Hero Emblems is an old school game packaged for the new school, and it’s awesome (review)

In an era of quickly-made freemium games that take all of half a braincell to play, Hero Emblems, created by Taiwan developer Heatpot Games, stands tall.

The puzzle RPG is similar to many that have begun to appear on app stores: a roleplaying game where players do battle on match-3 boards instead of with traditional turn-based attacks. Games like Boomzap Entertainment’s Super Awesome Quest and 9fury’s Heroes of Puzzle Adventure come to mind. But here’s why Hero Emblems is a cut above the rest.

How it works

There’s a full story in Hero Emblems, of four royal guardians journeying across the world in order to stop an encroaching evil. Progress in the game, and the plot, is tied to stages, which are finished by defeating enemies with the puzzle board.

The puzzle board operates on match-3 mechanics similar to Bejeweled. There are four different gems, or emblems, on it, to represent the four guardians. Each guardian has a special power: healing, defense, physical attack, or magical attack. Lining up three similar gems in a horizontal or vertical row deals a basic attack; lining up four produces a harder hit, and a stronger gem to use in your next match. Five in a row create the strongest gem in the game. There are also special patterns that produce gems that cast spells when matched up.

Enemies take damage depending on their properties; some enemies are immune to basic attacks, while some are immune to fire attacks. Stronger emblems and different spells can be bought as you progress through Hero Emblems.

Why it’s awesome

Hero Emblems costs US$4 (it’s now US$2.99, discounted for launch), and that’s a relatively high price for a mobile game. But what if I told you that for just US$4, you’ll get a full Japanese RPG experience worthy of any that you may have tried on the Nintendo 3DS, Playstation Vita, or Playstation 3?

Because Hero Emblems is a premium game, you’re able to experience the full story without any ads or in-app purchases. There’s just you, the guardians, and the game – and this intimate experience is something that even modern day AAA-standard video games have forgotten.

While the script isn’t the best-written, it characterizes everyone very well, and you’ll find yourself starting to understand each character despite the occasional cliche phrases they spout. You’ll also find yourself starting to care about this small, lovingly-created world and its inhabitants. You will play on because you want to find out what happens to them and how the story ends.

But a story alone does not make a game.

Gameplay that’s smart