps and an unsatisfying ending. Overall, the narrative seems to be a blend of enjoyable moments and frustrating inconsistencies, with some players expressing hope for future sequels to address these issues.
- “Not only is it mechanically very well developed, with good physics, amazing puzzles, and very good playability in general; but also the narrative song following the story of the hero is very well built.”
- “The story is amazing, the level of detail in the landscapes, and the music is just insane.”
- “It has a very cozy pixel art style, cool character designs, and an extremely crazy (and I really mean that) story.”
- “The story is absolutely nonsensical, and I played to see the ending which was not really an ending.”
- “The story could've been good but sadly it is rather random and unexplained.”
- “The only negative things I can think of are that this game is way too easy, the story makes no sense, and the lack of being able to listen to the original Portuguese vocals with English captions.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
46%
12%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and colorful pixel art, which blends classic retro aesthetics with modern design elements. Reviewers highlight the meticulous attention to detail, expressive character animations, and varied environments, contributing to an overall charming visual experience. However, a few critiques mention that some aspects may feel generic or reminiscent of older titles, but the majority find the graphics to be a standout feature.
- “The game's visual design not only pays homage to classic aesthetics but also demonstrates meticulous attention to detail.”
- “As depicted in the screenshots, Songs for a Hero features exceptionally colorful and bright pixel art that maintains its retro aesthetic but adds a modern twist.”
- “The artwork and animation are wonderful; the enemies are expressive and varied, and the bosses look great.”
- “In short: bad gameplay; generic pixel-art graphics; generic tune and unfunny lyrics.”
- “The visuals are okay, I guess, but it's a generic throwback pixel art.”
- “While it may not be my personal aesthetic, and I'm by no means an expert in the topic, the art is pretty consistent, with a huge number of enemy variations, tilesets, backgrounds, items, with almost everything having a cute animation and giving you nice visual feedback based on your actions.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
13%
38%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many users highlighting its creativity and value, especially with all DLCs included at a reasonable price. Players express confidence in returning to the game multiple times, indicating strong replay value.
- “It is overflowing with creativity and an absolute blast to play, with plenty of replayability, all DLCs included upon purchasing the game, and with a fair price of $22.95 AUD. I highly recommend it.”
- “With fantastic replayability value, it is a game that I can see myself reaching for time and time again.”
- “The game also has some surprisingly good replay value.”
- “Replayability, now that's a trickier thing to say.”
- “Replayability value: yes, extremely so.”
- “Immense replayability.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
60%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its well-crafted songs and witty lyrics, which enhance the overall experience and complement the game's relaxed yet engaging tone. Each level features unique musical arrangements that are tailored to fit the setting, contributing to a rich and immersive environment. Overall, the combination of humor and thoughtful design creates a memorable and impressive atmosphere.
- “The songs are well written and witty, and contribute greatly to the atmosphere.”
- “These are just a few examples of the narration throughout the game, and despite the humorous lyrics and the relaxed atmosphere, the game itself is not necessarily extremely simple.”
- “Each level has a song tailored just for it with lyrics to boot, and they fit the atmosphere perfectly for wherever it plays.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
- “Despite the game's attempts at creating a unique atmosphere, it often falls short, leaving players feeling disconnected.”
- “The overall ambiance is dull and fails to evoke any real emotion, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
Overall, users report a stable experience with the game, noting the absence of major glitches and a well-functioning system that is neither buggy nor excessively difficult.
- “The game's systems work well; it's not buggy, unforgivingly difficult, or broken.”
- “I appreciate the stability of the game; everything runs smoothly without any major issues.”
- “The game offers a stable experience, allowing me to focus on gameplay without worrying about crashes or glitches.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Players note that grinding in the game is essential, requiring significant time investment, but it remains engaging due to the variety of worlds and levels. The game successfully balances homage to its original concept while keeping the experience fresh and enjoyable, with each world culminating in a boss fight.
- “While still managing to homage the original concept, with the first levels being pretty close to the original depictions in the video series, the game keeps it fresh through the entirety of the game, in about half a dozen worlds with three lengthy, but not tedious, levels each - with a boss fight at the end of each world.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is enhanced by a cozy pixel art style and unique character designs, contributing to an engaging and wildly imaginative narrative.