The concept behind Heroland is an interesting one, as it tries to do something a little different with the RPG. It needs to be something special to stand out in a congested genre. It sort of does, but also doesn’t at the same time.
So Heroland is set in a theme park style resort on a tropical island. You take control of the main character and are given the job of being a guide and helping the paying heroes live out their fantasies.
You are accosted by Prince Elric and accompany him on his quest. All part of the job, but things take a turn and the story expands out, uncovering many mysteries about the island and resort of Heroland.
There are plenty of recognisable mechanics within Heroland, that anyone with even an ounce of RPG experience will recognise, which makes this an easy game to get into. But the way you play feels alien in this sort of game.
Heroland does its own thing and whilst you have the dungeon crawling you’d expect, if feels a lot more hands off than other titles. That is by no means a bad thing, it just depends on how much you want to do.
You are playing a supporting role as an employee at Heroland, so step in at points to help. It is like playing an idle game, but with a little more input needed from yourself.
As a concept it takes getting used to, but once you settle into the mechanics you just have fun with it. It becomes the sort of game you can play whilst watching the TV, or on a short bus ride. Maybe during a lunch break at work.
It shows that not every single game needs to be super in-depth with steep learning curves. There is a place for the simpler games that barely need you attention.
The visuals have a pseudo 3D but 2D pixel graphics effect. Almost like a cruder version of Octopath Traveller. It is very cutesy and it fits the setting and story well. The in-battle animations are really well done and have loads of nice touches that are worth taking in.
There is a decent enough humour to Heroland. It isn’t the funniest thing you play, but it does make you smile from time to time. There is very little cringe, which is a credit to the writing team.
All in all, Heroland doesn’t hit the heights it promises. Yet it doesn’t need to. The game is just a decent effort which you will play, enjoy and then move on from. There is plenty of room in the world for a game such as that.
