The Hero Unmasked!

[i]Perched on top of the steeple of All Saints Cathedral, you can see most of the city spread out around you. Caledon City. Your city. You know exactly what you have to do.[/i] You know, I cannot call myself a huge fan of superheroes – I do not know the whole Marvel and DC universe, I do not have any action figurines lining my shelves (well, except for some anime ones, but that is a completely different thing), and I have never imagined being one myself. Still, breathtaking adventures in the name of justice light some hidden fire inside of my heart. The Hero Unmasked! was on my wishlist for some time, and I am extremely grateful that CoG provided me with a copy for the review. As it turned out, this action-packed story was exactly what I needed to get some quality rest during these hot summer holidays! [h1]My thoughts about the game[/h1] If you have already played Heroes Rise, another superhero title by CoG, you are most probably concerned that The Hero Unmasked! might be just a copycat – after all, both of them are about superheroes saving the day, right? But fear not, my friend! These two stories are nothing alike and have their own unique motives. First things first, what about the story? You will step into the shoes of a famous journalist who hosts the hottest show on TV. Your city is famous for its criminal activities and cunning villains, but the brightest star is the superhero called Swashbuckler. A charmer, a fighter, and just a generally good person with a great smile and a light sword. After one particularly active evening that involved an attack on your TV station and a close meeting up with Swashbuckler, you wake up in the morning to see news about…you being kidnapped and kept hostage until the city pays a hefty amount of money?! What on earth is going on here! Oh, have I forgotten to mention that you have a twin sibling? And that this very person IS the real Swashbuckler? Well, now it is up to you to take his role and find out who is plotting against you and the city. And do not forget about your wedding with the charming mayor! If you have not guessed yet, there will be a lot of action and investigation to experience. The best part is that all of this is spiced up with a healthy dose of romance – you can fall in love with a fiery villain, a mysterious vampire and a beautiful journalist. Or just stay loyal to your fiancé/ fiancée, right? The storytelling is well-paced, so you will not fall asleep between scenes. You will also get enough time to set up your character, starting from skills and ending with general behavior. Your choices do matter, though not all of them are quite obvious or meaningful. However, I always knew what to do and how to use my best qualities at the right time. Speaking about characters, I easily remember all the major ones because all of them are quite different. My main complaint is that some romantic interests have fixed genders. For example, I was keen on flirting with a vampire, only to find out that this is a woman. I am only interested in male partners and the same goes for my characters and their beloved ones, so I was at least a bit disappointed. Still, this is just a minor complaint as there are other great people to romance. Another important note: I would love to see more parts about my character’s sibling. There was just one childhood memory, and then a personal meeting closer to the end of the story. I do understand that he/she is supposed to be exactly like me not only appearance-wise, but I still wish there were more interactions between siblings. The setting is quite unusual. In addition to the common superhero tropes, there is also a lot of crazy science and magic – and not just some tricks, but actual magic with teleportation, zombies and other cool stuff. I should mention that I found endings really satisfying. I saw consequences of my actions and how they changed the city. The epilogue had several additional choices to make, which helped to shape final bits of my superhero adventure. It took me about 7 hours go through the story once; and I am planning at least several more playthroughs to see all possible outcomes. And a very small but pleasant feature: I liked the overall newspaper-like design of chapters and their headlines. [h1]Would I recommend this game?[/h1] As I have already said, I really enjoyed my experience with The Hero Unmasked!. Even though I cannot say that this story is something extraordinary, there are some good plot twists and engaging scenes. I was emotionally invested in my character all the way through and I had a lot of fun exploring various choices. Yes, there are small flaws here and there and I would not mind more background for both my character and other people, but all in all, The Hero Unmasked! is a complete adventure worth spending time and money on. Hm, and maybe there will also be a sequel? There were some small hints in one of the ending, so… [h1][url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32296668-Casual-Game-Reviews/] More reviews on our Curator Page[/url][/h1]

Well, at first I'm annoyed that it's another super hero themed one, since it gets old fast, but I'm pleasantly surprised that it's actually pretty good. your actions have consequences on the ending that you can't predict without playing through the story once, and different stats actually do different things without one being more important than the other. and although it's light on the relationship side, I'd still recommend it for pretty much anyone.

If you like CYOA games AND have the patience to read something for once in your life, then get this game lol I really liked the story and the characters but if I were to compare this to other super hero CYOA games like the Heroes Rise series, then it's just as good. I'd like to see some sort of sequel to this story if possible. Some people might not like these type of games because it's all text and there's no "graphics" involved. But you give these types of games a chance then you won't be disappointed. Let your imagination run wild with the choices you make in game.

Когда я видел анонс этой игры на официальном форуме, я был в предвкушении. Несмотря на то, что это "очередная история про супергероев", как некоторые возмущаются, эта игра представляла интерес как нечто свежее. Ведь в анонсе протагонист представлялся как журналист, который наблюдает за супергеройскими разборками со стороны, а не участвует в них. Жизнь обычного человека в не совсем обычных условиях - это казалось интригующим и достаточно новым сюжетом. Когда игра вышла, я не читал никаких анонсов и описаний, чтобы избежать спойлеров (в описаниях они бывают слишком часто). И сюжет оказался не совсем тем, что я ожидал изначально. Это не упрёк в сторону "неправильного" анонса. Никаких упрёков и ничего неправильного не было. Я просто говорю об ощущениях, что у меня возникали тогда. Игра оказалась интересной, новой и интригующей, хотя и в другом плане. Крайне много вариантов отыгрыша. Серьёзно, тут возможны самые разные подходы и характеры. Это интересно. Я даже сейчас не уверен какая концовка мне нравится больше. Не говоря уже о многочисленных интересных и смешных моментах на протяжении всего сюжета. Определённую интригу для меня создал элемент неподготовленности к происходящему. Протагонист втянут в происходящее не по своей воле и совершенно не готов к испытаниям, что сваливаются на него. Из-за этого у меня (примечание: я обычно очень вживаюсь в персонажей, которых отыгрываю) было сильное ощущение бессилия и беспомощности. Не из-за провалов, а просто из-за осознания того, что это не то, что мой персонаж учился делать. Именно из-за отсутствия какой-либо физической и моральной подготовки протагониста у меня сложилось это давящее чувство грядущих неприятностей и большого разочарования для всех. Но скажу честно: если грамотно оперировать своими способностями, то можно избежать любых проблем. Хотя не всегда стоит делать свои навыки ориентиром в принятии решений. Лучше поступать "как велит сердце", а не доверять всё статистике и логике. Так история будет гораздо жизненнее и интересней. Ну и у меня есть личная слабость к темам про семью и в частности братские отношения. Так что эта игра задела кое-каие струны у меня в душе. Но это субъективное, просто игнорируйте.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 589: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10) Before there was [i]Fallen Hero[/i] ("FH"), there was [i]The Hero Unmasked![/i] I don't mean to compare the two to bring either game down; no, I want to point out the similarities between the two. While [i]The Hero Unmasked![/i] is FH's older, happier brother; both games feature superheroes and villains, focus on duplicity, and well. Accept a player who believes in Hoe-ism™️ I want to gaslight and romance all the characters I can, basically. And that's what this game does! [i]The Hero Unmasked![/i] has a fun, bold set-up. You're a simple civilian—except you work for a famous TV show, and you're engaged to marry a mayor, who is quite literally the perfect spouse. However, some super bad dudes capture the city's greatest hero, the Swashbuckler, and reveal their identity. The Swashbuckler, to your shock, is actually your twin sibling! Well, plot twist to the plot twist: because you guys are ~so~ similar, everyone thinks your sibling is you. As a result, you're forced to take up their mantle and go along with the charade, so no one knows the all-mighty Swashbuckler has been kidnapped by some losers. It's a silly premise that somehow works, and Christopher Huang adds great romance, humor, and surprisingly deep player reactivity to pull the whole thing together. I'm so grateful to the staff for giving me a review copy. [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅[b] Humor.[/b] I haven't quite figured out how to describe humor besides "funny." But [i]Unmasked![/i] is funny in a stupid way, I suppose? It leans into all the superhero tropes with kind of a wink to the audience—this is silly, but go with it. There are some good one-liners or cracks. It's purposefully unbelievable. Like, for example, since you're not as famous as your spouse, you'll need correct a misspelling of your name. I put in "Kate," as usual, only to see the misspelling: "Kater." Ugh, these plebs. On the next page, you get to choose a name for your sibling. One of the default names is the mispelled name: "Kater." So, the narrative says in-universe that people mistake you for your sibling. Of course, they get your last name right, a spelling similar to "Wojnoweski." For some reason, this cracked me up—that the author would code an additional "r" to your correct name, then [i]give[/i] that misspelling as the name of your sibling. But of course, the long and confusing last name is spelled perfectly. So, yeah, meet me, Kate, and my sister, Kater. Totally normal and cool. ✅[b] ROs.[/b] I will be totally honest, once I saw that the MC was engaged, I added the game to my wishlist. They are quite literally the perfect, ideal spouse. It's rare for IF to have such a set relationship. But no worries! For those who choose chaos, there's also a charming, sharp female journalist, a male fiery (literally!) anti-hero, and a freakin' lady vampire. Which leads me to my next pro ... ✅[b] Player choice.[/b] You are engaged, but does that stop you from flirting with other ROs? Not ... necessarily :) Let's just say I was amused when I took a peek into the code, and there was an INFIDELITY variable. Of course, what goes around, comes around. So let's just say if you treat your fiancée like trash, that's going to be reflected in the narrative :) There's also great player choice when you're masquerading as the Swashbuckler. You'll meet new and familiar faces, and you can decide if you want to reveal your identity or not. Additionally, when facing off with mega villains, there are a couple of different ending options for each villain! You can get your butt kicked, kick butt, or even get kidnapped yourself . . . ✅[b] Investigative gameplay.[/b] I was surprised by this portion of the game! Your sibling will drop hints about who the big, bad villain is. You will investigate the turf and/or lair of three potential suspects. Of course, it's not as easy as just walking into Evil Casino #1 and asking for proof of villainy. No, for one sense, you're investigating a suspicious church. Do you follow the trail of the money? Shake up common thugs? Intimidate one of the members? It was a neat addition! [b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b] 🟥[b] Length.[/b] I want to be clear, I don't think the game is rushed at all. The pacing is quite tight, and there's some dabbling in romance, gameplay, and character customization. I was quite happy with my playthrough. However, I think there's a ton of untapped potential. [spoiler]What's going to happen with the president? How does the MC react to the melding of brains? How was our relationship with our sibling? How can the MC balance civilian and superhero life? Can I get a real, normal damned wedding with the mayor?![/spoiler] 🟥 [b]N-no sequel? [/b]:( [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2]YouTube channel[/url] for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

Don't be alarmed by the number of hours. I enjoy "Hero Unmasked" so much I re-play it occasionally. It may be my favorite CYOA game on Steam. The length is perfect: not short enough to feel rushed and not too long so it feels like a slog to get through. Unlike many CYOA games the choices are well written so you know which one fits what you want to do. The game comes with a built-in romance (the Mayor) which you can set the intensity of, or ignore completely if you wish. To be honest, I haven't tried any other path but the "we are very much in love" tone for the Mayor romance because it is so satisfying through the story. Your mileage may vary, if you choose something else. Hint: If you want a HAPPY ending in Mayor romance, DO NOT talk to the Mayor at the Society Garden Party. Recommended if you like this kind of stuff.

Несмотря на то, что половина сюжета рассказана в описании, эта текстовая игра еще способна удивить.

When it comes to Super Hero stories you often feel that youve seen or read it all, well I'm here to tell you that you would be wrong! This is a well crafted, well written and charecterised tale with a well executed premise. Naturally, as with all the "Choice" games you are given the ability ot craft the charecter's deicisions to your hearts content... So naturally I tried to seduce everything that moved for the sake of anarchy; a decision that eventuated with.... *ehem* interesting results shall we say. >.> I often find "Choice" games to be hit or miss but this is certainly a hit; with a quality of writting that is reminisant of The Heroes Rise games; if not just in theme but quality as well.

I wouldn't necessarily not recommend this title its a perfectly fine COG product, but something just didn't click for me with this story. It's a pretty good length and its a nice spin to the typical superhero storyline that gets churned out where you're forced to become a hero rather than training your whole life to be one. However, I just couldn't connect to the characters at all. I know it's vital for the plot that you're set to marry the mayor in two weeks, but I don't like being forced into having Fallout 4 type beginning where I have to be close to a character I know nothing about and expect to feel something for them when they're in trouble. Sure, you get to develop that relationship further down the road if you really want to, but it doesn't seem as organic to me as having a clean slate approach to romance would feel. Also some characters just don't seem that interesting I don't feel a strong urge to get to know many of them. I didn't really like the lack of [spoiler]chilldhood flashbacks to your life with your twin either. I know they're family so you're supposed to feel some sort of connection to them automatically, but I found it hard to even care about my twin because all you get is one flashback that barely shares anything besides that your parents split you up and that you're both talented and introduces a later character.[/spoiler] The ending felt a bit rushed and I was able to predict who the big bad was going to be way before the story neared it's end. For 7 dollars I just expected it to be better compared to some cheaper titles I've played from the series that are not only longer, but more attention-grabbing and more interesting.

Pros: -customizing your hero's morals and abilities -really appreciated that most abilities will improve over time, too many CYOA stories shift your abilities wildly after each choice. -unravelling the mystery -choosing between what you want to do and what you need to do to keep your identity a secret. -good romance options -interesting achievements Cons: -I found some of the dialogue, especially near the end, pretty cheesy and forced. -There are moments were you get out of a situation, because of your high ability score. BUT the explainations are kinda lazy and not entertaining. Overall: -It had some good ideas and was fun at times, but there was never any gut punches that really drew me into the story. Some choices I expected the writing to be better. You keep waiting for these moments to pop up, but they really let you down. I'd only recommend getting it if you're really into superheros and it's on sale.