Summer Daze at Hero-U
- March 28, 2023
- Transolar Games
Get on SteamIn "Summer Daze at Hero-U: Tilly's Tale," embark on a semester at Hero University where you play as Tilly Appleberry, a rogue student, and encounter a diverse cast of quirky characters. Shape Tilly's journey through your decisions, leading to multiple endings and hundreds of paths. This story-driven visual novel and adventure game offers humor, heart, and the chance to make friends and influence the outcome of a fantasy festival.
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Reviews
- The voice acting and dialogue are top-notch, adding charm and humor to the game.
- The artwork is beautiful and captures the whimsical essence of the setting.
- The game offers a fun and dynamic story with engaging characters, appealing to fans of the Cole's previous works.
- The game is extremely short, with playtime averaging around one to two hours, leaving players wanting more content.
- Gameplay is limited and repetitive, with few meaningful choices that impact the story or outcomes.
- There are technical issues, including crashes and volume inconsistencies, which detract from the overall experience.
- story17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The story of "Summer Daze" is set in the beloved worlds of "Quest for Glory" and "Hero-U," featuring a short narrative centered around Lilly, the adopted daughter of a healer. While some players appreciate the fun and dynamic elements, including multiple endings and engaging dialogue choices, others find the plot repetitive and lacking depth, leading to mixed feelings about replayability. Overall, fans of the original series may enjoy the nostalgic references, but the story's brevity and pacing issues detract from the experience for some players.
“I also really loved Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption when that was released years ago and noted that I got that same feeling playing it as an adult as I got playing the original Quest for Glory series as a kid.”
“Tilly's conversation choices advance the story, while a time mechanic encourages replay for different outcomes.”
“If you're a big Quest for Glory fan, I'm sure you'll appreciate the story and the humor.”
“In the first half especially, the plot got old quickly.”
“I finished the game in 79 minutes, acing the final test and putting on a top-notch festival, neither of which involved skill on my part or much plot or content on the game's part.”
“The bong of the end of the day seems to occur so quickly with the teacher popping up, cutting off any conversation and ruining the pace and story.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics are widely praised for their charming and beautiful artwork, complemented by excellent voice acting and humorous puns. However, some users feel that there is a lack of visual representation for certain activities described by the main character, suggesting a need for more dynamic artwork. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal.
“Graphics are cute, the trademark puns are back in full force and pretty pun-ny, and the voice acting is great.”
“The artwork is beautiful!”
“Wonderful artwork!”
“Needs more artwork to show activities that the main character describes herself participating in but you don't actually see happening on the screen.”
“Not so much in gameplay, graphics and length.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily choice-based, but players find the options to be limited and lacking significant impact on the story's outcomes, leading to a repetitive experience. While the time mechanic encourages replayability for different endings, the overall gameplay loop is criticized for being monotonous and frustrating due to abrupt interruptions.
“Tilly's conversation choices advance the story, while a time mechanic encourages replay for different outcomes.”
“I don't expect every decision a player makes in a choice-based visual novel to be a fully informed one (in fact, some of the things I most like about the genre are inferring the characters' personalities based on their responses and being surprised by the consequences of past choices way down the line), but there's a difference between making decisions based on limited information and trial-and-error gameplay.”
“The gameplay completely revolves around making choices, but the choices are extremely limited and seem to have little impact on outcomes.”
“I would have liked to have seen more content or at least more gameplay or less repetitive gameplay than was featured here.”
“There's a difference between making decisions based on limited information and trial-and-error gameplay.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by witty and charming elements typical of the Cole's style, appealing particularly to fans of the "Quest for Glory" series. While some players find the puns lacking in depth, others appreciate the lighthearted gnome humor and quirky character interactions, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“However, if my meager contribution helps fund the next big Cole project, then I'm happy to pay it and enjoy some gnome humor while waiting for Hero-U 2: 'Enry the 'Ermit Emerges.”
“Witty humor that you can expect from the Coles.”
“This is funny and charming, just like everything the Coles make.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, contributing positively to the atmosphere, though some users noted that the balance between music and voice acting could be improved, as the voice volume often feels lower than the music and background sounds.
“The voice acting is great, and the art and music are good.”
“Music was pretty good and gave a nice atmosphere.”
“The music and dialogue volumes need to be balanced better.”
“The voice seemed to be lower than the music and background noises.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through different story threads and a fast forward feature, which enhances the experience for those interested in revisiting it. However, some players feel that while the initial playthrough is enjoyable, it lacks enough incentive to encourage multiple replays.
“I really like that they have a fast forward feature, which is especially handy for replayability.”
“I understand that there is supposed to be a replayability factor here, but I don't find myself desiring to play through the story again even though it was kind of fun.”
“It does have replay value for different threads; however, at this stage, I’m not sure if I care enough to go back.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is well-received, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere and enhancing the player's experience.
“The music was fantastic and created a captivating atmosphere.”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world.”
“The ambient sounds and visuals combined to create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere.”
