Loop Hero
Year: 2021
Rating: T
Time Played: 2,842 minutes / 47.37 hours
While it seems like every third game these days is a Roguelike, I have occasionally come across a few like Loop Hero, which successfully makes the iterative gameplay loop fun. As a metanarrative on the larger Role Playing Game structure, Loop Hero is strangely fun for a game that automatically fights every battle for you. After all, everyone knows the best part of an RPG is finding better gear and trying to determine which one provides better stats for their character. This is Loop Hero in a nutshell.
Perhaps it’s the combination of Roguelike, Deck Builder, and RPG genres that makes this game stand out. With each round, the player character walks around a randomly generated path. By playing cards obtained through battle, the landscape can change to help (or hinder) the hero. If the hero can survive long enough, a challenging boss appears. It’s sometimes a gamble to obtain more materials to build up the camp or to play it safe and retreat before the enemies become too much for the hero. A lot depends on the luck of the draw.
Even if I died on one run, I still felt like I was making progress in the game. Like any good Roguelike, unlocking better cards or different character classes came naturally by playing the game. I liked the retro-inspired pixel art, but the sound effects were sometimes grating in a way that hearkens back to the Commodore 64. Still, I stayed up way too late on too many occasions to not recommend this game. It’s addictive and fun in a weird way that probably only appeals to spreadsheet aficionados—which is probably why I liked it so much.
A meta RPG Roguelike that was difficult to put down, I give Loop Hero 4.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
