Bunch of Heroes

[h1]Overview[/h1] [list] [*]Budget L4D with a top-down camera. [*]Run around the map clearing objectives and killing zombies who get in your way. [*]Save the cheerleaders, save the world. [/list] [h1]Gameplay ★☆☆☆☆[/h1] [list] [*]This game tries to reimagine the 4 characters of L4D by giving each a special attack. Throwing a barrage of explosive cigars, performing a rugby touchdown which is actually a bomb, calling in an airstrike, and throwing a Hadouken. Fancy and varied as they may be, but these attacks all have the same result — a small, high damage AOE in front of you. [*]Beyond the special moves, characters all use the same primary weapon and the weapon drops from crates are all the same few. Gunplay feels lacking and unimpactful. [*]There are 3 scenarios with 3 maps each. The final map of each scenario features a boss fight. Other than this, the objectives are rinse and repeat — destroy something, guard something/cheerleader, bring cheerleader from point A to point B, eliminate specific zombie types in an area. [*]The problem with the gameplay is that it is so repetitive and boring. The 4 characters are pretty much the same, just wearing different skins. The maps are just skins too and you do the same things over and over again. [*]I also want to point out that certain terrain (dense trees, high buildings) obscure vision and you will often go behind one of these and get attacked unexpectedly. There needs to be an X-ray outline for zombies hidden from view. [*]You have 3 lives per map, and upon reviving, you lose your secondary weapon and your special attack meter resets to zero. The player is already struggling, and death shouldn't be punished so heavily. [*]Lastly, I want to talk about a strange occurrence. Med-kit drops from defeated zombies. It had happened on many occasions where the med-kits refuse to drop when I was almost dead, while the game dropped lots of them when I was at full health. The devs are freaking trolls. [/list] [h1]Art & Graphics ★★★☆☆[/h1] [list] [*]Graphics look typical of Unity game engine in its early years. [*]Weird environment lighting, flat textures. [*]Blood effects are well done — a zombie who has taken damage will have blood drenched all over the model. Blood splatter will burst in the direction of your gunfire, even splattering on walls. [/list] [h1]Music & Sounds ★☆☆☆☆[/h1] [list] [*]The rock instrumentals go well with the lighthearted cartoony aesthetic. Feels like a superhero B-movie. However, the music is tied to character rather than level. This means that if you have a favorite character, you will be listening to the same tune for 9 maps. [*]Voiceovers are poorly done. Apart from special attack voice lines, the 4 characters are strangely quiet during an apocalypse. [*]Sound effects in general are mediocre. The barely audible weapon sounds make you feel like you are firing pellets instead of bullets. [/list] [h1]Plot & Characters ★☆☆☆☆[/h1] [list] [*]A Cuban revolutionary commander, an American hero, an English pilot, and super-spy Chun Li. [*]Tiny bios aren't enough. The random dialogue in-game could have expanded on their personality and background, but they all say the same lines. [/list] [h1]Controls & Interface ★☆☆☆☆[/h1] [list] [*]The character HUD is too small and for something so important, it shouldn't be tucked at a corner. It puzzles me why are the health bar, ammo indicators and special attack meter not on top of the character's head. Doing so would greatly enhance the gameplay experience. There were times when I was so focused on the objective and warding of swarms of zombies that I did not notice my health dropping low until it was too late. [*]Standard WASD controls. R to reload, Q to swap between primary and secondary weapon. F to throw grenade. Shift for character special attack. Spacebar does a dodge roll which is really useful for avoiding unnecessary fights. [*]But dodge roll often doesn't work as intended, because the roll is in the direction you are facing and your character refuses to turn towards your cursor when reloading. Add in the fact that the default automatic weapon has only 10 rounds, you will be in for lots of rolls that get you into danger rather than otherwise. [/list] [h1]Verdict [/h1] [quote]Bunch of Boring Heroes is a lazy take on the L4D formula. It fails to give each character a solid identity, its gameplay is repetitive and uninspired, and the game balance is out to troll you. There are better co-op zombie shooters out there.[/quote] [b][/b]