14 DAY TRIAL // 
Heroes of Steel: Tactics RPG is, as the name implies, a tactical role-playing game that follows a party of characters as they rise to the status of heroes through the apt employ of various steel implements. And a bit of magic.
There is a lot of back story to the game, as the setting is a post-apocalyptic world, where the gods rose up against each other and destroyed their creator, the All-Father, in a cataclysmic event, in the wake of which the kingdoms of man quickly fell into ruin.
The game is set in a fantasy world named Steel, in a time when the influence of dark powers are surging, and an unlikely party of adventurers has to embark on a mission to protect the last remnants of humankind from being consumed by evil.
You assume control of a party of four characters who find themselves imprisoned in the same dungeon, with an overbearing feeling that something is not right with the circumstances of their sentence, and that there is more than meets the eye to everything around them.
As such, the four decide to band together and find out what exactly is going on, escaping from prison and making their way across the realm.
Each character brings his own special abilities to the group, the structure being pretty generic, a warrior, a paladin, a rogue and a mage. Each of them can be outfitted with a variety of armor and weapons, and the character progression system allows players to choose the direction that each character will take, whether they are to become adept at protecting their teammates or a whirling frenzy of blades and fire that cuts down everything in their path.
The PC version is a port of the mobile one, so far including the Prologue, two story episodes, and three optional characters that can be mixed and matched with the starting line-up, with the devs intending to release more content later on, so there's quite a lot of action.
The entire game seems like a re-imagined, less complex version of Dark Sun, which is not exactly all that great, since that game had the D&D lore to support it and came out 20 years ago. The first thing you notice is the fact the user interface is antiquated to the point of being every bit as frustrating as it was in genuine computer RPGs from the heyday.
The visuals are not exactly stellar either, giving off a stale, low-budget vibe, especially when zooming out. The combination of low-resolution textures and bird's eye view makes the game lose a lot of its appeal, unfortunately, coming across as being low quality instead of a nod to times long passed.
This also applies to the sounds, with pretty much the same couple of dings recycled all throughout the game, and the same short loops assaulting you over and over, until you decide to mute them altogether.
Heroes of Steel loses a lot when it comes to presentation, both in visual quality and interface design, which is a pity because the actual gameplay is pretty fun. The RPG tactics bit offers some interesting tactical decisions, because you are able to use the environment to your advantage, by creating choke points and by hiding behind obstacles to prevent archers from shooting at you.
The character progression system is pretty complex, but it still lacks a certain spark that could have made the game a lot better. Nonetheless, the combat design is pretty solid, with each character having a certain number of action points and being able to cast spells or perform special moves, each one taking up a different number of points, also depending on the type of weapon you are wielding.
Most spells and abilities are also influenced by your primary stats and skills, and, so, spending the few points you gain each level wisely will define the way group strategy works during encounters, coming up with complementary specializations being instrumental to your success on the battlefield.
For the most part, each battle will play out following a very similar pattern, but, as the game progresses, there are more complex issues to take into account, and flexibility during battle becomes as important as finding the right rhythm, the right blend of basic attacks and heavy hitters, as burning through your spirit potions too early can leave you vulnerable later on.
The action sequences are interspersed with short moments of exposition where the characters reveal the story, and you're left to explore the world, trying to find the safest route and taking down opponents on your way.
There is a fair amount of story to be told, which is always satisfying in a role-playing game, but the writing is stiff and frustrating many times, because a certain character will say something revealing and then stop, and there isn't much you can do about it until he or she feels like talking about it again, making you feel like you're watching a movie rather than playing a game.
The script is pretty much set in stone, and, apart from a couple of detours, you have to follow the storyline, which is not exactly bad, only the story itself is not exactly stellar either, it has many moments when the quality of the writing is pretty shoddy.
That, coupled with the cumbersome user interface and the general unresponsiveness of units, makes the experience less enjoyable, as it can't be carried by the interesting but limited tactical combat alone.
The Good
- Better on tablets
- Solid tactical play
- Complex character system
The Bad
- Bad visuals
- Overall dated feel
- It lacks polish
- Stiff writing
- Cumbersome UI
Conclusion
Fans of old-school role-playing games have a lot of much better retro-styled games to choose from on the PC, and Heroes of Steel loses whatever edge it might have had on mobile platforms. You can have some fun with it, granted, as the story has some potential and the combat is interesting, but it overall seems simply too shallow and lacking a lot of much needed polish.
