Developer: uCool
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.8.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: ?????
Gameplay Rating: ?????
Playtime Rating: ?????
Replay Value Rating: ?????

Overall Rating: ?????

Heroes Charge from uCool is a mobile-based adventure game/RPG. There are pirates, dwarves, faeries, and spirits. You battle against some, and you can recruit others for your team. That’s about it. The game and its world have very little backstory, and actually, that’s alright. RPGs try to make everyone into “The Chosen Hero,” and after a while it begins to sound like a parent encouraging a child with a severe case of Special Snowflake Syndrome. Sure, not everyone can be an astronaut, but honestly, most folks turn out pretty okay.

heroescharge_05Actually, the descriptor “pretty okay” encompasses Heroes Charge well. You’re not going to find a lot of amazing new ideas here. The combat is mostly hands-off, and you can expect the usual stamina-gobbling quests that expect you to pay up if you don’t want to wait around for a recharge. But the graphics are cute, and the equipment-based manner of leveling-up makes it compelling to see what goodies you might unearth in a quest.

When you engage in a fight in Heroes Charge, the action switches to a 2D side-view. The good guys and bad guys attack one another automatically; all you really need to do is activate special attacks when they power-up. Some specialties hit everyone for minor damage, or whack a single enemy hard. The key to surviving encounters is to have a nice mix of party members that offer different abilities to counter whatever enemies throw at you.

heroescharge_01If you succeed in battle you’re rewarded with weapons, armor, and items. When you manage to complete a set for one of your heroes, they level-up. Outfitting your party to make them stronger is actually pretty fun and definitely more satisfying than the usual free-to-play RPG method of making fighters stronger by pumping them full of coins, cards, or useless equipment.

Otherwise, Heroes Charge is kind of an unremarkable title – though it’s not necessarily bad. If you find that the passive combat doesn’t do anything for you, you can bow out, but if collecting fantasy fighters is your idea of a good time then go ahead and keep hanging with the heroes.