88 heroes is a fun and witty platformer which is obsessed with the number 8. It features a humongous roster of 88 heroes and features a villain called Dr H8.
Author: Abhigyan (BANNED from SoQ)
Steam: Released
Genre: Action
Developer: Bitmap Bureau
Publisher: Rising Star Games
Release Date: 24 Mar, 2017
Type: Single-player
Gameplay
The basic premise of 88 Heroes is that Dr H8 has demanded 88 octillion dollars to be delivered to him within 88 seconds or he will launch 88 warheads towards the world. The obsessive nature with the number 8 also reflects in the achievements present within the game and shows how much the developers have nailed the 8 concept.
88 Heroes then puts you in the boots of one of the 88 heroes who have exactly 88 seconds to reach the end of the stage and save the day. Quite a lot of these 88 heroes are based on famous cultural references like 0088, a direct replica of agent 007 james bond who shoots and jumps accurately while holding a dirty martini in one hand. Gonan is based on Conan the barbarian and is a brute who is able to force its way through the stages. Other than these, there are various other bizarre characters who have enough abilities to make them stand out on their own.
When you are starting a stage, you need to test out a character before going through with him. Some like Gonan are purely offensive while many are completely defensive. Some of them are versatile but need some practicing and dying to master them.
There is a somewhat steep curve which comes in whenever you’re playing with a new character and while you will play with your character quite some times, there is always that prospect of trying out an entirely new character and seeing what new he holds within him.
The platforming is solid and there is little error in the ways each character controls. If you are one of the completionist then you will have a field day in trying out the characters and mastering them. The game is quite difficult and you will die a lot in the process of trying to get through the game.
Another plus point was the fact that the game felt incredibly polished. A couple of clippings here and there but those did not persist and there was certainly nothing game breaking. I did not experience any crashes or freezes and was able to enjoy my sessions without any hitch.
Visuals
The game plays with the perspective of Dr H8 who is overseeing the action unfold. It is different from a lot of the generic 2D platformers and makes 88 heroes stand out. The animations are fluid and there is a rich amount of detail present in each stage. The character designs are also done very well and they all stand out from each thanks to the amount of work put into their sprites. Overall, it is a very neat package.
Sound
88 Heroes features a soundtrack which is heavily inspired from retro games but it does nothing new to stand out. It was good enough that I was humming along with it while playing but it did not leave a lasting impression on me. The voice acting and random sound effects are done all right but overall it is very average as a package.
Overall
88 Heroes is a solid 2D platformer whose huge roster helps it stands out from many other games of the same kind. The number of characters helps making the game replayable and there is an odd charm present throughout the game. If you are looking for a new action 2D platformer with 88 doses of humour, you might want to give 88 Heroes a try.
RATING:
