
We Could Be Heroes is a retro style, action packed beat ‘em up in the style of classic 90s brawler arcade titles. Featuring 40 unique stages, destructible environments and brutal deaths. Become a hero and fight bad guys while stopping crimes and rescuing innocent civilians along the way.
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Experience a classic arcade style beat ‘em up, brought into the 21st century. Knock enemies into the background, or foreground. Protect innocent civilians, enter background shops and buildings and interact with the environment. Use an array of weapons and scenery to stop the city gangs.
We Could Be Heroes is a brutally graphic arcade style beat ‘em up and vast amounts of destruction.
Simon lives in Ultra City, the first privately owned city sold off by the government to benefit it’s citizens. The whole city has become one long crime scene with the elderly being robbed in broad daylight and drug dealers selling ‘Rev up’ on every corner. Enough is enough, if the police won’t stop the criminals, someone has to, someone has to be a hero.
There are 4 Chapters that can be played individually or as a continuous story featuring 40 different stages and 10 playable characters.
Simon works in the mailroom of a large corporation, in his spare time Simon studies Jeet Kune Do.
Mina has a 4th degree black belt in ITF Taekwondo and works as a full-time nurse.
Byron a hulk of a man who works as a labourer at a building site. He has trained in BJJ, Shuai Jiao and Sambo wrestling.
Penelope works as a waitress at Ultrabucks Coffee, she has studied Karate from the age of 5 and has recently started learning Wing Chun.
Each character has a unique feel and move set for the player to master.
Evolving story line with multiple paths to explore.
Stunning pixel art style mixed with 3D elements to create a unique style.
1 to 4 player co-op.
4 playable characters with varying fighting styles, many more to unlock.
Multiple areas to battle your way through.
Find weapons everywhere, from shop shelfs to dustbins and severed limbs, everything is a weapon.
Classic arcade beat-‘em-up gameplay with so many new mechanics.
Play as a hero, anti-hero or villain, you’re in game actions will determine you path.
Difficulty adjusts depending on player actions.
Mix moves and combos to create variations and keep your enemies on their toes.
Over 1000 unique enemies to beat each with their own personality.
Interact with innocents, save them from crimes, or leave them to their own fate, you decide.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English**languages with full audio support
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 40 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 40 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
While it might look a little rough on the outset, actually learning the mechanics of this game reveals one of the absolute most fun modern beat-em-ups I've ever played. Movement with the dash cancelling and combat feel unbelievably good and satisfying with all the moves and combo potential, and there are actually strategic reasons to use all the different moves depending on the situation. Also the big gimmick the game has with enemy corpses that permanently stay on the floor and the entire environment being destructible and made out of physics objects adds an incredible sandox of chaos and destruction that makes the relentless combat against ever escalating hordes of foes become a real spectacle. Incredible game.
Its fun but I'm finding it difficult to play for long sessions purely for the fact that you only have one life. There's no checkpoints, quicksaves or continues. You die, you restart. This is fine on paper I suppose (for a beat em up) but this game can get so chaotic that it's almost impossible to keep your health. Not to mention there's only 1 health pack per level and it heals you for a tiny amount. Anyways! Besides that, it's very fun. The ragdoll and insanely detailed destruction system is where the game shines. It surprisingly doesn't feel gimmicky, it still works as a solid beat em up despite all the chaos. The dev also promised 3 (or more) free DLC updates, which makes the future of this game very promising considering it already has a decent amount of content. Pros: + Fun chaotic gameplay + Overall good beat em up + Be a hero by defeating punks or a villain by killing everyone (including innocents) and your path will change depending on your actions. + Hundreds of weapons Cons: - Pricey (Though the dev promised free DLC so its not so much a con I guess) - Difficult - One Life only, dead is dead and you have to restart (an easy mode would be appreciated) - No super moves (I feel like this game needs it as its so chaotic and difficult when you get swarmed) - Music is super generic and repetitive - Buggy - Your character sometimes teleports when there's too destruction and enemies Overall, I recommend and I'm happy to support the dev. I hope he listens to the community and continues to develop the game.
I can't recommend this game. PROS - The concept is genius. - The ragdoll physics. - The gameplay loop could be gold if not... CONS ...Having terrible AI enemies - Too much enemies per stages, that drag.... drag...... and drag.... andoh it's not over yet here's another chapter of 0 fun. - Weapons make the fight completely unbalanced, pretty much everything also knock you down instantly so you'll pass more time not playing the game than actually playing it. - The AI aggro being instant at all reach on the map render the whole concept to nothing. The areas you fight in are completely useless, all the background items, objects, scenery, nothing is usefull, you fight 100 people that aggro you instantly in one spot, for a long boring, tedious fight then once it's over you walk pass the whole level and end the stage. There's absoluely no sense of progression. - The controls are buggy and each attempt to fix the fun ones that actually helps makes the game twice as much boring. - The difficulties are the same, play on easy or hard mode, you'll have the same experience. It's lazy gamedev at best. - The music is bad, i'm sorry. Having to play a terribly paced game doesn't help either repeating the short song loops over and over and over. - The price is higher than almost all modern beat 'em ups releases. It's insane. To me, personally, buzz or not, this game had huge potential when i tried the demo. It had that lightning in the bottle aspect but all the negatives attach and mix together to deliver a terrible experience in the end.
========= Overview ========= We Could Be Heroes is very much a Double Dragon inspired project in terms of combat but with its own unique spin. The game is promised to have more levels in upcoming free dlc chapters, one of which will be dropping next month. You play with 4 distinct characters (plus one unlockable) through 8 stages (per chapter) with a wide range of attacks and all of the environment at your disposal, something that surprisingly isn't done a lot in this genre. ============ Visual Shock ============ Pros: Simply put, the game looks like a Windows 98 game you bought at the thrift store because it looked very similar to that game Urkel played on Family Matters one time. If you're a milennial with nostalgia for games like space pinball and eggbert, then this game successfully appeals to your demographic. Cons: The camera tends to jank out at times in ways that don't add to the charm of the game. If you're not able to embrace dated graphics from before your time this ones not for you, whippersnapper. Presentation Score: 4/5 ============ Speed Shock ============ Pros: As mentioned above you start with 4 playable characters with their own distinct styles and a wide range of attacks. Simon a Jeet kun do, suit wearer Mina a Taekwondo, ass kicker Byron Grappler, hulk meets Uncle Phil Penelope Karate/Wing Chun gal, anime aesthetic and an unlockable 5th character Aunt Doris for a real challenge. Each of these characters have their own combat flow and require the usage of their movesets to get through the game on a 1cc. Combat when it works feels great, attacks hit hard and knock enemies into each other and most things feel responsive. Pacing for the first chapter is also good and doesn't overstay its welcome, under an hour playthrough, maybe grazing an hour at worst. When we say everything is at your disposal we really mean it! chairs, tables, trash cans, trash bags, car pieces etc etc. 99% of the things in front of you can be destroyed and used as a weapon Cons: The game is extremely buggy due to all of what can be done above and sometimes the items get in the way of the combat both in blocking your movement and interupting your throw moves. hit detection could use a lot of work and adjustments, some things just don't land when they should and vice versa, some things hit when they shouldn't. general movement also has issues at times when trying to move in other directions and getting up from the ground. Gameplay Score: 3/5 ============ Sound Shock ============ Pros: This game really shines here, meaty hit effects, short but funny dialogue and butt rock for you to enjoy with your ears and brain area. It's just that good. Cons: There are some things like the crosswalk alarm sound that makes you want to rub your face on sand paper so we can't give a full 5 out of 5, yet. Audio Score: 4/5 ============ Score Shock ============ Price recommendation: While I can't immediately say buy this at full price ($25) with promises of free dlc that will extend the games level and possible updates to the games combat, it will be worth the price all things considered. Final thoughts: This game is extremely fun. If you're the type who wants a more grounded gameplay experience with simple straightforward controls and you're willing to overlook dated visuals (better yet enjoy them) we recommend this one. With some patches to the combat this can be a very solid entry to the genre. For Cebcode's first game it's not too Shabby. Overall Score: 4/5 Rank: Peak Kusoge ❤️
Vinssou's character reminds me of Jean-Claude Van Damme. is this a coincidence or were you inspired by the films of the 90s? Do you remember the movie "Double Impact"? This is one of the best films with Jean Claude Van Damme.
No tutorial. Clunky controls. Too many enemies. It seems We Could Be Heroes was designed for a full party of 4 players who know all the controls and mechanics in advance. A highlight of the game is that there's plenty of destructible objects. This is immediately counteracted by the karma system which punishes you for 'property damage' if you destroy objects. That's like if you had to pay your opponents' medical bills if you defeat them with a weapon. Punishing players for using a mechanic will cause them to avoid using it. Enemies frequently move behind you, so the only reliable means of staying alive is to constantly run and dodge while using dash attacks. Bafflingly, in co-op there‘s forced friendly fire and you can’t revive your teammates. Health pickups are minimal and minor. Health is carried over across stages. In other words, the game encourages you to intentionally die after clearing a stage so you can start them with full health. I tried out We Could Be Heroes because it looked silly and fun. It turned out to be poorly designed and frustrating. The developer(s) need to learn from other beat-em-ups (like for instance, Castle Crashers which disables friendly fire outside of dedicated pvp and lets you revive teammates.)
For a game that's developed entirely by one person, this is an amazing and deep beat-em-up. Two chapters out so far, highly replayable dynamic combat. The amount of physics and destruction packed into this is stunning, the ability to use every piece of the environment as a weapon is so fun. I'm very much looking forward to the future chapters. This has about everything I'm looking for gameplay wise in a beat-em-up. It reminds me of The Warriors, River City Ransom, Fist Puncher. If you like those games, you'll probably enjoy the combat in this. The game's sense of humor is great. The voice acting is not professional, but it definitely sets a great tone. The violence is super fun, being able to chop people in half vertically and horizontally was a nice surprise. Decapitations, being able to use severed limbs as weapons, it's all very well thought out. I would like to see more defensive options in the gameplay though. A block, parry, something like that would add more depth to what is already a great and dynamic system. Additionally, maybe some power-ups or player character state changes that can mix up the speed, power, or moveset I think would be another great way to add some depth. That may or may not be what the developer is going for, but some gameplay modifiers or additional options to add to the fun wouldn't hurt. I hope there's more weapons and characters on the way. I think more content in general is what the game needs, but what all is there in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is so great. Keep up the good work! I'll keep coming back to this game for years to come, even just to play what's there again. BUY THIS GAME, IT'S SO FUN, SUPPORT THE DEV! This clearly took a lot of work and effort for one person, so I hope more people jump in on the fun. DON'T MISS OUT! Check out the demo if you're on the fence. To me, it's super worth the price point as a fan of beat-em-ups. It's like a big love letter to what's come before.
We Could Be Heroes is a brutal, stylish, and surprisingly deep beat-em-up that absolutely deserves a spot among the greats in the genre. What makes it stand out immediately is its physics-based combat—and it’s wild in the best way. You can throw enemies through windows, slam them into cars, or even hurl them into oncoming traffic. Objects in the environment break apart and can be used as weapons, which makes every level feel dynamic and reactive. There’s a great variety of playable heroes, each with distinct styles and combos. One standout is Byron, a massive bruiser who unleashes a savage set of power moves that feel like they’re straight out of a pro wrestling highlight reel. Combat is smooth but crunchy, and it gets extremely gnarly—in a fun, over-the-top way. We’re talking chainsaws, machetes, axes, even firearms—and yes, you can straight-up chop people in half. Visually, it nails a 90s retro vibe—think gritty arcade classics with a fresh coat of polish. The pixel art and level design show a ton of care and passion, and it’s clear that the developer is a true fan of the genre. You’ll notice clever environmental touches and a consistently high level of detail that many other games just skip. There are a lot of beat-em-ups being released lately, and honestly, many of them feel forgettable. We Could Be Heroes doesn’t. It’s stylish, fun, and absolutely stands out. And what’s even more impressive? This was made by a single developer. That fact alone blows my mind, given the depth, polish, and raw entertainment value this game delivers. If you’re into beat-em-ups—classic or modern—this is a must-play. And if you like supporting indie creators who pour their heart into what they do, even better.
I have been eyeballing this game ever since I played the demo. This game has the potential to be the best modern day beat em up. This is good ♥♥♥♥. The enemy design alone is great, there are knifes, guns, chainsaws and everything else in between. You can amputate enemies, throw them, and of course just straight beat the ♥♥♥♥ out of them. co-op is excellent to play with friends and family. It reminds me when I was a kid playing Streets of Rage 2 with my cousins. Every enemy has a name too, which is just excellent.
This game has true potential to be one of the greatest beat em ups of all time. The diverse enemies, the destructible elements (everything can be a weapon!) the smooth, brutal fighting styles of the main characters, the interactive backgrounds and fighting environments (kick someone thru a window!) and awesome bright visuals. I was thinking at first that one of the only things missing in the game play was a clear out move for when you get overwhelmed by a horde of bad guys, but the controls are so responsive and quick, with a little practice and timing, you can fight your way out of any swarm. As of now, there are only two chapters with eight stages each, but they get more savage, challenging and awesome as they go along. Get ready to knuckle up and be a hero.....if you could.
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Momentum
Pace estimated from the game's recent review growth (our daily snapshots) at its own sales-per-review ratio — a momentum signal, not booked sales.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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