We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
3DS

North America

Heroes of Ruin

by Patrick Barnett - July 17, 2012, 2:31 pm EDT
Total comments: 8

8

It has a few problems, but this game definitely exceeded my expectations.

I was a little downtrodden after being somewhat disappointed by the E3 demo of Heroes of Ruin. Having now played through the game and made use of its multiplayer functionality, I’m certainly surprised by my change in opinion. Developer n-Space crafted a game with plenty of loot collecting, vast character customization, a decent storyline, and functional online capabilities, and though it has tiny problems, as a package, Heroes of Ruin is tons of fun.

The game features four distinct classes, including a pistol-wielding Gunslinger and a brutal Savage. As you level up during play, you can specialize your character of choice even further, devoting points to certain skills and abilities. Doing so allows for tremendous amounts of customization. During gameplay you are only permitted three equipped spells, so spending points on what works best for you is key. I used skills that allowed me to regenerate some health while boosting my critical attack chances, though this is just one of the many possibilities I could have chosen.

The skills and abilities your characters use are not the only thing you must watch. You must equip or sell the tremendous amount of loot you can collect throughout the game to keep your inventory clean. Inventory space seemed limited, and I found myself changing out armor even when it felt unnecessary. As with all item management systems, you have to make decisions about what to keep and what will benefit you—most items give large boosts to one stat while drastically reducing another.

Heroes of Ruin’s gameplay is quite simple. You’ll see a bit of storytelling, collect quests, and embark on dungeon trips to complete them. Everything is straightforward once you enter the dungeons. Some branching paths result in quick dead ends, so navigation is not necessarily challenging. The enemies scattered throughout levels present more of a challenge. At some points, enemies seem to attack endlessly, while at others, no adversaries appear to be in your way.

 

While on the subject of enemies, I feel I must mention the boss fights included at the end of each dungeon. While some are simple, most are challenging and well thought out. In a game where fighting is mostly about mashing buttons, those requiring thought and strategy are welcome. I looked forward to each and every boss fight because most of the time they were radically different from one another.

Before completing the game’s story, I was able to play some of the online multiplayer. It works, and is genuinely fun when paired with somebody you know. The other player(s) can journey with you to dungeons and help you on quests. When strangers joined my game, I noticed there was no real reason for such high-level players to play with low-level players, other than to complete some quests for their own gain. This also led me to note the simplicity of fighting enemies. While in a dungeon fighting enemies around level 17, a level 11 character had no real issues. With the added player, nothing seemed to change. I wish the difficulty would at least increase to make up for the extra player present. During my online time with the game, voice chatting with strangers or friends was a welcome addition. The system worked well, and was the quality was clear compared to my past experiences with Nintendo voice chat.

 

Heroes of Ruin is no graphical marvel, but its visuals deserve some praise. The world in which you play is large, and each area is designed well. The 3D is sometimes too much of a strain for me over long periods, but it is also something I enjoyed during play. The one element of the game’s presentation that does stand out is its sound design. Each song is beautiful and a genuine pleasure to listen to; I often sat and listened to the song playing on the home menu because I enjoyed it so much.

Heroes of Ruin is a fantastic game hindered by a few issues. However, with those cast aside, monster-bashing fun is in store for all who play. A cooperative online game on a Nintendo system is not something you would normally see, especially on a handheld, but n-Space delivered such an experience well. I can’t wait to go back and try out another class to venture further into the game’s world by myself or with friends.

Summary

Pros
  • Boss fights are a blast
  • Great visuals and sound
  • Online play with voice chat
  • Tons of character customization
Cons
  • Dungeon design is not complex
  • Not that difficult
  • Small inventory leads to constant item management

Talkback

KwolfJuly 17, 2012

My copy of this game should come in probably next week.  Really looking forward to it.  Glad to see some nice praise for it too.  Should really suit me, as I enjoy a good dungeon crawl looking for loot.

pandaradoxJuly 20, 2012

I feel like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time beat this game the punch.  Granted the voice IP is awesome, there wasn't much  in FFCC: EoT that you couldn't communicate with the quick text feature.  I think when I see this on the bargain shelf I'll pick it up, but I'm concerned about the shelf life of this game.  Do you think that people will stay loyal long enough?

Flames_of_chaosLukasz Balicki, Staff AlumnusJuly 22, 2012

While yes you can only have three skills, you can quickly change your mapped skills by tapping on the skill icon on the touch screen.


While the game is fun, I had one big issue  with the game, which is when you hit the gold cap (which is easy to achieve), its impossible to sell items to lighten your load, only to drop items. My other issue is that the game ends too quickly, so for a dungeon crawler its rather short.

I have to say, I'm two missions into Act II and I feel... addicted... >_<

Now if I can only figure out how to get the 3DS<->Website Linking to work.

Flames_of_chaosLukasz Balicki, Staff AlumnusJuly 22, 2012

It's actually easy to do, register with Square Enix if you don't have a Square Enix account, have the site do the QR code and scan the QR on your 3DS.

PhilPhillip Stortzum, July 23, 2012

I don't know if anyone is interested, but I conducted an interview with the team behind the game:

http://www.superphillipcentral.com/2012/07/superphillip-interviews-team-at-n-space.html

Quote from: Flames_of_chaos

It's actually easy to do, register with Square Enix if you don't have a Square Enix account, have the site do the QR code and scan the QR on your 3DS.

Yeah, I can "log in" to the Heroes of Ruin websitewebsite, but it NEVER gives me the QR code to link with, nor a numeric code.

Edit: I just jumped out of an online game and it was a very smooth experience. I'm sort of impressed.

TheFleeceJuly 29, 2012

I just got it a few days ago and it's awesome.

Quote from: Kairon

Yeah, I can "log in" to the Heroes of Ruin websitewebsite, but it NEVER gives me the QR code to link with, nor a numeric code.

Edit: I just jumped out of an online game and it was a very smooth experience. I'm sort of impressed.

I was able to link to the website, but I haven't been able to check out any Challenges. It seems like there are a lot of site issues going on right now, hopefully they fix it soon.
I haven't had a chance, but I can't wait to play online.

Share + Bookmark





Heroes of Ruin Box Art

Genre Action
Developer n-Space Inc.
Players1 - 4

Worldwide Releases

na: Heroes of Ruin
Release Jul 17, 2012
PublisherSquare Enix
eu: Heroes of Ruin
Release Jul 15, 2012
PublisherSquare Enix

Related Content

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement