Vertical Drop Heroes HD

Genre: Action-Platformer / Roguelike

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen)

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Nerdook Bundle Vol. 1 along with Monster Slayers and Reverse Crawl. It is also included in the Couch Co-Op Bundle Vol. 2, along with Black Paradox, Bleed, and Shikhondo – Soul Eater.)

Vertical Drop Heroes is an Action-Platformer with strong Roguelike elements that has you playing as numerous heroes in a long succession seeking to delve down into a vertical chasm and do the hero thing. In terms of tone and structure, this game reminded me a lot of the game Rogue Legacy.

Unfortunately, this comparison to a game I really liked doesn’t do Vertical Drop Heroes any favors, because in just about every area, this game is the lesser of the two.

In the visuals department, this game has a cartoony look that’s fine, but forgettable. The same goes for the music. At the very least I can say Vertical Drop Heroes’ story is clever – this game’s take on the “chosen one” story spins it into a clever take that every idiot thinks he’s the chosen one and inevitably gets himself killed. That’s pretty good… but this game’s focus clearly isn’t on its story.

As for the gameplay, I found very little here that was compelling. The vertical structure of the levels is fairly unique for this genre but also limiting and repetitive, combat has you hacking away at enemies from too close a range with the distinct feeling that your hits are barely fazing your enemies until you whittle their health bar to zero… there’s nothing especially terrible about this game, but there’s very little here that’s truly good, either.

In the end, Vertical Drop Heroes is a decent but mediocre game that does little to stand out from the Action-Platformer/Roguelike genre beyond its vertical-scrolling levels (which are more a restrictive flaw than a feature), and its clever story (which isn’t the game’s focus). If you’re looking for a good game in this vein, you could do worse, but you could do a lot better too.

tl;dr – Vertical Drop Heroes HD is an Action-Platformer and Roguelike that has you delving into vertically-scrolling randomized levels. Unfortunately, the game does little to set itself apart within the genre, and has tedious combat and a forgettable presentation. It’s not bad, but it’s not very good either.

Grade: C

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