Little Town Hero

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 184 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 184
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 184
  3. Negative: 100 out of 184

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Ldlove88
    Oct 16, 2019
    10
    This game is great, salty Pokémon fans can eat it. Stop review bombing because your salty. This game is fun.
  2. GenkiYokota
    Jan 27, 2022
    10
    One of the best spin-offs that Game Freak has released to date, a nice RPG system, deep, but without being very complex
    Ideal for childrens.
  3. V-Max
    Oct 16, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It was fun but not perfect. The gameplay was funny but frustraring some times. It good to see Game Freak making a non Pokémon J-RPG… Expand
  4. LegendaryLass
    Oct 16, 2019
    8
    It's a little slow going, but what it lacks in tension it picks way up in charm. Little Town Hero is one everyone should give a shot.
  5. BrookDortz
    Oct 16, 2019
    10
    Oh god, i adore this game. Yeah, the story may be pretty generic especially for the JRPG genre, but the funny characters, thoughtful Battle system(pun intended), and clever dialogue more than make up for its lackluster story. Now I’ll admit, the game is not for everyone. The main area is pretty small, and the game is really only filled with boss battles. Really the only thing to do inOh god, i adore this game. Yeah, the story may be pretty generic especially for the JRPG genre, but the funny characters, thoughtful Battle system(pun intended), and clever dialogue more than make up for its lackluster story. Now I’ll admit, the game is not for everyone. The main area is pretty small, and the game is really only filled with boss battles. Really the only thing to do in between battles are fetch quests, which can get boring. Now, let’s get into what sold this game for me..:

    THE BATTLES.

    The battle system is one of the most fun I’ve played in a while, on par with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (the systems are nowhere near alike so don’t worry if you didn’t like the system in XC2). If I could compare it to anything, it would be a card game like Magic the Gathering or maybe even Hearthstone (though I haven’t played Hearthstone so don't quote me on that), with its slow progression. The battle system basically takes place on a Mario Party esc board, with a dice(ish) and everything. Allies are placed around the board, and if you’re able to navigate to them, they help you out in various ways. Wether it be taking out a heart of your enemy or an extra attack, it’s something you almost always want to use as soon as possible. Your attacks are layed out as ideas, Meaning that something has to be done to them to use them, and that something is basically mana in any other game, but i honestly don’t know what it’s called in this game. You spend varying amounts of mana on different attacks to use them, and in order to end a turn you either have to struggle (loose a heart and potentially deal one damage to an opposing attack) or defeat all of the enemies attacks. If we compare this to a card game, think of Pokémon TCG, but instead of Pokémon fighting each other it’s attacks attacking each other. The majority of the attacks have two stats; a sword stat and a shield stat (controversial, amirite?). Let’s say that one side attacks with something that has a sword stat of 3 and a shield stat of 4. That means that this does 3 damage to the opponents shield stat. The opponent attacks with an attack that has a sword stat of 2 and a shield stat of 5. The Two attacks now have a lower shield stat, but not a lower sword stat. If the shield stat runs out, the attack “breaks” and cannot be used until The attack is “restored by spending BP “break points” to restore the attack as an idea again back in the headspace (basically a idea box). The goal of the battle is to take out all three of the opponents hearts. As far as I know of, there are two ways to do this. The first is by getting an all break which has a chance to bring up a “chance attack” where you get to choose an attack to take out a heart, or by playing a specific type of card that takes out a heart. It can get really intense, which is mainly from the massive RNG for a lot of things in the battle system. Oh, yeah, i almost forgot. Ideas are spit into 3 types: red, which are just basic attacks, yellow, usually weaker attacking but shield, and blue, which is mainly support or what could be classified as a type of magic attack.

    There is still more to the battle system, but i have to stop here because were already over 3,200 characters. But there’s still one more question;

    Should you buy it?

    My answer is...
    No. Don’t buy it until you’ve tried playing it at a friends house or something. The battle system is so hit or miss for so many people, it’s just not worth spending 25 dollars on a game you may find excruciating.
    But please, if you like card games like Magic or Pokémon, you’ll probably like this game at least a bit. Well, that about wraps it up.    … Expand
  6. Iznax
    Oct 17, 2019
    9
    It is really strange how most reviewers criticise the game for not being a traditional easy going grindfest JRPG (don't get me wrong i love those games).
    This is a very tactical, strategic, and very demanding card game dressed with a charming presentation. I get that this is confusing but I expect reviewers to be able to see through it and point it out to their audiences.
    So bottom line,    It is really strange how most reviewers criticise the game for not being a traditional easy going grindfest JRPG (don't get me wrong i love those games).
    This is a very tactical, strategic, and very demanding card game dressed with a charming presentation. I get that this is confusing but I expect reviewers to be able to see through it and point it out to their audiences.
    So bottom line, if you expect a Pokemon like experience (or a traditional JRPG) this game is not for you. If you are looking for a game with a very interesting deep and challenging turn based combat that's based on skill and not grind, you will have a blast with this game.    … Expand
  7. Dharengo
    Oct 18, 2019
    10
    I would have given this a 7, but since this is metacritic, it has to be a 10.

    The game looks absolutely charming. The music is what you'd expect from Toby Fox. Each opponent has its own combat bgm. The story does what it needs to do, but don't expect anything groundbreaking. The real draw is in the combat. Just do me a favour, don't approach this like some kind of typical RPG. There is    I would have given this a 7, but since this is metacritic, it has to be a 10.

    The game looks absolutely charming. The music is what you'd expect from Toby Fox. Each opponent has its own combat bgm. The story does what it needs to do, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.

    The real draw is in the combat. Just do me a favour, don't approach this like some kind of typical RPG. There is no way to overpower your opponent by outleveling them. You're going to have to learn the mechanics. To say this game is 'purely luck based' does this game and card games in general a disservice. Approach this like you would a card game. While you never get to upgrade your default 'deck' of ideas, every idea has a purpose. The key is always to look carefully at what you have. Knowing your enemy also helps. You can face bosses you've defeated before in a mode which strips from you all the upgrades you've earned with eureka points. I found that I have way less problems with this, now that I know the boss and the layout of the map. You simply have to use all the tools available to you. If you can achieve full break, go for it. Don't try to hold on to something powerful just because you think it might be more useful later. Be aware of your position on the map. Explore all the little details in the system. Swapping out a dazzit turns it back into an izzit, restoring it's values to the default. Losing a heart restores all ideas, including the ones you collect from the map. The ideas you get from the map also tend to allow you to deal with that boss's mechanics in some way. Such as a boss that breaks ideas before you even get to use them giving you the opportunity to revive ideas while breaking all of his. The strategy is in how you use the tools available to you. You always have options. Even taking a hit to the face can be a strategy.

    With all that out of the way the game has very obvious performance issues. Nothing that makes the game unplayable, but the game will simply freeze at certain moments which really shouldn't happen. The camera is also kind of weird, and the character moves incredibly slowly through this town which is large by virtue of moving through it so slowly, not in terms of actual size. None of these break the game but these problems are a constant presence which detracts from your experience.

    It's a typical Gamefreak thing where lack of skill in development is made up for in sheer design and charm.

    It's a cheap eshop game that plays like a cheap eshop game. It's worth the price.    … Expand
  8. UmAlguem
    Oct 17, 2019
    10
    Muitas pessoas colocaram reviews negativas antes do jogo lançar só porque a game freak Quis fazer esse projeto em vez de focar completamente no pokémon
  9. Blakeskyheart
    Oct 26, 2019
    10
    I’m a little confused is as to why people are even complaining about Pokémon on this review. This is a different game altogether and I don’t understand why people would even attempt to delicate a company’s resources for them. With that being said. The game is cute, fun, and charming. It falls along the lines as a bit repetitive at times as most RPGs do. It is worth giving a shot.
  10. Hamphil
    Oct 28, 2019
    10
    When I heard that Gamefreak was developing a game which was not Pokemon, I was very happy, because they have the guts not to only develope Pokemon but create an entirely new franchise . When I first saw the trailer from the Nintendo Direct,I had no interest to buy this game, but then I saw the reviews and almost of them were bad. So I decided to buy this game and give it chance, because IWhen I heard that Gamefreak was developing a game which was not Pokemon, I was very happy, because they have the guts not to only develope Pokemon but create an entirely new franchise . When I first saw the trailer from the Nintendo Direct,I had no interest to buy this game, but then I saw the reviews and almost of them were bad. So I decided to buy this game and give it chance, because I think that you can only rate a game when you have played it yourself completely through. So I have bought it for 25 € in the eshop and wanted to see myself if this game is that bad.

    It took me rougly 37 hours to finish this game. With nine chapters in total, this game was for me not to short, because I have also done the subquests which rewards you with Eureka Points and characters, which support you in battle. Eureka Points are used to improve your ideas and also you gain Eureka Points when you loose a battle. So the next battle will be different, because you have some perks that will help you to win the battle, when you retry. The average turns in a battle took for little enemies (have only 3 hearts) between 10 turns and for boss battles (have 3 hearts and guts which is the shield) almost 20 turns. Overall the gameplay was sometimes frustrating due to that the ideas and your opponent 's were really luck based. Sometimes you can play strategic and sometimes the ideas are not in your favor and you will loose no matter how good you are. So some of the battles took me around 4 tries to beat a boss.

    What I really love about this game was the story , the characters and the music and I don't care about graphics. The story was for me not predictable and the plot twist in the end was for me vey surprisng.

    Some technical issues were that sometimes the frame rate was going down and the loading screen has stucked for 5 seconds.

    In short I really love and hate this game and I was so glad when I saw the credits. Even if you loose battles you can beat this game if you have a lot of patience.

    So give it a try and don't listen to the other reviews.    … Expand
  11. Neon95vibes
    Oct 17, 2019
    10
    This game is not only enchanting and beautiful in design and storyline, but the card like battle system mixed with the Monster Hunter / Pokemon RPG fighting style really impressed me most. I think most people just want to hate on "cutesy games" and not see the potential and say it's for kids. 10/10 I think they should add co OP multiplayer
  12. HyperKunoichi
    Oct 18, 2019
    8
    Review bombing is lame and people need to stop being **** and this is coming from someone who is actually hyped for Pokemon Sword and Shield. Anyway, this game is fun and incredibly creative. Takes a little getting used to, but once you figure it out, it's a blast.
  13. MrNobodySpecial
    Oct 16, 2019
    10
    The game is pretty good. Listen Pokemon fans review bombing this game I'm upset at how sword and shield has looked so far too but making this game look bad isn't going to help that any. This game is a fun little rpg that's well worth the 25$ asking price.
  14. whythemy
    Oct 19, 2019
    9
    Let me begin by saying that this is a strategy game. If you come to it expecting JRPG fights, you are going to be disappointed. As a strategy game, though, it's very intense. I have been playing in bursts, basically taking a break after monster fights, which are very long.

    What starts off as a deceptively simple card game quickly turns into nuanced combat puzzles: it's also part board    Let me begin by saying that this is a strategy game. If you come to it expecting JRPG fights, you are going to be disappointed. As a strategy game, though, it's very intense. I have been playing in bursts, basically taking a break after monster fights, which are very long.

    What starts off as a deceptively simple card game quickly turns into nuanced combat puzzles: it's also part board game and resource management. There were so many decisions that I felt both exhausted and exhilarated after an early monster fight, so much so that I was grateful for the time in between fights. They're slow paced and deliberate and it's a great breather from the action! The exposition is not thrown in your face and the characters are written well. Best of all, the main character has dialogue! No silent protagonist stuff here!

    The art style of the game is fantastic and the monsters are very detailed and impressive. The town has character and even some weird things, such as the water having a checkerboard pattern, fit in well. Also, the music is fantastic, as to be expected. I don't want to add anything to it other than to say, go listen!

    All in all, a great strategy game. Play it in chunks and be willing to set it down for awhile to let the experience cool down and I think you'll find a very satisfying, rewarding game here.    … Expand
  15. SuperkenGaming
    Jul 21, 2020
    8
    Little Town Hero
    Big potential
    Little town hero is a jrpg game made from the developers game freak, if that name sounds familiar, this is the team that makes pokemon, so of course I was excited to see an alternate jrpg from this studio.. and of all their one offs, little town hero is the one most like pokemon.. this entre 1 hour game takes places in one little town, theres no traveling    Little Town Hero
    Big potential
    Little town hero is a jrpg game made from the developers game freak, if that name sounds familiar, this is the team that makes pokemon, so of course I was excited to see an alternate jrpg from this studio.. and of all their one offs, little town hero is the one most like pokemon.. this entre 1 hour game takes places in one little town, theres no traveling to different towns to take on monsters.. the monsters all come to you… you play as your own named character who happens to be a chosen one, youre able to se this gem to make you stronger just in time to take down the monsters that have been mysteriously showing up in this once peaceful town… Little Town hero takes place across 9 chapters and the length of those chapters depends on how much you want to do within this game world… Game Freak doesa great job at immersing you in this world as they do in the pokemon games, but sadly there isn’t much fun to be had going off the beaten path of the story.. there are sidequest that can going you support in future battles, and bonus bosses, but the rewards rarely outweigh the effort… as I wouldn’t qite call this game fun.. it’s a bit of a chore to get through, but a chroe I couldn’t put down…
    each chapter ends with a boss battle, bt before you get to this boss battle youll be doing a bunch of fetch quests and mini battles that are god awful slow… infact this entire game is a drag to play which can put off a lot of people.. a boss battle can take up to an hour depending on the boss youre fighting, and worse is that if you lose the entire battle starts all over again, but these battles are the best of little town hero.. bt before a boss battle you can use skill points earned from main, side quests, and previous bosses to boost your skills…each boss here has its own look, feel, and annoyance to deal with.. this is a bit of a war system rather than a rock paper sicors system, you have offensice and defensive attacks, and your goal is to use thee attacks to break the enemies attacks and still have an offensive attack to attack the bosses body at the end of a turn… do this 3 times and you win.. however it isn’t quite that simple… your attacks are ideas, these ideas much like a deck based game, can only be used until they’ve been defeated, and then theyre discarded.. and they all costs points to unlock, and as the battle progresses youll slowly be able to do more in each round as you slowly chip away at the boss.. personally I feel like this game should start aat 4 point rather than 3 as the first 3 turns feel useless and just like card burner rounds… other than that I love this system, I love the strategy involved in using different abilities to combat the bosses abilities and search for a vilnerablity to take the final blow… that is until this games very final boss… I wont show this boss to prevent spoilers but this is the one boss battle in the entire game where you really have to get lucky to win… it shows the biggest flaw little town hero possesses.. its system for regaining attacks… once you’ve used all of your attacks, you can regain them by spending earned battle points or by losing a heart… this all sounds fine.. until you realize you can only regain them by spending points so many times until youre forced to damage yourself to even be able to progress the battle which breaks the final boss and turns it into a luck based battle… If little town hero 2 does happen, and I hope that it does, we absolutely either need to automatically get our thoughts back once weve used them all, or be able to continue reviving them with earned points… its unfair to force fails in the final moments of battle because you didn’t get the right draw or roll of the dice on the board game aspect of this game… an aspect that I really like here.. there is a roll of a dice that allows you to take different baths to use supports to damage the boss or boost your attacks… another great level of strategy added to thi game to prevent it from being shallow..
    I loved Little Town Hero… I cant quite understand why others are giving it such a rough time, but with a few minor changes such s started with 4 rather than 3, or adjustments to replenishing ideas, and there is a potentially really great or even amazing series here,
    I give little town hero
    a 7.5/10    … Expand
  16. Shapiro94
    Jun 30, 2020
    8
    It's a little slow going, but what it lacks in tension it picks way up in charm. Little Town Hero is one everyone should give a shot.
  17. FeiAshtear
    Nov 19, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great little card game. Never too hard. Cute setting, fun characters, strong humor. Worth the money.… Expand
  18. rollingsendo
    Jul 1, 2020
    10
    un battle systemm innovant, de trés beau battle en prespective et des musique memorable, j'adore ce jeux
  19. HyruLegend
    Sep 5, 2020
    10
    I personally love the game! The Battle mechanics take a little while to get used to. But overall The Artstyle , Story & Music is great! I had fun with it!

Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 25
  3. Negative: 3 out of 25
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 29, 2020
    65
    If Game Freak simply tweaked the battle system to run a little faster and be less rigged, the game could really shine. [Issue #43 – November/December 2019, p. 18SW]
  2. RPGamer
    Nov 11, 2019
    60
    Overall, Little Town Hero is a lot of great ideas mashed together with a solid story, but unpredictable combat, average graphics and forgettable music drag down and tend to overwhelm the best parts. Reducing the randomness of the largest battles or otherwise streamlining these encounters would have noticeably improved the game’s overall flow. As it stands, Little Town Hero is neither especially great nor particularly bad but harmlessly average; with ample patience in the face of bad luck, there’s the sparkle of an enjoyable gem hidden under the game’s false starts.
    Read full review
  3. GameGrin
    Oct 30, 2019
    75
    Despite having a battle system that, while interesting, can feel at odds with the rest of the game’s tone, Little Town Hero is a delightful, small-scale adventure that will calm and charm you with its serene setting, fun characters and joyful presentation.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »