I came across Glory of Heracles, described as a fun, enjoyable RPG filled with Greek mythology and lore played out in an anime influenced gaming, and visuals. The idea of Glory of Heracles is a good one, but perhaps it's not portrayed in the best way to draw people in and play the game.
The story-line of Glory of Heracles is not the most original of plots, as you begin the game as a man with amnesia to discover you actually are a legendary hero named Heracles. You begin your mission to discover how you lost your memory from the Gods in Olympus, who will know the truth.
The game-play of Glory of Heracles is simple enough, what you would expect in any general RPG game on the Nintendo DS market. General exploration is played out in areas of forests and such, when entered from the main open world map of the game. Combat is played out differently, as the positions of your party are laid out on a grid layout, and when your choose your actions and attacks they are shown above in 3D visuals. Attacks and actions range from powers, magic, attacks and use of abilities. All combat is also in turn-based style, like classic RPG games on the Nintendo systems.
As for visuals, Glory of Heracles is very nicely played out in 3D visuals, Anime cut scenes and environments. Both in combat and battle, both are show in 3D visuals. At times it's nice to look at, but in other's the graphics are chunky, and featureless.
It's musical score, is simple and what you would expect from most RPG games on the market, particularly fantasy themed ones. Combat scores are more hectic, and fast while exploration is more serene.
The Good:
- An interesting story, and take on some elements of Greek mythology and lore.
- Strong game-play, with turn-based combat and exploration.
- Visuals at times can be quite nice, particularly in cut scenes but suffer in combat.
The Bad:
- A good story, badly written with only some elements of Greek mythology and lore included.
- Visuals are lacking, particularly in combat sequences.
- A minimal musical score used, with nothing truly special done.
Glory of Heracles is by far not a bad game, truly it's not - but the way it's been presented and such has damaged quite a fun game. Combat is smooth, and interesting - as well as exploration and it's plot, but I fear after an hour or more of playing it you'll become bored, and it will eventually just become a game to occasionally play when you have a lack of other games to enjoy. I picked up Glory of Heracles pre-owned, just the cartridge with no box for less than $10 when on holiday to Canada, so I would advise people to try and do the same in order to avoid feeling disappointed with it. It's still worth getting, as a RPG to add to your collection.