Loop hero is a two-dimensional RPG with pixel-art graphics, inspired by the genre of souls-like, of which it represents the essence (but not the gameplay). Deprived of excessive graphic frills (perhaps too much, but we will see it later), the title developed by Four quarters to Devolver Digital much of its gameplay is based on careful handling of magic cards and specific skills for each of the proposed classes and presents itself as dark, complex, evil. And it is precisely for this reason that it will make players fall in love with this particular videogame genre who love to devote time, resources (mental without a doubt) and swearing.
Following the severe trial and error mechanics (die and repeat, in a "loop", in fact), Loop Hero tells of a world struck by a terrible spell, unleashed by a wicked antagonist known as Lich, Which has deprived its inhabitants of the memory of any past event. All those who live there live in chaos and terror and, in the most classic of traditions, the task of bringing everything back to normal, restoring the forgotten memory, will be up to the player. The hero is indeed - for some mysterious reason - succeeded in do not suffer the powerful spell of the Lich, and is the only living human being able to remember. When the player becomes aware of this context (as you probably have just done, reading), he realizes that he has already been bewitched by Loop Hero; the title presents itself to the eyes with an extremely simple pixel-art graphic sector, but immediately charms the player by inserting it in a creepy context. The Loop has begun.
Enter the Loop
The gameplay of Loop Hero is essentially based on two factors: careful management of magic cards that are obtained during the adventure (as well as the careful construction of the deck that precedes the descent into the field) and the building the levels, which in the first moments appear empty and which the player himself is called to fill, through the use of cards. The hero automatically walks through the dark corridors of the game world and time can be speeded up, slowed down or stopped altogether. But, sooner or later, the round will be completed, it will come back from the start, and a new "loop" will begin. The addictive mechanic is the following: the player is free to complete each loop without using any cards (there is no obligation), therefore without generating any kind of enemy within the world, but with each new spin the few and only enemy creatures capable of generating themselves, automatically, not tied to any player's card, will increase in level. While taking down a slime on the first loop will be a simple operation, on the fifth loop you will realize that not having fought enough to that point, without accumulating equipment and objects of good workmanship, was not a great idea. In Loop Hero the player has to make life difficult to be successful. A brilliant mechanic, not one of the simplest to learn in the first moments of the game, but that will captivate you once you understand.
Each downed enemy will offer a card, weapon, equipment item, or valuable resources which, apart from the real adventure, will make it possible to expand the camps, where the poor inhabitants of this unfortunate world come to take refuge. As the number of enemies in each single fight increases, the quality of the objects found will be raised. The playing cards are numerous and all well presented, and each offers particular effects. For example, the Graveyard card, once placed in a certain point of the level, will make a skeleton appear every three days (with each completed loop a day passes). The Street Lantern paper can be used to illuminate a point of the route that is particularly shrouded in darkness. The Periphery card grants an additional experience point for each monster killed. There are also special cards, able to guarantee more than one bonus (or malus) at the same time, such as the Ancestral Crypt, which ensures three life points for each enemy killed (but removing the automatic healing granted by the armor) and offers the possibility of a resurrection. In Loop Hero even death is not trivial: when you lose your life and re-enter the level you have to aim quickly at the end of it, in an attempt to complete the loop that was currently in place before the appearance of a Guardian, under penalty of loss of 30% of the materials collected up to that point. If the evil boss appears you will be forced to face him and defeat him, to keep the full loot and return to the camp.
From the Warrior to the Necromancer
The classes present in the game cannot all be used from the beginning, but the depth of the game system is immediately evident: the Warrior he is particularly skilled in doing damage, in suffering blows of a certain entity without too many problems and in quickly recovering his own life. The Thief, for its part, it makes quicker attacks and requires a complete turn in order for the collected objects to actually be inserted into the inventory. After a few games the Necromancer, a class clearly inspired by Diablo 2, capable of summoning armies of skeletons and zombies, called to take part in the clashes. And speaking of fights, it is good to clarify that every type of confrontation takes place automatically, through a scene represented in the foreground, in a small box, in perfect old-school style. Guardian after Guardian, players are finally called upon to clash with the evil Lich, the one who gave way to chaos by erasing the memory of past events from the minds of the unfortunate inhabitants. But only the most skilled players will succeed, because Loop Hero is not a game for everyone, be warned. We also found the soundtrack surprising, particularly lively and with fast-paced rhythms (perhaps a little too much, given the setting in which the game world of Loop Hero has dropped), while we were sorry that the quality of the dialogues offered (unexpectedly deeper than one might think) does not coincide with a narrative capable of keeping interest high for the duration of the adventure. A small mole, combined with that of a graphic sector that is perhaps excessively stylized, which in no way affects the genius and depth of the gameplay offered in the title developed by Four quarters.
