Heroes of Steel (Prologue) – The Age of Steel Begins on Android

Every now and then, a couple of games dare to break away from the on-the-go simplicity that is prevalent among the majority of mobile games; Heroes of Steel is most definitely a game that fits among this enthralling minority.

minority. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of casual gaming as much as the next mobile gamer, but the Trese Brothers, with their narrative-driven top-down RPG game, are doing something more.

“ Heroes of Steel is a tactical turn-based RPG in which you lead a group of four unique characters, each with their own talents, special powers, and abilities on their quest through the world of Steel.” This ‘world of Steel’, though not completely understood during my short playthrough appears to have a real depth of information and lore behind its existence, which is hinted at in the opening scenes and also as shorts bursts of text on the game’s loading screens.

This depth extends over to the game’s narrative, which begins with as many questions as this prologue leaves unanswered (in a good ‘I need to know more’ kind of way). You meet the characters in a rather dire situation, in dungeons, with the town of Red Hill above their heads. The four protagonists are all brought together in its cells, whether innocent or mysteriously less so, and it is clear that the Baron, whom they are waiting to speak to, is up to something.

As you are gradually introduced to each character through their speedy escape, you’ll notice that each is as unique as the last. Not only do they possess completely different weapons and abilities – which opens up a variety of possible strategies during battle – but they each have very distinct, if slightly stereotypical, personalities. This allows for interesting conversations in which there are conflicts between the party as to the best way to handle certain situations; with Vraes, the warrior of the group, for example, wanting to tackle every problem with force, whereas Tamilin, the thief, preferring to take a more silent approach.

Their personalities also say a lot about how each character plays in battle. At the minute, there is Vraes, the warrior; Tamilin, the thief; Karjtan, the wizard; and Kyera, the cleric healer, although more classes are available in future episodes. During combat sections – some of which are part of the narrative, and some of which occur off the beaten path with a “Did you hear that?” segue – the gamer must make note of AP (action points), SP (special points) and range.

Each characters begins with seven AP at the start of each turn, and these are used for movement and attacks, so you may have less opportunities to attack if you need to be up close and personal with your opponent. Attacks, known as ‘talents’ in Heroes of Steel vary between, offensive, defensive and healing, depending on the character you’re in control of, and each requires a different amount of AP and SP, which can be seen as the game’s mana. SP can be replenished using items found in chests around the tunnels of the prologue, some of which are locked and will need to be unlocked using the thief’s lock-picking talents. These talents, along with base statistics of the characters themselves, can also be upgraded with points that are earned after leveling up during combat. Choosing which talents to upgrade, and which new talents to learn, mean that battle strategies could vary greatly between one gamer to the next, which is a big plus in the RPG tickbox, if you ask me.

Though combat is enjoyable, and there are a satisfying amount of abilities to use and enemies to use them on, there were a number of abilities, mainly magic-based, that didn’t actually seem to have any noticeable effect. Kyera’s talent, Ethereal Anguish, for example, while sounding pretty badass, seemed to do absolutely nothing to whichever enemy I used it on. It is said to curse for +3 Conjuring, but I haven’t the foggiest what that actually means in the tide of battle.

Whilst I’m focusing on the negatives, of which there aren’t many, I also had a minuscule, yet consistent issue with moving around the game. Tapping once on a tile means that the character under control begins moving, and a second tap cancels this movement. I found that I often tapped a second time as the camera moves away from the character to the tapped area, leaving me unsure of whether they were actually moving. As a result, I cancelled my movement on more than a few occasions. As I said, this is an absolutely tiny issue, but one that was slightly irritating throughout. Whether I was annoyed at the game or my own impatience, though, is another matter entirely.

And, to make sure I’ve given my opinion on two important aspects for any game, it’s time for my brief opinion on the game’s sound and visuals. Though, as just stated, these two aspects are important, and can crucial to the success of a games, I have left them until now as I feel that Heroes of Steel ’s strongest points are its narrative, characterisation and combat, and these therefore deserved a much larger portion of this review. That’s not to say that these two areas bring the game down, however.

Though there is sometimes no other sound than your own footsteps, the soundtrack for battles in orchestral and powerful, and each attack lands with a satisfying sound of sword on steel, arrow on flesh, or the whoosh of mana-born fire. As for the visuals, the characters themselves have basic detail during conversations – which is more than made up for with their dialogue – and the top-down view means that the visuals are limited, though more than passable. This viewpoint did sometimes leave me to confused as to what some objects in the scenery were supposed to be, but I never wondered for too long before I was in yet another XP-building battle, firing off arrows and spells into the hordes of soldiers giving chase.

Overall, Heroes of Steel , during my all-too-short time spent in the free prologue of the larger, paid-for game, was a polished RPG with an involving narrative and interesting, fleshed out characters; each with their own unique personalities, which corresponded nicely with their specific ‘talents’ and skillset. Though I did experience a few issues, such as regularly cancelling my movements and some seemingly ineffective abilities, these were insignificant in comparison to what looks to be a great game for all RPG fans out there.

If you happen to be one of those RPG-lovers, there’s never been a better time to try out Heroes of Steel , as the first area of the game is available for free now on Google Play– with Episode 1: Death’s Consort for only $1 if the prologue just isn’t enough – and will shortly also be available on the App Store, with a Steam version soon to follow (the Trese Brothers have a Greenlightcampaign running as we speak). Multiple platforms, multiple characters, multiple classes, and multiple episodes; what do you have to lose?