H.E.R.O. (A2600, 1984)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-6.5 Control-7 Challenge-8.5 Story-?
Level Design-7 Frustration-8 Fun-7 Originality-7.5
Overall Score-7
+
Flight (heli-pack)
Sub weapon (dynamite - destroys breakable walls and kills enemies+temporarily lights up dark rooms, can hit both an enemy and a wall with one stick)
Some interesting level gimmicks (lamps that black out the room they're in when touched (the game also remembers which rooms are dark if you come back to them), magma/flashing walls are lethal, magma blocks that turn into crushing traps in later levels, some moving "boat" platforms)
Can go backwards in levels
Auto-fire
Can move while shooting
Some alternate paths through levels (not to the extent that levels become maze-like or have alternate exits however)
Can walk over narrower gaps (1-1.5 tiles wide) if you press upwards while moving over them
Pretty fast movement
Levels tend to progress both vertically and horizontally later on
Decent animation
Pretty satisfying explosion sfx
Difficulty options (5 levels however only the fifth one changes progression (starts on lvl 17 then randomizes the order) - the previous just make you start further into the game)
+/-
Limited fuel/timer mechanic
Die in one hit (there are checkpoints where you entered each room (or after a hazard if it's one of the crushing traps which is pretty forgiving) until you run out of fuel/time in which case you restart at the beginning of the level however the levels are short)
No continues however extra lives are awarded for every 20,000 points scored
Rescue mission however the person you rescue is always placed at the end of the level and the level ends when you reach them
Flip screen/Multi-screen
Can't jump - only fly
Can't drop the dynamite in mid-air nor shoot downwards (some narrow paths are blocked by enemies - might as well not be there)
Can't farm enemies for more dynamite
Can destroy walls with your default laser however it takes about 10 seconds per wall (could've been tweaked a bit, should've also been explained when starting the game as there's no indication that you're damaging a wall when shooting at it)
Gameplay pauses slightly when killing an enemy
Can't crouch, strafe/aim lock or block
After 20 levels you reach "pro" level where the game randomly picks from the tougher levels (lvl 13-20) and loops until you get 1 million points - no ending
-
Some control/interface issues (some delay before you go upwards when pressing up on the d-pad and some delay before you start falling after letting go of up while flying - makes finer vertical movement harder, no real notification that you've game overed)
Trial & error (can't blow up seemingly breakable walls placed at the edge of a room - fixed in later versions with textured breakable walls, sometimes cheap enemy or hazard placement near the beginning of rooms and/or breakable wall placement to make you waste dynamite, dynamite blasts reach a bit further than it looks like - UNLESS you fall downwards as a dynamite blows up in which case the opposite is true)
Pretty repetitive after a while (basic combat, various repeated rooms, no hidden rooms where you can find dynamite or 1-ups)
No music - added in the SG-1000 ver.
No bosses
Notes:
-Played until lvl 22/pro 2
Level Design-7 Frustration-8 Fun-7 Originality-7.5
Overall Score-7
+
Flight (heli-pack)
Sub weapon (dynamite - destroys breakable walls and kills enemies+temporarily lights up dark rooms, can hit both an enemy and a wall with one stick)
Some interesting level gimmicks (lamps that black out the room they're in when touched (the game also remembers which rooms are dark if you come back to them), magma/flashing walls are lethal, magma blocks that turn into crushing traps in later levels, some moving "boat" platforms)
Can go backwards in levels
Auto-fire
Can move while shooting
Some alternate paths through levels (not to the extent that levels become maze-like or have alternate exits however)
Can walk over narrower gaps (1-1.5 tiles wide) if you press upwards while moving over them
Pretty fast movement
Levels tend to progress both vertically and horizontally later on
Decent animation
Pretty satisfying explosion sfx
Difficulty options (5 levels however only the fifth one changes progression (starts on lvl 17 then randomizes the order) - the previous just make you start further into the game)
+/-
Limited fuel/timer mechanic
Die in one hit (there are checkpoints where you entered each room (or after a hazard if it's one of the crushing traps which is pretty forgiving) until you run out of fuel/time in which case you restart at the beginning of the level however the levels are short)
No continues however extra lives are awarded for every 20,000 points scored
Rescue mission however the person you rescue is always placed at the end of the level and the level ends when you reach them
Flip screen/Multi-screen
Can't jump - only fly
Can't drop the dynamite in mid-air nor shoot downwards (some narrow paths are blocked by enemies - might as well not be there)
Can't farm enemies for more dynamite
Can destroy walls with your default laser however it takes about 10 seconds per wall (could've been tweaked a bit, should've also been explained when starting the game as there's no indication that you're damaging a wall when shooting at it)
Gameplay pauses slightly when killing an enemy
Can't crouch, strafe/aim lock or block
After 20 levels you reach "pro" level where the game randomly picks from the tougher levels (lvl 13-20) and loops until you get 1 million points - no ending
-
Some control/interface issues (some delay before you go upwards when pressing up on the d-pad and some delay before you start falling after letting go of up while flying - makes finer vertical movement harder, no real notification that you've game overed)
Trial & error (can't blow up seemingly breakable walls placed at the edge of a room - fixed in later versions with textured breakable walls, sometimes cheap enemy or hazard placement near the beginning of rooms and/or breakable wall placement to make you waste dynamite, dynamite blasts reach a bit further than it looks like - UNLESS you fall downwards as a dynamite blows up in which case the opposite is true)
Pretty repetitive after a while (basic combat, various repeated rooms, no hidden rooms where you can find dynamite or 1-ups)
No music - added in the SG-1000 ver.
No bosses
Notes:
-Played until lvl 22/pro 2
