Hero Realms (campaign play) | Review | With Mike

How well does Hero Realms make the transition to solo/co-op play? Find out here!
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0:00 - Introduction
0:43 - Campaign Upgrades (Mix)
1:27 - Cooperation (Mix)
2:13 - Scenario Variety (Pro)
2:53 - Master Activation (Pro)
3:40 - Hero Realms (Pro)
4:27 - Final Thoughts
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Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

[joegolike]

Good point about limited interactivity between players. Aside from the interaction with boss hazards and minions in nearby players' areas, there are a couple other ways players can help each other. The Cleric can buff another player's champions for a turn with the Bless ability. Also, any character can use healing they gain in a turn on a nearby player instead of themselves. The latest expansion to the campaign, Lost Village, also adds a taunting mechanic so players can pull boss attention away from their teammates. Haven't played it a ton yet, but looks interesting. Having more treasures and abilities to upgrade feels good. My thoughts about this first campaign more or less line up with your review. It feels like a good start to a coop system based on the mechanics of the base game. I'm looking forward to the ways they extend it in the new expansion and beyond, and would love to hear your thoughts when you get your hands on it, Mike.

[greyhawke]

I love the game and the Star Realms/Hero Realms mechanics are my favorite among deckbuilers.

While there is a reasonable amount of gameplay now that Lost Village is here/near, it was a painfully long time to get the second batch. Combine that with the slow, trodding upgrade paths and I haven't been that excited to jump into LV, even though the Ancestry cards are interesting.

I wish they could better capture the AI from the Star Realms app in a physical automa for both games, even just for one off, non-campaign play. That would add tons of value as we wait for the next inevitable Kickstarter campaign.

[Hybban]

Great review. I agree fully with everything you said.

[jerrodwarr]

Great review and points. I think they’ve done an excellent job turning a basic deckbuilder into something more substantive. I have finished the first campaign and we’re working on part 2, and my only real complaint (more mixes than complaints) is the AI can be a little finicky and swingy at times, but overall a solid experience.

[TheHexyBeast]

great video mike it might be good for me because the only games i play with the wife are usually deck builders... and i think she would like the art

[manschristenssons]

Great review. I have been looking at this game.

[danmarquart]

Which games DO have fun character upgrade systems? What makes an upgrade system work? MtG with its deck construction is robust (but expensive in dollars and time), and Gloomhaven gives a few powerful cards to choose from when leveling (although this puts a tight limit on player choice). Where's the sweet spot? [Is this the right forum for this post? I've been shouted down before].

[Oncus]

What I really disliked in the coop mode is that you could only target player that are next to you in a certain diagram, which was an unnecessary restriction. It meant that the healer would always have to be in the middle and some players could simply not help everyone since they were out of reach. Yes, this also addresses the alpha player issue where everyone is putting all effort in making one player be strong, but it was not a fun solution.

[HungryGamerReviews]

Bah! This vid did just enough to make me not feel the need to get it, but outs it at risk for a late night, 1 too many beverage purchase...