Xbox Reviews

Vertical Drop Heroes HD Review

Review Vertical Drop Heroes HD | Before we continue with the review I want to point out that Publisher Digerati had an excellent and busy 2017. No less than three games, The Sun and Moon, Uncanny Valley and Vertical Drop Heroes HD. Impressive! Now, the reason why you are reading this! My honest opinion about Vertical Drop Heroes HD!

We normally post reviews on release day but for this game I wanted to try a new approach, releasing it before the game is out. With the help from Digerati, that gave the game early and placed no embargo I have published this review nine days before it’s available on the Xbox Store.

 

THE GOOD

  • Roguelike, regular readers from LifeisXbox know that I have a big mixed feeling about this genre phenomena. Vertical Drop solves the losing your progress,  something I personally dislike a lot about the genre, with some clever persistent health and damage upgrades and new random abilities. You will still have to start the game over with a new character if you die but money, the previously mentioned persistent stuff will remain.
  • I love games that you can pick up and play for a few minutes, waiting on a friend to come online for Fifa or Gears 4. Vertical Drop is perfect for that. With easy controls and a straight into the action concept you’ll be able to play this game in short bursts for months.
  • Each level feels new thanks to the randomly generated stages, having a new character when you die helps with the replay value too.  You continue to do the same thing over and over again,  dropping to the bottom of a level but you don’t actually notice that while playing.  Enemies and your unique abilities make sure that you are constantly focusing all your attention and use split-second reflexes and tactics to make it safely to the lowest possible point.
  • I was surprised to see a local split screen option, I wasn’t really expecting that. It’s a blast to play with a skilled friend. You’ll lose a lot of your wide-screen so it’s a lot harder to avoid damage or traps, so don’t expect it to be an easy joyride for you and your partner. It’s totally worth checking it out though, it was one if the finer experiences to play in co-op (Nothing beats the game Overcooked though!)
  • Vertical Drop Heroes HD’s visuals, art style and animations are made by one person and that clearly shows. It has a distinct style that just makes you smile when you look at it. It’s nothing mindbogglingly impressive but the game has personality and character.

Mixed Feelings

  • Before you start your downwards journey you have to pick a character. While I loved this feature in the beginning it became a little less exciting when you unlocked abilities. I would have preferred to make my own character, visually and to have an option to pick the abilities that I wanted. Now you HAVE to pick one of the three options, you can re-roll for a small fee but still.. I died and restarted regularly until I had the perfect character, wasting a few minutes of my time.

THE BAD

  • The only big disappointment from Vertical Drop Heroes HD are the boss fights, they just don’t make any sense. Totally destroying any kind of fair and fun fight. You have some ridiculously easy boss fights and some annoyingly hard bosses that seem to kill you in one hit. Luckily you can avoid them by using five keys but that’s not always an option. You have to have five keys to begin with and the boss sometimes stays right on the door that exits the level.
  • The difference between weapons don’t really exist, sure the length and quickness  is a little different but I didn’t really feel the difference. The problem that comes with this is repetitiveness, especially if you leave the auto-combat active. That’s why I clearly said that this game is made for playing in short bursts, after a while you get a very strong been there, done that feeling. Only to be cured by short play sessions, the game is also designed for that.

 

Score: 81% | Designed for short play sessions Vertical Drop Heroes HD really shines. I adored the art style and visuals, giving the game personality.

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