Hero Core (PC, 2010)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-8 Challenge-6.5/8.5* Story-6
Level Design-8 Frustration-6/9* Fun-8 Originality-5
Overall Score-7.5
*hard mode
+
Interesting storytelling (hero is the narrator telling part of the story as he discovers what the tomes do)
Great bosses overall
Intense at times
Good art direction
Teleport between all visited save points (later on even unvisited ones via an item that reveals all of them (about 60% way through) = zero backtracking = awesome)
Bounty hunters
Good map system
Some interesting level design (moving tile mazes, water as weapon nullifier)
Autofire
+/-
Somewhat non-linear
Very frequent save points
Various rooms where you have to kill all enemies to proceed
Flip screen/multi-screen (non-scrolling)
-
A bit shallow (no hidden stuff or puzzles, only interactive terrain tiles are used as doors)
Shield is pretty useless
Few weapons
Kinda boring ability gating (just upgrades for destroying more kinds of tiles and one protection upgrade for passing through certain barriers; no movement abilities (dashing, blinking/same screen teleporting), no mini form or phasing through walls, etc.)
What's the point of having to kill all enemies in a room to unlock the door to a boss when the unlocking is auto-saved and you won't have to go through it again?
Some enemies like the eyespy become a bit redundant and hunter killer when you don't have to face them
A bit short
No speed upgrades (you are too slow to properly dodge some stuff in hard mode)
Hard mode is waaay tougher than normal
Level Design-8 Frustration-6/9* Fun-8 Originality-5
Overall Score-7.5
*hard mode
+
Interesting storytelling (hero is the narrator telling part of the story as he discovers what the tomes do)
Great bosses overall
Intense at times
Good art direction
Teleport between all visited save points (later on even unvisited ones via an item that reveals all of them (about 60% way through) = zero backtracking = awesome)
Bounty hunters
Good map system
Some interesting level design (moving tile mazes, water as weapon nullifier)
Autofire
+/-
Somewhat non-linear
Very frequent save points
Various rooms where you have to kill all enemies to proceed
Flip screen/multi-screen (non-scrolling)
-
A bit shallow (no hidden stuff or puzzles, only interactive terrain tiles are used as doors)
Shield is pretty useless
Few weapons
Kinda boring ability gating (just upgrades for destroying more kinds of tiles and one protection upgrade for passing through certain barriers; no movement abilities (dashing, blinking/same screen teleporting), no mini form or phasing through walls, etc.)
What's the point of having to kill all enemies in a room to unlock the door to a boss when the unlocking is auto-saved and you won't have to go through it again?
Some enemies like the eyespy become a bit redundant and hunter killer when you don't have to face them
A bit short
No speed upgrades (you are too slow to properly dodge some stuff in hard mode)
Hard mode is waaay tougher than normal