[i]12 Labours of Hercules XV: Little Big Adventure[/i] is a time management game developed by Zoom Out Games and Jetdogs Studios and published by Jetdogs Studios. It's the 15th and latest installment in the [i]12 Labours of Hercules[/i] series. As usual, you take on the role of Hercules, and after a brief trip in the sky, Hercules ends up unconscious on an island full of tiny people, the Lilliputians. Yup, you might have guessed it, but this latest installment puts a spin on the story of [i]Gulliver's Travels[/i], except that Hercules is Gulliver. XD Upon waking up, Hercules learns from the Lilliputians that a floating island threatens their country, so Hercules offers his help. It's then that his wife, Megara, and his trusty workers come to the rescue and help. That's the basic story premise, so I'll end my synopsis here to avoid spoilers and all that. ^^
As for the gameplay, this latest time management game plays very similar to the previous installments. You can choose from among three difficulty levels: relaxed, casual, or expert. (For review purposes, I chose to play on expert level since it's needed to obtain all Steam achievements.) There are a total of 50 story levels along with 5 bonus levels and a superbonus level. In each story level, there is a puzzle piece, and obtaining all of the puzzle pieces for a particular area and assembling them unlocks its respective bonus level. As for the superbonus level, it's unlocked once you complete all of the bonus levels. Regardless of the level or difficulty chosen, you're given objectives in order to complete the level, and there are obstacles to clear as you do so. Depending on how quickly you complete the levels, you can earn gold time (the equivalent of three stars). There are production buildings that you can upgrade as well as obelisks that can help you perform tasks more quickly and efficiently. Also, most of the levels have power-ups, such as run faster. In addition, there are Steam achievements although they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "profile features limited".
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my thoughts. Although I have reviewed quite a lot of time management games, it has been a long while since I last covered a [i]12 Labours of Hercules[/i] one. I have my reasons, but I don't wish to get ahead of myself. XD First, let's start with the story. I liked this latest story in which there's a fun twist on the story of [i]Gulliver's Travels[/i]. (I remember reading the story and enjoying it.) However, this latest game only takes the concept of the Lilliputians from the story. I wish that there had been other aspects from the story, but then I suppose there would have been the danger of it deterring from the usual [i]12 Labours of Hercules[/i]. Despite that there have been many games in the series, I like how there's a new story in each one, so it doesn't feel boring. After all, having too many games, movies, etc., in a series runs the problem of the audience getting tired of it. Thus, I like that the developers come up with a new story for each installment.
As for the gameplay, it feels pretty repetitive. As far as I could tell, there wasn't any new gameplay aspects to vary things up. At the same time, though, I feel like this is ok since if something (whether it be story, gameplay, etc.) works, there's no need to change it. The only complaint that I have (and this is the main reason that I haven't written reviews for this series in quite a while) is the achievement for beating a developer's record 20 times. This achievement has been present for the last several games in the series, and although I was able to obtain it, it can be quite a pain (and perhaps resulting in hand cramps :o) to do so. I feel like it's fine to have developer's records, but making it an achievement isn't necessary. It might discourage people from trying out the series.
In regards to the art, it's in a bright, cartoony style, which is appropriate for TMs. The backgrounds are beautifully drawn and colored, as are the sprites. Touching up on the soundtrack, most of the tracks are the same as in previous series. However, I did notice a couple of new tracks, which is great since it adds some variety and we're not stuck listening to the same tracks as before. The tracks have that adventurous vibe for the most part, with a few leaning more towards the comedic, light-hearted side.
Overall, would I recommend [i]12 Labours of Hercules XV: Little Big Adventure[/i]? If you like time management games, are a fan of the series, and are ok with beating developer's records (or possibly not obtaining all of the achievements), then this is worth a try. For the asking price, I admit that it is a bit steep, compared to some other time management games. Although I completed the game in around 14.5 hours (so perhaps the price can be justified), I would recommend waiting for a bit of a sale.
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