The Hero Project: Redemption Season

This game should have been good, but it buries itself with it's author's hamfisted attempts to make social justice commentary. The issue isn't necessarily that this stuff is there, it's that you are forced to agree with the author's perspective on these issues, which is unsatisfying in a game supposed to be about choice. Check out his earlier work instead.

This game could have been awesome but was too stuck on identity politics and representation and activism over story and character and roleplaying. I loved the previous Heroes Rise trilogy because while LGBT stuff was included, it was just an element and not the overwhelming focus of every non-combat scene and every dialogue option. The game really pushes this political activism stuff not only from the NPCs but your character is strongarmed into embodying it as well. At first you're given some options to say "I don't care about this stuff I just want to take care of my family" but as the game goes on your character is forced to "realize they were wrong" and start pushing identity politics activism. There is a part where you have to choose between two characters to vote out and one of them was the dreaded handsome white male while the other was a non-binary, overweight (in human form), human/zombie/werewolf vampire and I thought the non-binary character was an overly hostile jerk who provoked and judged people for no reason so I voted "ze" out. The game went out of my way to tell me at every turn that I was wrong for doing so (not by making the other guy do something evil or by revealing I had been tricked or something but by straight up telling me I had made the "wrong" choice). I was not allowed to choose my character's motivation for this vote. It was defaulted in his thoughts to "I was too scared to stand up for underrepresented rights." It's a real shame since there are some genuinely interesting characters under all that such as the MC's sister and a plot that has the potential to be interesting. I want to love this like I loved the previous games, I replayed it today because I heard there would be a conclusion coming out but I had forgotten just how hamfisted it was.

I remember playing this one long ago and this review comes long overdue ever since I finished my playthrough a couple years ago. A lot of other users have already summed up the game quite well, therefore I'm only gonna summarize the main flaws of the game: - Zach Sergi injecting his personal political opinions heavily into the writing - Player is forced to become an SJW, as trying to stay out of it in any way earns a "Game Over" - Player's powers constantly and uncontrollably shift for a rather vague reason that isn't explained terribly well (again, to reinforce the author's emphasis on social justice because this new player character [hereafter referred to as PC] is "non-binary") - A lot of the characters are pretty forgettable, as the author intentionally forced them into different categories in order to usher the PC into a social cause (eliminating the option to avoid all the political drama). The only somewhat interesting character is written off just as things looked like they were getting good. Apparently, as one user commented, Sergi isn't receptive to criticism. What made Heroes Rise interesting to read through was because of the focus on doing heroic deeds while managing relationships on the side and putting political issues in the background (which didn't really affect the story in any major way). The Hero Project is one boring, in-your-face SJW exposition rather than an actual story about a noble personal quest. Not really expecting Open Season (the next chapter) to have much improvement if at all, seeing as how Sergi seems to ignore any criticism.

Damnit sergi y must u make me beat up monk waifu for this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Props for making my 3 game prodigal crush tragedy into a souless mechip that i could never interact with, forever tormenting me about their death. Theres litterally two pathways. "Be the LGBTQQIP2SAA ambassador with ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ powers" Or "Go back into the closet." Ideally I would have went the route of "I'm only doing this for my beloved sister" Like some Lelouch Code Geass ♥♥♥♥, but following that path will accomplish nothing and actually decreases your relationship stat with your jelly sis. At least playing the villain in the original Hero Project was fun, here your "Villain" route is litterally just being some shy crossdressing twink who doesn't want the world to know his feelings. There was always a.. Hint of this, Sergei, and I respected that, but you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crossed the line. It's okay, I'm not really expecting much anymore, the inital series was great and at least this is cheaper than Exodus, but its not feeding my nostalgia, its fighting it off into a bush with a rake.

The writer still has a good sense of humour and can create memorable, relatable characters. However, I gave up on this one half-way through because too much of content seems like it would be more at home in a blog about gender identity and social issues to the extent that it completely overshadows the plot and prevents you from feeling in control of your character. Heroes Rise (the writer's previous series) did a better job of keeping a balance and letting you play the way you wanted to, especially in its latter instalments.

The original trilogy was great but this my god it's cancer ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ terrible so preachy and overly politcal and filled with so much SJW cancer it makes me want to drink bleach.

This is the first time I've written a review for a game on Steam, but I just wanted to chime in about The Hero Project. I enjoyed the first trilogy, and I like Redemption Season so far as well. I want to encourage the writers and developers to keep on 'keepin' on' with this series. Pros: I enjoy the fact that you can carry over your character choices from game to game, and I like the fact that you can see the results of the first trilogy's events played out in Redemption. I like the stat system and mechanics as well as the fact you don't have to grind stats as you do in some novel-style games. The plot and setting are engaging, and the concept sparks my interest. I picked up a Danielle Steele novel the other day and found it remarkably boring compared to the action-packed writing you have here, which could either be a testiment to the game's good writing or a reflection of my own warped taste. The concept behind the reader's character (their powers and background story) is interesting for me. I am a long-time fan of choose your own adventure stories. I like being in control of the story's direction. Plus, it's like getting a bunch of different books all in one package. I am pleased to see that the reality show producers are evolving as characters as well and have bigger goals, nobler purpose and more of a vision for the show than just to get the biggest ratings for the bang, so to speak. (I also like to see their failures and backfires and how they are learning from them.) Even though I'm a pretty straight shooter when it comes to my romances, I like to see that this game has options, and a ton of them, for whatever orientation floats your boat. Cons: It's tough that you can't save and need to take the consequences of your choices (or accidental clicks) or start over, especially for someone like me who ends up duffing romance options because I'd rather save the world and succeed my way without compromising to accomodate the demands of a potential dating prospect. (Hope I didn't ruin my chances with Weaver because I voted one of his contestants off.) There is a some heavy-handed material in this novel about social inequalities, discrimination and activism. Folks who like to read fantasy/sci fi to get away from politics may want to steer clear. I don't mind it too much. Sometimes it gets a little 'in your face', but there are some good questions and points raised by the characters about these issues that could reflect on the issues of today. I would hate to see this trilogy evolve into a social studies lesson about human rights however. My preference is to keep those issues relevant, but not overshadowing the heroic adventures of the protagonist him/her/hir self. If the foreshadowing is any indication, however, it looks like the story may shift its focus soon anyhow. Neither good nor bad: This series, as the trilogy before it, forces you to make tough choices. There were times where I just couldn't decide what to do and had to leave the game for a while to think about it before coming back with my decision. The consequences can be dramatic to the story and there's no going back except to start over, and I'm too cheap to spring for the hint MeChip thingy. I like stories that make you think. It drives me bonkers when the consequences take the story in a direction I sincerely wish it hadn't, or come up with an ending I find disappointing because I made that one choice way back 25 choices ago. Overall, I liked it, though. I like the characters. Some are flat and predictable, but some have unexpected surprises and layers of depth you weren't expecting until you choose to get to know them. It makes me want to use whatever system/software they're using to create my own adventures. The game itself is not that expensive, but I waited until it went on sale on Steam and picked it up. It cost a heck of a lot less than a book at the bookstore, and I feel I definitely got my money's worth. So thanks, creators and writers! Please continue to improve your stories and enhance your writing style. I, for one, want to see what happens next.

As other reviewers suggest, this is probably the most "politically charged" book of the series. I won't spoil the story, but let's just say that sometimes this feels a bit too forced. It's also the one that features the least amount of fighting, focusing more on the state of the depicted world. In addition, the ending does not solve the majority of the plot points and (minor spoiler)[spoiler]finishes with a cliffhanger[/spoiler]. In my opinion, this is probably the weakest entry of the series. That's not to say it's a bad title, however. I'm looking forward to the sequel. Overall rating: 6.0/10

Having played countless hours of the Heroes Rise series, Redemption Season came as somewhat of a tonal shock. The second game of the series was fantastic, and the reality show design works wonderfully with the choice-of-games format. However, this addition to the series feels like a weird copy-paste of that game with some strange political spin. The previous series tackled standing up for your poor neighborhood and the misunderstood anipowered as a side-plot, where this game has this weird message about how media underrepresentation leads to terrorism, and that the media is truly at fault. I'm serious, it's not subtext either, it is spelled out over and over again. We're not even given many examples -of- the prejudice, just told it exists. Besides the ani-powered prejudice, none of the other prejudices were ever even mentioned in the previous three games. If fans of Heroes Rise chose not to play this game, they would not be missing anything they haven't seen before beyond some truly strange political allegory that even supporters of said viewpoints will find tackily presented.

-I really wanted to like this. Heroes Rise is one of my favorite CYOA games, but I couldn't bring myself to finish Redemption Season. It's just so boring. The Good -Interesting premise. You play as a new character, who is ani-powered. Fans of the first trilogy will remember these are the outcast powereds. Deals with the social issues of being ani-powered. Has the makings of a Magneto-like character. -You're trying to win the favor of this mysterous healer-type character to help your sister. For unknown reasons, the healer wants you to do well in the Hero Project. Healer will provide secrets to aid you in the competition. -You usually have 3-6 good options, makes it hard to decide what to choose. -There are references to your decisions from the 1st trilogy, and the consequences of those decisions. The Bad -The mechip warning system. It's so annoying and unnecessary. In the first trilogy you could customize it with a unique personality. It would fill you in on the lore and immerse you in the story. In this game it just makes wisecracks that aren't even funny. -So much text and fewer choices than in previous trilogy. You have to get through walls of text, then when you finally get to make a choice it has no effect on the game. -Story can get depressing, and coupled with fewer choices it can feel like you're not doing anything to change that. -Surprised by how slow paced this was compared to the author's other works. Reads like a first draft. -I quit when I "unlocked a new character". Suddenly you're playing this other character, who makes decisions that affect your character's stats. It was just so jarring, weird, confusing, unnecessary, and didn't work for me. Final Verdict -I would not recommend this. Although it references the 1st trilogy, it does not continue the story. It's a new story set in the same universe, you don't need to play it.