One Way Heroics

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. -William Feather

***I would like to give a special thanks to Earl[33rd] for proof-reading this review and for initially presenting this title to me.

Developed by Indie studio Smoking WOLF and released on February 28, 2014, One Way Heroics (OWH) is a two-dimensional procedurally-generated roguelike in which an increasing threat of dark essence jeopardizes every individual in the expanse. You play as a custom character on a trek to defeat the Demon Lord, a powerful entity that imperils the world with the motivation toward total destruction. Before meeting the tendrils of corruption, the player must endure a certain distance-decided when choosing the various game settings-while destroying hostile creatures.

Here are a few items of interest within OWH:

Gameplay - Aside from other roguelikes, this title’s complexity is derived from its tactical display rather than gameplay, as One Way Heroics utilizes a turn-based approach to combat and item usage. Each in-game action made by the hero utilizes said turns, which advances the daunting foe. The term ‘turn-based strategy’ does not entirely cover this game’s spectrum, however, as every action, whether it be equipping a new weapon or item, or consuming a potion to gain back energy, summons evil one turn closer to the player’s character. Adding to the ominous theme, the darkness swallows the lands you have passed through, and the notification of non-player character deaths can be heard as they disappear into mist. Controls are rather simple on both keyboard and controller, but can be adjusted in the case that they feel awkward. Equipment can be modified within the menus to alter the method of play by adding boons to weapons and armor, but, as stated, this increases danger; these items are gained either as loot from defeated enemies or may be distributed throughout the map. With a high enough Charisma score, the player may also gain discounts from various shops and recruit non-player individuals to the party that will assist in combatting foes and leveling up.

Character Creation & Upgrades - Characters comprise of several customizable components, such as name, class, avatar, and perk and statistical preferences chosen by the player; perks may also grant players companions or other game modifications such as quicker swimming or improved unarmed damage. These adjustments allow the player to modify how they would like to play according to the class. Additional equipment may alter damage totals to enemies or reduce them toward the player’s character. Levelling up in OWH operates in a similar way to other titles, as it improves the character’s base statistics depending on which class was chosen.

Unlockables - Depending on how far the player’s character progresses in the campaign, a number of Hero Points are rewarded to the player to purchase game augments. These modifications increase the amount of content usable by the player, such as said hero classes, perks-with selections for both combat and other skills-, and expanding what’s known as the Dimensional Vault: an item-storage system in which adventurers may donate a number of items from preceding generations to the next living hero. This expands play so that the entire game is not just an uphill battle with no reward when so close to the resolve, but rather contains encouragement toward progression.

TL:DR - One Way Heroics is a fun, simple, and rewarding title with incentive to advance toward the Demon Lord time and time again. There is a great amount of challenge involved in this title, but does not evoke frustration due to its Hero Point system. Though the accolade of defeating the ultimate evil may not be reached every time, the journey is a fantastic ride filled with choice, vicious battle, and sacrifice. I highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys roguelikes and simple roleplaying mechanics. This game has a great deal of replayability, and I hope you enjoy upon purchase. Thanks for reading.

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Originally posted November 28, 2015. Last edited May 1, 2018.