Even with dedicated teammates, speed rounds aren't possible, the game just doesn't play or sync at that sort of pace. The going is slow, tactics RPGs aren't known for being quick to play in the first place, and each turn is less of a full bite and more of a crumb.

Experience is shared, so the healer won't get left behind, but beyond that the game doesn't offer any incentive to work together other than the knowledge that if you don't, your group will find the going difficult.Īnalysis: Pocket Heroes ends up as more of a tactics RPG than a roguelike, but there's enough of each for fans of either genre to enjoy. Similarly, a greedy teammate who hoovers up all the loot will leave everyone else underpowered. It's essential to work together, and one person charging ahead or ignoring team strategy will cause problems. Once you've played your turn, you're at the mercy of your team. The goal on any level is to get from point A to point B, where there's a shop and a place to rest, taking out any enemies you encounter along the way. All actions other than movement cost AP, and magic costs both AP and MP, limiting your most powerful spells to when they're sorely needed. More skills are unlocked as you level up. Ensuring everyone starts on the right track, the first quest doubles as a short tutorial, although veteran roguelike players will find themselves way ahead of the pop-up tips.Įach turn your character has a range of actions available, from movement to attacks to magical powers. There are four characters to pick from, broadly covering the usual range of classes found in games of this ilk: a tank (mech), magic wielder, rogue, and all-rounder (the paladin). Your party can consist of up to four people, and since you can't play solo, you'll either need friends with the game or be willing to risk stepping into a group of random players. Pocket Heroes is multiplayer only, so before anything else can happen, you'll need to form a posse.

Those people are probably already clicking through to get Pocket Heroes, a co-operative role-playing game from F5 Games that can't quite decide if it wants to be a roguelike or a tactics RPG. For many people, a perfect RPG has retro graphics, tile-based movement, and a high difficulty curve.

Pocket heroes google play