Corporations are not people. They exploit, they manipulate, and they abuse for profit. This profiting off of corruption comes at the price of the people, and the city they live in. As history has dictated, a hero arises from the shadows to avenge and right the wrongs. This hero is you, and you will embark on a path of violence and crime in an effort to save yourself and your town. This is I Am The Hero by Crazyant Games and Ratalaika Games. Sporting a unique look with familiar gameplay, I Am The Hero places itself as a pleasant surprise in the sidescrolling action genre of games.
I Am The Hero places you in the shoes of a regular person, who is tired of the filth that has festered in his town. As such, you have come to beat the living daylights out of every crook you come across. The criminals seem to be loyalists to the companies poisoning your town. The Hero has a fascinating but mysterious past that grants him special abilities in fighting and martial arts. Using your abilities, you set out to rid the town of vile criminals.
I Am The Hero plays like a traditional sidescrolling fighter, but what makes the game unique is its tight control and presentation. The game plays in a 2.5 Dimension perspective, with a 3D environment scrolling as the player proceeds through each level. The environments have a sharp, detailed, but pixelated appearance, evoking the sensation of fighting in the underground of the city. The character appears as detailed 2D sprites, similar to a SEGA Genesis game. They are flat but they blend well with the environment. The characters and sprites are surprisingly filled with good detail and fluid animation, as the fighting uses exaggerated move sets, and the sprites on-screen react with genuine silliness.
The gameplay in I Am The Hero is sharp and fun. Players will be able to use traditional fighting moves of punching and kicking but also be able to tap into special powers to truly deliver devasting blows of justice. Players will be able to tap into simple combo moves, that is easy to learn and great to use. Players will face hooded ninja, drugged-up boxers, and variety of other typical criminals. Using these moves are a delight, and players will have a joy building up high-numbered combos and defeating waves of foes. Players will fight the bad guys across multiple stages, each with their own challenges and variation. This makes I Am the Hero great for single sessions, especially with another player.
With the sharp presentation and tight gameplay, I Am The Hero is good fun, though it doesn’t last for long. Players will be a blast slaying enemies against the backdrop of a neon-colored city and a pulsating retro soundtrack, though, with just a few short stages, the game is over rather quickly. I Am The Hero may not be ideal for long-term gaming engagement but instead, a good experience for quick, short sessions.
I Am The Hero is simple fun, but good and reliable fun. It doesn’t do anything tremendously different, but it doesn’t need to. The game feels like a quick love-letter to the arcade classics of years ago. It’s refined gameplay and solid presentation will keep players engaged for a short, but very enjoyable time. Regardless of which platform you choose, I Am The Hero is worth your tie. Take back the city!
I Am The Hero was reviewed on the PlayStation 4 thanks to the generous donation of a key from Ratalaika Games
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