Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption sneaks into stores today
A world of magic and terrible puns awaits
As a kid who grew up playing Sierra adventure games, today's release of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption from Quest for Glory creators Lori & Corey Cole fills me with complex feelings, including (but not limited to) nostalgia, curiosity and soul-chilling dread. While the Quest for Glory series was always one of Sierra's more accessible series of adventures, blending point and click adventuring with RPG stats and a steady stream of bad puns, they were still packed with sudden and violent ends to meet. At least Hero-U's launch trailer below contains relatively little of that.
Originally funded on Kickstarter way, waaaaay back in 2012 to the tune of $409,150, the Hero-U released today bears little resemblance to early concept art. Telling the story of a rookie rogue learning the ropes in a world of tongue-in-cheek magic and adventure, the trailer below promises Quest for Glory's familiar mix of dialogue, puzzling and combat, although in a fresh (isometric) perspective and with some mechanical tweaks. The combat in particular is now a turn-based, more traditionally RPG-like setup instead of Quest for Glory's action-oriented 1v1 duels.
While I did crack a smirk at the 'romance' part of the trailer opening with the protagonist being licked by a dog, the other jokes shown - thinly distributed as they are - fell flat for me. Perhaps I'm being tripped up by nostalgia here, and the original Quest for Glory games (which I've not had a chance to return to in adulthood) were propped up by this same strain of gentle kid-friendly humour. Looking at Steam and GOG, the first wave of players do seem pleased with the final game, and it's nice to see a project like this finished, even if it is around five years overdue.
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is out now on Steam and GOG for £27.79/$35, minus a small launch discount.