Deuce Traveler of the RPG Codex has reviewed Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption:

RPG Codex Review: Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption

Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is a new adventure RPG by Corey and Lori Ann Cole, the creative minds behind the famous Quest for Glory series. The Coles have been out of the spotlight for the last two decades, and over the course of the its six year long development there was some concern about how well the game would turn out. Let's find out if those concerns were justified.

The Background

In Hero-U, you play as wannabe master thief Shawn O'Conner, who is caught stealing a certain special coin from a rich man's manor. To atone for his crime, Shawn is forced to attend the titular Hero University. At Hero-U, you're just one student in a classroom full of aspiring rogues (though they insist upon calling themselves "disbarred bards" in public to avoid scrutiny). Your teacher, Master von Urwald, encourages you to take the virtuous path of the roguish hero instead of that of the thieving villain. Over the course of the game, you'll have to survive through the fifty day long school year, with the goal of making it to graduation without being expelled or killed. Expulsion is the most immediate threat since the school hands out demerits like candy. You start out with a few coins worth of valuables and have to find a way to purchase your own school uniform before the school administrator Terk starts dropping them on you. If you collect 100 demerits then it's game over.

Terk is a great example of an effective one-dimensional villain. He's a power-hungry weasel, delighting at every opportunity to torment you and your fellow schoolmates. As a character he has no real depth outside of being weak and opportunistic, but the man is utterly relentless, always ready to drop a demerit on you for the slightest perceived insult, or if he catches you walking around past curfew, or if you aren't wearing your full uniform during school hours. Every time Terk spots you he'll stop you in your tracks just to heckle you, making you want to strangle the man for the needless disruption. The petty asshole is everywhere, constantly abusing his power, for which you have no immediate means to strike back.

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You Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone

A few hours into Hero-U, I realized that I had missed the Coles. I'm glad they're back, and I hope this game does well enough for them to continue creating games. They originally left the business in the late 1990s, around the time when television, comic books and music all began striving for dark and gritty themes. With Hero-U, they've created a cheerful fairy tale that's spiced with danger and sprinkled with chaotic lore. The game is full of horrible puns, but it embraces the cheesiness and pulls it off. The Coles haven't lost their special ability to blend mirth and danger without going too far in either direction. A simple visit to the school library illustrates this blend, with Shawn making silly comments about the paintings on the library wall at one moment and contemplating the fate of fallen heroes from a history book on the next.

I really like Hero-U's atmosphere. There might be soul-sucking Lovecraftian horrors waiting in the wings, but for the students of Hero University, all of that is just ancient history. They spend their time cramming for exams, writing papers, playing games, trying to find a date, and contemplating their future roles in society - just like undergraduate students in every corner of our world, despite whatever good or bad things might be happening in their countries. The game's ending matches that theme perfectly. Instead of a difficult puzzle or final boss, you get a summary of all the decisions you made throughout the school year. If you prefer games where the stakes are personal instead of the usual 'save the princess/country/world' cliches, then Hero-U definitely delivers.

It's worth talking about the Coles' decision to create something like Hero-U instead of trying to make a Quest for Glory VI. The game is so different from their previous work that making the comparison is difficult. The sheer quantity of new mechanics in Hero-U is worthy of applause. The game simply has a lot more going on in it - the hectic daily schedule, the relationship gauges, the heavier reliance on equipment in combat. Not all of these mechanics work to the same degree, but hopefully they'll be improved if Hero-U ends up being the first game in a series.

To be sure, Hero-U pushes its romances a bit too much for too little an impact, and its combat is good but not great. But it delivers in other ways. There's a heavy emphasis on exploration that rewards you for discovering secret passages and new locations, the puzzles are clever and diverse without being impenetrable, and the atmosphere is heartwarmingly charming. In summary, Hero-U is a very good game, and I'm definitely looking forward to Shawn's sophomore year.