You might know Kotaku regular FatShady for his insatiable love of Trials HD and, by association, the game’s creators RedLynx. 1000 Heroz is the latest game by RedLynx and FatShady, as you might expect, has been putting ponderous hours into this bad boy. This is his reader review.
And the best reader review each month wins a Blu-ray pack courtesy of Madman.
Take away FatShady.
1000 Heroz
1000 Heroz is an entirely new game for the iPhone/Touch and iPad created by Redlynx (Trials HD, Monster Truck Nitro, Draw Race). The basic premise of this game is to take your playable character from the start of the level to the end as quickly as possible. Daily and Overall leaderboards will have you coming back to gain ultimate (albeit short lived) bragging rights amongst your fellow gamers. Each day you have stars to collect (based on beating set times) and you will unlock a new ‘relic’, each with its own humorous back story. Late comers to the series will also be able to go back and collect any of these items at any point in the future.
Loved
Value for money: A new gaming experience, every day for 1000 days (that’s right, almost 3 years) for little more than a dollar!
Art style: I was actually really surprised by how much I liked the look of this game. In the pre-release trailer, I was not impressed but have since fallen in love with this little world. It just charms the pants off you (if you were wearing pants to begin with).
Gameplay: On first play-through, the controls are simplistic (forward, back and jump) and the characters are floaty and top-heavy. If you only played this once it would be easy to pass judgement without actually realising the depth that is available using these simple controls. Timing, momentum and even the duration of button presses all combine to form a tight platformer/racer that will satisfy even the most hardcore speed-runners. The good news is that the barrier to entry is very low so even complete noobs will be able to hit the ground running (so to speak).
Competition: The cornerstone of this franchise is the competition between players. A new track is unlocked every day for 24 hours only. There will be a daily leaderboard that tracks your progress throughout the day but at the end of the day, the leaderboard is closed and will never be updated. Your place is etched in stone for all eternity. A new track is unlocked for the following day and competition starts all over again. There is even an ability to set up a custom league so you can see a ‘friends only’ leaderboard.
Casper: Well it’s just a ghost but I can name him, why not? The game features a ghost of your personal best time on each track. It looms just above your head on every play taunting you with your own prior brilliance. This is like a delicious carrot dangled before you on each and every attempt, urging you to improve. It does not judge you for failing, but it will not wait for you either.
Pick up and Play: One of the absolute best aspects of this game is the pick up and play nature of it. A single run through the days level will take under 20 seconds. It is possible to play this once and then put it down, without forgoing the possibility of a top score or game progression. It is because of this that you will find yourself picking this up for ‘one more try’ throughout the day, paying close attention to the ever present countdown clock that symbolises the end of a competitive day. I have played this game while driving stopped at traffic lights, while in the bathroom, while in bed when I should be sleeping and during teleconferences for work where I should have been paying much more attention. It is hugely addictive, especially if you have a few friends constantly taunting each other.
Hated
The frustration: If you want to get good at this game, be prepared to work for it. Getting to the end of the track is not actually difficult. Beating your friends times is another matter altogether. If you have excess bubble wrap, I suggest either wrapping your iOS device, or your playspace (you choice) in it to avoid expensive rage quit incidents.
Lack of replays or tutorials: With global leaderboards, it is easy to find out how fast the top players are completing the tracks. But as there is no replay system, you are normally at a complete loss to figure out how they did it. While it can be frustrating, one of the great things about this game is that you are really competing against yourself. The leaderboard allows you to show off, but this is more about a personal journey of discovery and improvement. It is then all the more rewarding when you figure out a new technique or improve upon your best time.
1000 HEROZ is truly innovative, with a unique model for delivering new content on a daily basis. As a result, it’s the type of game that you will get a huge amount of replay value out of. Considering the shovelware that is available on the app store at the same price point, this is a stand out game and I will strongly reccomend that you give this one a go. I can also confirm that background music is allowed. Why some apps stop you from accessing your own music is beyond me!
This game was reviewed on an iPhone 4. Played the first 2 days’ tracks (and spent over 5-6 hours playing including over 2000 level restarts!).
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