Has-Been Heroes

 Switch
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 133 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 133
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 133
  3. Negative: 23 out of 133
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  1. Degheww
    Nov 11, 2022
    6
    very difficult game and definitely not for everyone. don't expect quick win in here.
  2. Lefty9088
    Jul 3, 2021
    6
    Has-Been Heroes is not an objectively horrible game and if you really want it I would recommend you get it. However, I find only a small amount of enjoyment while playing this game. I do somewhat like the art style, but the gameplay seems somewhat boring to me.
  3. jbthegamer
    Sep 20, 2019
    7
    Has-Been Heroes is an action roguelike strategy game developed by Frozenbyte and published by GameTrust.

    Has-Been Heroes is like no other game I have played before. The best way to describe it is it reminds me of The Darkest Dungeon. The reason for this is the fact that if anyone of your party members die, you have to start all over again. And you will die a lot in this game. At first    Has-Been Heroes is an action roguelike strategy game developed by Frozenbyte and published by GameTrust.

    Has-Been Heroes is like no other game I have played before. The best way to describe it is it reminds me of The Darkest Dungeon. The reason for this is the fact that if anyone of your party members die, you have to start all over again. And you will die a lot in this game. At first this can be annoying, but once you get over it, the game becomes almost addicting. I found my self saying, just one more play through....five hours later I am still playing.

    The story of the game is rather simple. A rogue is on her way to the castle hoping to run into the heroes of legend. The warrior and wizard have been summoned to the castle for a task ordered by the King. Of course the rogue meets up with the has-been heroes and they agree to allow her to join them. The King then tasks the heroes with escorting his daughters to school, as the road there has been crawling with monsters. So the five of them set off on their journey to the school. Along the way an evil spirit sets loose many monsters to attack the Has-Been Heroes and thus the game begins.

    Each area is procedurally generated and the game starts off with only two areas to conquer. The goal of said area is to reach the boss and defeat him. Along the way you can run into merchants, camps, spell vendors, and treasure boxes. Each of these will have random items you can buy or find. Collecting said items can help you survive the many battles that you will have along your path to the boss. Once you reach and defeat the boss in an area, another area opens up and you guessed it another boss to kill. If you are successful in defeating both bosses the game ends and starts over from the beginning. This can also happen if any of the three party members die during your travels. Yup, you only get one life and once you die the game starts all over again losing all spells and items. A fresh start to say the least. This may sound annoying, but like I said before once you die the first time or beat the first two bosses you quickly understand what Has-Been Heroes is all about.

    Tactics and strategy is the heart of this game. Plan your moves wisely, and take full advantage of the pause button. See, during any battle with the many enemies you can encounter or bosses you can fight, the combat is simple. The rogue gets three hits, wizard two hits, and warrior one hit. Of course the warrior is the strongest of the three and hits pretty hard. But items can help raise the damage of the other two party members. The interesting thing about the combat is when one party member attacks the game pauses, letting you switch party members and move them around the three lanes. How this helps is knowing the enemies that are attacking you down those three lanes. It is very similar to Planets vs Zombies. Enemies attack down all three lanes, and you can move your party members depending on which ever enemy is closest. But the strategy is to match the party member with the enemy of similar stamina. Monster's can have a range of stamina from one point to five points. What you want to do is switch around your party members to knock out the stamina matching their attack number and then switching in another party member to deliver the final blow. If done correctly, you can combine some deadly combos this way. So it is always best to plan your moves and attacks. Of course the game doesn't make this easy. It throws in some randomness to make things harder and thus ends up with you dying a lot.

    Though dying is ok in this game, whether you die or defeat all the bosses your reward is unlocking more Heroes, Items, Monsters, and Areas. To unlock these you must collect souls, and souls are only collected by fighting the battles in an area. So if you mess up or the RNG is unfair, the souls you collected are totaled up and you see what you have unlocked. Starting over from the beginning is not so bad, because now you have more chances of getting better items in which you just unlocked during your next play through. It is hard to describe, but once you play this game it can become very hard to put down. You'll always end up saying to your self, just one more time and then before you know it five hours have past.

    At first glance it may seems there is not much to this game. Go through random areas, fight monsters, collect souls, die or defeat all the bosses and then rinse and repeat. But the more you unlock, the cooler the items become and monsters you fight. Adding to the challenge of the game.

    Conclusion:

    Overall the game is fun and can get pretty addicting at times. I found it hard to put down once I picked it up. But the RNG can be very unfair at times and can leave you demoralized. I really liked the combat style, it is unlike any I have seen before. If you are looking for a roguelike strategy tactics game, then pick up Has-Been Heroes.    … Expand
  4. shenksun
    Jul 9, 2018
    9
    Definitely a underrated game.
    This game is perfect for a handhold platform that you may pick up anytime to kill a bunch of skeletons and put down whenever you want.
    I don't understand why the critics gave this game so low scores. Maybe they just didn't have time to dig deep enough to reach the really fun core of this game. The learning curve of this game may be a bit steep, and it took    Definitely a underrated game.
    This game is perfect for a handhold platform that you may pick up anytime to kill a bunch of skeletons and put down whenever you want.
    I don't understand why the critics gave this game so low scores. Maybe they just didn't have time to dig deep enough to reach the really fun core of this game.
    The learning curve of this game may be a bit steep, and it took some time for me to get used to the some-what strange way of controlling. But once you've overcome that certain point, this game shows a broad beautiful picture, delicately designed battle system, randomly generated maps worth replaying again and again, tons of elements to unlock.
    Now I've already invested couples of hours in this game, and I've got still lots of things to explore. Just can't stop once starting playing. This is the perfect game while commuting.
    8 score for the base game, and +1 for its price and being underrated.    … Expand
  5. mefzeldernx
    Feb 10, 2018
    4
    Éste indie no es para todo el mundo, requiere de un arduo aprendizaje hasta dominar los controles, y poder desbloquear la larga cantidad de objetos que el juego esconde, por lo que si no te gusta mucho perder seguro lo hallaras frustrante y repetitivo.
    El juego es una especie de Plants vs. Zombies con menos carriles, mecánicas más complejas y menos tiempo de reacción. En general los    Éste indie no es para todo el mundo, requiere de un arduo aprendizaje hasta dominar los controles, y poder desbloquear la larga cantidad de objetos que el juego esconde, por lo que si no te gusta mucho perder seguro lo hallaras frustrante y repetitivo.
    El juego es una especie de Plants vs. Zombies con menos carriles, mecánicas más complejas y menos tiempo de reacción. En general los gráficos y la música están bien, pero el duro trabajo no se ve redimido al final de la experiencia.
    Si te gustan los desafíos pruébalo, suma tenerlo en Switch porque es el único medio de jugarlo en forma portable, pero no recomiendo la compra salvo que ya lo hayas tenido entre manos o esté con descuento.    … Expand
  6. Rodkaroma117
    Jan 18, 2018
    4
    A shallow purchase I made on the first months of the Switch's lifetime, where if you had already beaten BOTW there wasn't a lot to do. The game is not bad, mechanically, it's just not compelling enough to merit the grind. I would not recommend it.
  7. ConsumerBatman
    Nov 26, 2017
    7
    (I could've sworn I already wrote a review for this game)

    This game has SUCH potential. But it seems hidden behind a series of barriers, where the devs feel confident in projecting a message of "mad cuz bad". The difficulty curve is nice, but the game seems to not be protected against algorithms where you are literally thrown impossibly difficult scenarios. Even if you build up your    (I could've sworn I already wrote a review for this game)

    This game has SUCH potential. But it seems hidden behind a series of barriers, where the devs feel confident in projecting a message of "mad cuz bad".

    The difficulty curve is nice, but the game seems to not be protected against algorithms where you are literally thrown impossibly difficult scenarios. Even if you build up your heroes, you can be cut down by some absurdly OP, multi-hacking creep, reaping the benefits of a nearby speed aura.

    The devs feel this is appropriate? Fine. Make some way to continue the game. The absolute zero restart is a cheap and unconvincing way to punish the player, and to quote PlayerEssence, it just makes you feel like they don't respect your time.

    Other than that, the game is well-structured. The reward tree could throw you a bit more. I've still put an ungodly amount of time into this game.    … Expand
  8. sugas14
    Oct 16, 2017
    9
    Primero de todo, tengo que comentar lo increíble que me parecen los análisis de la prensa, es completamente inadmisible como han criticado a este juego tan magnífico, ya sea por desconocimiento del género o por que directamente son unos mancos lloricas sin sesera que solo les divierte apretar botones como un mono sin dificultad alguna.

    Después del rageo justificado comentare que el    Primero de todo, tengo que comentar lo increíble que me parecen los análisis de la prensa, es completamente inadmisible como han criticado a este juego tan magnífico, ya sea por desconocimiento del género o por que directamente son unos mancos lloricas sin sesera que solo les divierte apretar botones como un mono sin dificultad alguna.

    Después del rageo justificado comentare que el juego me parece genial, soy de echarle muchas horas a los rogue-like y este sin duda no defrauda, lo tiene todo, te hará pensar cada movimiento, cada compra que hagas, cada pelea, y tendrás que aprender a utilizar las cosas en su momento adecuado. Realmente tiene una dificultad elevada, por lo tanto, si no te gustan los retos este juego no es para ti, llorarás y no entenderás nada, vuelve al COD y olvida Has-Been Heroes, no es para ti, si por el contrario te gusta un juego que te haga pensar y ser activo mentalmente este cumple con creces y, si consigues cogerle el punto te tendrá atrapado durante horas, morirás y querrás seguir intentándolo. He leído en varios foros que el combate no es intuitivo... Nada mas empezar sale una imagen indicando como se debe pelear, es casi como sumar 1+1, así de sencillo, no le vi la dificultad en ningún momento, las dos primeras run las pude completar sin problemas (de ahí en adelante empezó a ponerse interesante y más difícil), otra queja común son los controles :/, son tan sencillos que me hace gracia cuando leo que son malos o cualquier idiotez por el estilo.

    Quiero animar a todos los que le guste el género a que le den una oportunidad, a mi me echaba muy para atrás las duras críticas de la prensa pero me pare a pensar que la mayoría de la humanidad tiene la cabeza hecha puré y decidí comprarlo (por el precio que tiene no hay ni que pensárselo!), la sorpresa fue más que satisfactoria, ya le he echado 40 horas y no cabe duda de que le echare muchas más.    … Expand
  9. funkypirate
    Sep 1, 2017
    9
    After hours of playing and enjoying my (failed) runs, I finally get a good combination of skills and items and the game starts clicking. A new boss I've never seen appears at the end, and now that I've gotten the hang of the game, I beat him fairly easily. I check the clock, and its 2am and I've been playing all night. This is the type of strategy rogue-like I love. Brutal at times, veryAfter hours of playing and enjoying my (failed) runs, I finally get a good combination of skills and items and the game starts clicking. A new boss I've never seen appears at the end, and now that I've gotten the hang of the game, I beat him fairly easily. I check the clock, and its 2am and I've been playing all night. This is the type of strategy rogue-like I love. Brutal at times, very strategic, lots of luck, but lots of fun! If you struggle at first, just remember to pause a lot, take down stamina bars exactly and then hit with your hardest hitter. rinse. repeat. use spells. Highly recommend this roguelike. I am at Hyrule Castle in BOTW but haven't picked it back up in days since I got this game, and that is saying something!

    UPDATE: I play this game so much still. Even when your run is bad, it's a satisfying game with the mechanics at play. I liken it a bit to the original plants vs. zombies -- in a way it's a tower defense game. Great game, under-rated!    … Expand
  10. thomasjohnwolfe
    Aug 10, 2017
    10
    This game is original, fun to play and totally worth $20.

    I have over 25 hours of gameplay in this game so far. Its been an addiction and I can't stop playing. This is the game I want to play all the time on my Switch. I was hesitant to get this because of the negative review, but I am SO HAPPY i disregarded them. The artwork is great, the strategy is solid. It takes all my brain    This game is original, fun to play and totally worth $20.

    I have over 25 hours of gameplay in this game so far. Its been an addiction and I can't stop playing. This is the game I want to play all the time on my Switch. I was hesitant to get this because of the negative review, but I am SO HAPPY i disregarded them.

    The artwork is great, the strategy is solid. It takes all my brain power to actually play this game, which is very welcoming for an experienced gamer like me. The controls still aren't 100% 2nd nature yet, but I have no real alternatives for suggestions, so I'm fine with it. Not sure how else you are going to control 3 lanes other than mapping them to 3 buttons.

    So the rest of this review is defensive. But it has to be given the lower score. It makes me sad because these low reviews are THE REASON games don't experiment too much these days and typically play things safe. For the sake of the industry I'm going to defend this game.

    I am floored at how many reviews I've read where they haven't even beat the game and criticize it. Learn how to play a game before you review it, seriously (yes, even IGN)! I think game review sites are starting to have more and more newbies writing reviews, or they are just getting too corporate and want to get the reviews out the door. ITS TRAGIC because this game is really great. I think there are a lot of people writing reviews on this that don't even like the genre or didn't actually take the time to fully learn the mechanics and strategy.

    For instance, I read one review, and they guy said you couldn't see the information on stuff before you picked it up, but could on the PC. NOT TRUE! You can't see info on items you get for the FIRST TIME because you don't know what it is, which is kind of cool. Then, FOREVER. You can see the info before you pick it up. GUYS, come on! Learn games before you review them.

    Maybe I just grew up in a time when games had no real tutorials, but I'm fine with this game not teaching me and letting me slowly figure things out. Its fun. This game is fun and its great quality. I think maybe its too smart for most people, or people are just impatient and have too many games to play now a days to relax and learn?

    People say this is a "Plants vs Zombies" clone. Give me a break! Its not even the same thing by FAR. PVZ is tower defense. This is NOT tower defense. Where are my towers? I have CHARACTERS that move back and forth. Do they think its like PVZ because it has lanes? So do many other games (with that definition, is this a Subway Surfers clone too?). Is this like PVZ because it has undead? So do many other games. Maybe Has Been Heroes has some influence from PVZ on their art? Who knows, but I'm fine with that. I love PVZ art, its great and fun just like this game.
    Seriously, most of these reviewers are immature and too quick to judge. This game really isn't like PVZ at all and I can't believe how many times I've read that.

    People get upset that they die? Boohoo. You unlock stuff when you die and start over. Its all on your head, dummies. You aren't really dead, you keep the same characters and go on another adventure with new stuff. Its fun! And each time you beat the game you unlock more heroes! I'm sorry you can't get over your ego enough to think you should be alive at all times in all games, or somehow its not fun for you because you don't win 100% of the time.

    Buy this game if you like a strategic challenge, fantasy setting and are mature enough of a gamer that many games now a days feel too easy. This game is really rewarding if you take the time to learn it. Its not impossibly hard, you just have to think. Every time I lose, I get what I could have done better (though occasionally I get a really really bad role, but thats interesting too) .

    This game is polished, original, done really well and totally worth $20. I mostly love it because its not like anything i've played and thats the reason we play games, is for new experiences.    … Expand
  11. The_EpicGamerYT
    Aug 8, 2017
    5
    The concept of this game is all well and good, but the execution is baffling. The difficulty spike is way too hard for any reasonable person to grasp. Anyone playing this needs to spend good, long hours trying to master the controls of this game to barely get past the first level of the game. If you say that games on the Nintendo Switch are too easy, pick this game up. If not, try lookingThe concept of this game is all well and good, but the execution is baffling. The difficulty spike is way too hard for any reasonable person to grasp. Anyone playing this needs to spend good, long hours trying to master the controls of this game to barely get past the first level of the game. If you say that games on the Nintendo Switch are too easy, pick this game up. If not, try looking for a more forgiving roguelike game like Tumbleseed.… Expand
  12. Boxo
    Jul 17, 2017
    7
    I got this game pre-packaged on my switch.

    For a rogue-lite, its not bad. Plenty of items and spells to unlock, a bunch of hidden characters to get, and some decent variety in enemies. The game isn't that difficult to control or figure out. The learning curve definitely isn't impossible, as tricky as it may seem at first. Once it clicks in your mind you'll be beating level after level    I got this game pre-packaged on my switch.

    For a rogue-lite, its not bad. Plenty of items and spells to unlock, a bunch of hidden characters to get, and some decent variety in enemies. The game isn't that difficult to control or figure out. The learning curve definitely isn't impossible, as tricky as it may seem at first. Once it clicks in your mind you'll be beating level after level in no time.

    The problems come at a technical level. Throughout my 5-10 hours of play, I have encountered many glitches in the switch version. The biggest one being the camera zooming in so far that I can no longer see any of the action happening. There's no way to fix this, and it ultimately leads to a run ending unceremoniously, which can be especially frustrating the later on in the run I get, and on particularly good runs as well. There seriously needs to be an update patch that keeps that from happening!

    Overall, its not the best game I've ever played, nor the best strategy rogue-lite/like I've ever played, but it gets the job done and is thoroughly entertaining.    … Expand
  13. inimical
    Jul 13, 2017
    6
    Although I do see the fun in this game, there are major things holding it back. First off, there are bugs on the Switch. I've had the screen locked in a zoom-in mode several times already making it very hard to play, and the game has even crashed twice now. Second, there are random jumps in difficulty in some stages where it goes from rather easy and manageable to impossible. Third,Although I do see the fun in this game, there are major things holding it back. First off, there are bugs on the Switch. I've had the screen locked in a zoom-in mode several times already making it very hard to play, and the game has even crashed twice now. Second, there are random jumps in difficulty in some stages where it goes from rather easy and manageable to impossible. Third, restarting is soooo monotonous at times. Truly burdensome to get near the end, lose to a boss, and have to start the same easy grind again until you're further in, hoping you get as lucky on good items and spells as last time. It's a $5 game at most, and they need to fix the bugs still.… Expand
  14. Stlouzilla
    Jun 21, 2017
    5
    The innovative controls, addictive gameplay loop, and interesting presentation of Has Been Heroes are all wasted because the game is impossible and most players won't ever get pass the second level. The difficulty can't even be attributed to the "git gud" culture and instead just feels broken and unbalanced. It's a shame because Has Been Heroes had the ingredients to be something special:The innovative controls, addictive gameplay loop, and interesting presentation of Has Been Heroes are all wasted because the game is impossible and most players won't ever get pass the second level. The difficulty can't even be attributed to the "git gud" culture and instead just feels broken and unbalanced. It's a shame because Has Been Heroes had the ingredients to be something special: hopefully they can polish the formula in a patch or sequel.… Expand
  15. tobastion
    Jun 11, 2017
    0
    Plants VS Zombies clone done so wrong. An absolutely unfathomable control scheme makes the already difficult game a nightmare to play. I wasn't able to win a single battle after the tutorial due to how much this game throws at you without really teaching you in the first place. I bought this game about an hour after receiving my Switch and it got played and deleted faster than it took toPlants VS Zombies clone done so wrong. An absolutely unfathomable control scheme makes the already difficult game a nightmare to play. I wasn't able to win a single battle after the tutorial due to how much this game throws at you without really teaching you in the first place. I bought this game about an hour after receiving my Switch and it got played and deleted faster than it took to download. Next time I'll just flush a $20 bill down the toilet.… Expand
  16. NickCrit
    Jun 6, 2017
    1
    This game is aweful. It is turn based and has outdated gameplay style. I think there are people who would like this style of game but it definitely isn't for me.

    I definitely enjoyed Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild quality type game and this isn't it - of course the price of this game is lower as well. I was forced to buy this game through a Gamestop bundle.
  17. StevenGreen
    Jun 6, 2017
    7
    Has-Been Heroes is a super solid rogue-like that deserves a look from anyone who is into the genre, or is looking for something that is addictive and will soak up a lot of your time on your newly purchased Switch. The game does have it's short-comings as it has quite a steep learning curve and no real good way to learn the mechanics beyond trial and error. Also, the slow, plodding natureHas-Been Heroes is a super solid rogue-like that deserves a look from anyone who is into the genre, or is looking for something that is addictive and will soak up a lot of your time on your newly purchased Switch. The game does have it's short-comings as it has quite a steep learning curve and no real good way to learn the mechanics beyond trial and error. Also, the slow, plodding nature of progress is barely noticed, making for a frustrating game at times. However, the game displays fun gameplay, and some cool ideas, that are worth a shot. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys games like The Binding of Isaac or Rogue Legacy, but remember this game really doesn't hit that level of precision, or greatness.… Expand
  18. Citsade
    May 29, 2017
    10
    Critic reviews completely off base. Game was hard at first but with some time you figure out the mechanics and nuances and it becomes incredibly enjoyable and addictive. Have spent 50 hours with the game and still discovering tricks especially as you unlock items/spells. There is a component of RNG but that makes each run different based on what items/spells you pick up, and has not heldCritic reviews completely off base. Game was hard at first but with some time you figure out the mechanics and nuances and it becomes incredibly enjoyable and addictive. Have spent 50 hours with the game and still discovering tricks especially as you unlock items/spells. There is a component of RNG but that makes each run different based on what items/spells you pick up, and has not held me back from now clearing up to the 8th (final) map before unlocking the second set of heroes.

    Belongs in a Switch game library. Easy to pick up/play and saves progress immediately if you go play something else.

    Critics need to re-visit this game and give developers their due.    … Expand
  19. CorazonAzul
    May 25, 2017
    5
    We can't pretend that it's okay for a "learning curve" game to also be a mess. Straight away I deducted a point for the abilities that look like they were ripped from an MMO talent tree. What's all extra math doing here? Is this a paced strategy game or not? I deducted a point for the excessive floating numbers spam you would see in the average "phone rpg". Unless you still get a windsockWe can't pretend that it's okay for a "learning curve" game to also be a mess. Straight away I deducted a point for the abilities that look like they were ripped from an MMO talent tree. What's all extra math doing here? Is this a paced strategy game or not? I deducted a point for the excessive floating numbers spam you would see in the average "phone rpg". Unless you still get a windsock out of it, clear the screen and consolidate the relevant information. Much fat to trim already, but let's move on. I deducted a point for the constantly alternating between high action, and a complete pause. If, as a developer, you have to break pace to accomplish what you want to do, toss it and work something else out. Screwing with pace sucks in any game. I deducted a half point for the way that map navigation was presented. Having the heroes always sprint right- even if the map says you are heading north or otherwise- and even if the heroes are going to end up facing right anyway- was the cheapest way possible to indicate that you are moving and exploring. If that's the case, I'd have rather a few less cutscenes to develop a stronger sense of exploration. I deducted another half point for the font chosen for the dialog/etc- fat, wide and quite annoying to read. Rather careless decision here considering you have to see it all the time. Okay so this is where I'd deduct a point for the game's poor explanation of what's going on- however, it's my belief that by simply fixing all of the above, you'd be a lot closer to a game that's easy to pick up and hard to master: the holy grail of strategy/puzzle games, right? So we're at 6/10

    Praises: The core ideas are good- lane-changing/combos/stamina- fresh and interesting stuff- the real payoff for indie. The art, humor and sound effects suit the game well. I don't think music is an important thing for this type of game, long as it's not annoying and we're good there. I wouldn't ask more of an indie/budget game so let's wrap it up:

    Great ideas that the player should be enjoying right away, instead have the player clawing through shoddy pacing/execution and extra information just to get started. I can't give this game more than a 6/10 as is, and you gotta figure $20 is worth having to not see these common "indie" mistakes again (not discriminating- high production games carry their own infectious diseases). So we'll close at 5/10, because there are far worse and far better games out there    … Expand
  20. Traeki
    May 23, 2017
    10
    This is one of the best games I've ever played, and it's at a 52 on Metacritic.

    Tragic. Partly this is because the reviews were done before a Day One Patch dropped the difficulty, and partly it's because the reviewers were embarrassingly incompetent. This is a game that rewards investment and pays deep dividends for climbing the learning curve. Yeah, the game is hard. It's also    This is one of the best games I've ever played, and it's at a 52 on Metacritic.

    Tragic.

    Partly this is because the reviews were done before a Day One Patch dropped the difficulty, and partly it's because the reviewers were embarrassingly incompetent.

    This is a game that rewards investment and pays deep dividends for climbing the learning curve. Yeah, the game is hard. It's also EXTREMELY rich and worthwhile.

    IGN, for example, wrote a review without completing a single run. That would be equivalent to reviewing Dark Souls 3 without finishing the tutorial boss. They effectively didn't play the game they were reviewing.

    If you've read this far in my review, spend the $20 and get this amazing game. Persevere. It's *worth it*.

    Pro tip (you'll thank me later): Candles are spent on *edges*, not *nodes*.

    You're welcome.    … Expand
  21. saxo27
    May 21, 2017
    10
    I have put about 30 hours into HBH and have unlocked the first 9 characters. The official reviewers of this game did a horrible job of reviewing it. HBH is fun, fast, addictive and requires a bit of thinking, planning and understanding of the game's mechanics. The game is not hard, necessariy. Once you unlock more spells and items you are open to more strategies in how to attack, andI have put about 30 hours into HBH and have unlocked the first 9 characters. The official reviewers of this game did a horrible job of reviewing it. HBH is fun, fast, addictive and requires a bit of thinking, planning and understanding of the game's mechanics. The game is not hard, necessariy. Once you unlock more spells and items you are open to more strategies in how to attack, and defend against, enemies. In the beginning I was swarmed with enemies and died. Now, I rarely die unless it is a tough boss battle--this is due to learning the game mechanics and unlocking new spells and items (which you get as you play, buy them, die and unlock more). I highly recommend this game. It is such a great buy--one that I almost didn't purchase due to the harsh critic reviews. Some complain about the weak tutorial. Well, do what I did-google search HBH play tips before buying. Again, fantastic and fun game that is worth your time and money. Enjoy!… Expand
  22. Fatboy43C
    Apr 27, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Don't be discouraged by some reviews. After few days of playing (beaten the game twice) and lost to the last boss (>1 hour) only because I ignored the self damage inflicted by my own fire spell (I was crushing the boss with spells). Stupid mistakes, man that was Intense, should I start again? I decided to make an account to comment.

    I read IGN, Metacritic reviews before I decided to trust fellow gamers and give it a go. Careful planning leading to perfect combo. Rushing enemies constantly trying to scratch your heroes. Dilemma of Ice then break ice, lose all your armor breaking effort or fire stun but burn you hero to knock it back. Each attack follows with split second decision making.

    Monitoring three lanes. Enemies running fast or slow, in front or behind. Enemies with ridiculous armor. Enemies channeling. Each item, each spell need to be carefully collected by suitable hero. There are always new spells and items makes it exciting to find out if you made the right choice purely based on their icons.

    Oh, did I mention no save. Like others said, I clicked after my second run. if planing is not your thing, it might take you longer to enjoy this game. I usually hate games with too many items or spells. In this game, they are interesting because they are gonna help you at the end of your hour long journey, so you would read them really carefully.

    I love this game, I can already imagine myself hating my mistakes in late game and I only done beaten it twice (7 times you get a proper ending I heard, but each time you beat the game, next time you have one more world/boss added to the journey to beat).

    I give it 9 because I know I will hate myself with my mistakes in late game. And there is no save. You need patience to like this game, you need even more skills to beat the game. It's satisfying to beat the game, more rewarding late game because you know you are a bad ass combo/spell/item master! =)    … Expand
  23. meme1337
    Apr 18, 2017
    7
    Much better than the "critic" reviews showed it to be: I had fun while playing and I'm not a fan of rogue-like games. Still it's my go-to game for quick and short trips **** you Snake Pass, what a waste of money!).

    Give HBH a chance!
  24. TheGerudoKing
    Apr 14, 2017
    9
    Is the game hard? Yes.
    Is the game's RNG sometime's unfair? Like any good rogue-like, yes.
    Is the game good? No, it's GREAT. I cannot believe critics who played for so little time gave such low scores. Although the game does not offer much in terms of early tutorial or hand holding, it has a very rewarding system. The more you play, the more diverse gameplay becomes as you unlock    Is the game hard? Yes.
    Is the game's RNG sometime's unfair? Like any good rogue-like, yes.
    Is the game good? No, it's GREAT.

    I cannot believe critics who played for so little time gave such low scores. Although the game does not offer much in terms of early tutorial or hand holding, it has a very rewarding system. The more you play, the more diverse gameplay becomes as you unlock hundreds of different spells, items, enemies and a dozen characters with unique passive abilities.

    I consider it a mix of rhythm game + timed turn based combat in a rogue-like frame. Do not listen to "professional" reviews. The game is fairly priced, has extensive content to unlock and is a great port on the Switch. The simple visuals are still great and the load times are incredibly fast, making it easy to pick up and play "just one last round", even more so on the go.

    GREATLY recommended.    … Expand
  25. GordonLol
    Apr 13, 2017
    9
    Addictive, neat mechanics and pleasant art style. The 'downside' reviewers point out is mainly the difficulty. If you don't enjoy a steep learning curve just move on.
  26. abowman
    Apr 13, 2017
    9
    For the price, this game is pretty amazing. It has a pretty steep learning curve, and could use a better tutorial. Once you figure out whats going on and get into a rhythm, the game really starts to shine. It seems like they've put in more tutorial elements into the game since it started. Very solid game for 20 bucks.
  27. Auenegheps
    Apr 12, 2017
    8
    l'ho appena preso per nintendo switch e c'ho giocato per due ore di seguito. davvero bello. meccanica divertente. per chi lo valuta male perchè troppo difficile: avete provato ad usare le pozioni? magari al tempo giusto? senza pozioni è ovvio che il gioco diventi impossibile ma, se si hanno delle pozioni fin dall'inizio, serviranno pur a qualcosa ;)
  28. slammers
    Apr 12, 2017
    9
    A lot of the critic reviews of this title really annoy me, it's like they don't understand what makes a good roguelike...
    Yes this game is hard, yes it requires random luck, but that's the point.
    Everytime you fail you still unlock more and more items. There is always a sense of progression. More so than binding of Isaac for example. The controls and graphics are very sharp. My main    A lot of the critic reviews of this title really annoy me, it's like they don't understand what makes a good roguelike...
    Yes this game is hard, yes it requires random luck, but that's the point.
    Everytime you fail you still unlock more and more items. There is always a sense of progression. More so than binding of Isaac for example. The controls and graphics are very sharp.
    My main complaint would be the enemies mostly being skeletons is boring.
    For the price this game is very addictive, well worth a purchase, it's impressive they married the roguelike system up with a final fantasy style combat so well. 9/10    … Expand
  29. TheSeahorse
    Apr 11, 2017
    7
    I read the reviews before trying this game and even though the critics gave it a 5/10 I trusted the public and bought it anyway. Definitely a good decision.

    Do not buy Has-Been Heroes if you're looking for a good story, stunning graphics or amazing music. However, if you're looking for a fun, rouge-like and very strategic game you're in the right place. The critics complain that the    I read the reviews before trying this game and even though the critics gave it a 5/10 I trusted the public and bought it anyway. Definitely a good decision.

    Do not buy Has-Been Heroes if you're looking for a good story, stunning graphics or amazing music. However, if you're looking for a fun, rouge-like and very strategic game you're in the right place.

    The critics complain that the game is too random and while the random part is true I have to disagree with them about it ruining the game. I've played through the game 6 times and completed it 3 out of those times. My first two deaths were me being a beginner and not understanding the game and the last death was by my mistake at the last boss fight. I definitely could 've won that run if I had played better.

    What I'm trying to say is that even though you may not be able to win every run even while playing perfectly you can definitely win most runs if you get good at the game. And isn't dying a part of rouge like games anyway?

    Has-Been Heroes has so far been fun for me but I feel like it might get a bit grindy after maybe 15-20 hours of play. Other than that it's a good well made game with a unique combat system that is very strategic. You will be spending most of your time in combat so I would recommend looking at some game play to see if you like it or not.

    To the critics complaining about the difficulty I only have one thing to say.

    GIT GUD    … Expand
  30. Jumballi
    Apr 10, 2017
    1
    A poor tutorial with even more poor design with the controls leads this to be my biggest disappointment of the year. The lack of communication in how the controls work led me to spending an hour on the tutorial and then an extra 3 hours on the first level. For a roguelike, this is probably the worst one I've ever played.
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Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
40
#40 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 20
  3. Negative: 7 out of 20
  1. XGN
    Aug 13, 2017
    70
    Has Been Heroes is a tough game and not for everyone. The longer you play, the more items and stuff you will get. But you will suffer. Just hang in there and keep playing.
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  2. App Trigger
    Apr 21, 2017
    45
    Has-Been Heroes is a brilliant idea that overreached itself in difficulty. A mix of incredibly complex strategy, RNG, weak tutorials, poor UI explanations, and a limp story drag a strong concept into the mud. If you’re patient, skilled, and attentive, you might be able to master the core concepts of Has-Been Heroes and relish the goodness hidden beneath the bad design choices. But had I not been reviewing the game, I would have been done after just a few hours. I just don’t like skeletons that much.
    Read full review
  3. New Game Network
    Apr 18, 2017
    65
    Has-Been Heroes is a solid tower defense experience that borrows attributes from Plants vs Zombies, while putting its own twist on the formula. Plenty of repetition and frustration - exacerbated by too many randomized elements - but the addictive and enduring gameplay shines through on occasion.
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