HEROish review – A fun, yet simple, genre mash-up

It’s really hard to make video games and even harder to make something that hasn’t been done before. A quick browsing of the currently available games will show a number of deck-builders and MOBA titles, but nothing that mashes the two concepts together. That’s what developer Sunblink was going for with HEROish, a whimsical and fun mash-up between these two unique genres.

That being said, both the MOBA and deck-building parts of the game have their own new and interesting effects that are unique to this game. Because of this, players will find a lot of charm as they learn the simple mechanics of the game that manage to be easy enough to pick up but challenging in their own right. Players will likely appreciate the game as they play more and learn the ins and outs of the game.

Whether it be through the three unique factions or the different ways to play, players are invited to test out everything that the game has to offer. While the game has a campaign that lasts for a few hours, the real long-term draw seems to be the multiplayer that invites players to keep coming back to level up and earn better cards and champions.

A strategic and whimsical story that introduces you to HEROish

Before doing that, players are encouraged to try out the campaign and get a feel for the gameplay. It’s split into three acts that players have to play in order. It gives a background to the characters and the three factions that players will be able to take on the role of. Each of these groups genuinely feels unique, with some of the heroes being easier to pick up than others.

The Imperial melee and ranged champions are really easy to play, which makes picking up the game a little easier. However, as the player gets to the Cursed faction, they’ll understand some of the more strategic elements of the game, having to instead focus on their champion’s abilities instead of just summoning as many characters as they can.

The actual campaign takes place on an open map that allows players to wander around and get stronger by taking on groups of enemies or locations that aren’t part of an objective. While this grind might be more useful on higher difficulties, players can honestly breeze through the main objectives on Easy or Medium difficulty. As long as you remember to optimize your deck and upgrade your cards, you’ll be fine.

That being said, some of the levels introduce a new complexity that’s not normally found in MOBA-type games. Players will often have to backtrack on maps, luckily your mobs know the right path, and destroy special objectives before fighting the level’s toughest enemy. One of the more tense and fun levels has you run from a giant character, dropping obstacles on him along the way to slow him down.

The actual story behind the campaign isn’t anything too extraordinary and still feels like something that’s fun, if not revolutionary. The name HEROish comes from the fact that the characters are heroic, but not exactly as morally just as what most people think of Heroes. As players go through the story, they’ll become more familiar with these

The main attraction seems to be the grindable multiplayer

With the campaign only lasting for a few hours, it seems that the main attraction for HEROish is multiplayer, which provides hours of content. Players initially start with the base Imperial Melee champion and a very basic deck. From that point on, you play in multiplayer matches to grind for cards and raise your level to unlock better champions.

These matches seem to range, with some being an engaging tug-of-war over the objectives, deciding whether to risk it for special mob spawns or stand strong in defense of your towers. On the other end of the spectrum, there were also matches where it feels like you were getting dominated. Those matches are admittedly less fun, and in those moments it becomes clear that using your energy wisely is invaluable.

There are a variety of different modes in the multiplayer, whether you want to play a quick match, ranked, or even versus an AI. Players are free to take on the multiplayer however they want and will likely have to play more of it than they did in the campaign to unlock all of the champions and cards available for its characters. At least it offers crossplay so you can play with your friends on other platforms.

It’s unclear if HEROish is striving to be a live-service game, with a section on the multiplayer menu dedicated to a “Daily Goals” feature that is apparently planned to come in the future. If Sunblink is hoping that players will be coming back on a daily basis, it could be that it plans to release more content in the future if the game does well enough.

More champions would likely do the game well, as these same six champions are likely to become less fun to fight against after the several hours required to get each champion. This would also keep players on their toes and help build an audience for the game over time as more and more players join up with each new update.

Our HEROish review was written based on the PC version of the game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website!