In Disney Heroes, you are thrown straight into the gameplay with what feel likes a refreshingly short introduction for a RPG game. The game begins with Ralph and Vanellope discussing whether or not they should try out a new game that is in beta; you are then sucked into ‘the digital world’ and the story instantly begins with Mrs Incredible needing help to battle what appears to be a bunch of Disney villains and Mr Incredible.
Disney Heroes is a graphically pleasing game that manages to create a sense of Disney realism created with their Wreck it Ralph film. Text appears on the screen in what can only be described as arcade style and is clear to read. The music is fitting for the style of gameplay and reminds you of being at an arcade, but quickly becomes boring due to the limited number of tracks. You find yourself turning your phone to mute so that you don’t have to listen to the same tune on repeat.[sc name=”quote” text=”You find yourself turning your phone to mute so that you don’t have to listen to the same tune on repeat.”]
At the end of each level you receive rewards including hero XP, items, badges, gold and a mysterious white symbol that represents something that you’re collecting, but its actual meaning is anyone’s guess. Badges can be equipped to characters but, in keeping with the first part of the game, you are not told why this is important and are left wondering why you should even bother with the extra clicks involved with this process.
The biggest disappointment with the game is the battles themselves; when downloading a game that has ‘battle mode’ in the title you expect to be battling other characters and have complete control over each battle but… this is not the case.
You pick from your list of heroes who you would like to take part, and then everything else seems to happen on autopilot mode. Your chosen characters battle the enemies automatically and you are just left sitting and watching. You can see as each character takes a hit and loses health but ultimately this means nothing when you are not an active part of the battle.[sc name=”quote” text=”You can see as each character takes a hit and loses health but ultimately this means nothing when you are not an active part of the battle.”]
Each hero does have their own superpower and, when a blue ring around their picture starts to shine you can click on them and they will perform their special ability,y but with no information about what these powers do, leaving you with a lack of control and general ambivalence as to what’s going on.
To truly add insult to injury, your hero’s health during battles seems to be of very little importance. Even if a hero does die during battle the rest of their party will pick up the pieces and the only ramification is that, at the end of the battle, you are only awarded two stars rather than three. However, since stars seem to mean nothing there is no reason to care about this.
If you’re looking for a game that involves actually battling against evil villains and deciding your characters every move then don’t consider Disney Heroes. However, if you want to sit back and watch while you’re favourite Disney characters battle it out with super villains then this is just the app for you.
[review pros=”Very attractive Disney designs.” cons= “Complete and total lack of control over battles. Everything feels confusing and frustrating.” score=3]
[appbox appstore id1327925104]
[appbox googleplay com.perblue.disneyheroes]
