Once getting past it being a shaemeless God of War knockoff, Hero of Sparta turns out to be a solid experience.
There really isn't much to say about Hero of Sparta gameplay wise...it plays identically to God of War. You slice and dice enemies with weapons you unlock while playing through, red orbs are for upgrading weapons, green orbs refill your life, and blue orbs refill your special attack gauge (verses magic). You even have your button sequencing finishers...though not as insane as GoW but funny to watch. Its almost like playing "What if God of War were on the PSOne?". There are collectables in the form of gems you collect to expand your health and special attack gauges. The game was much longer than I anticipated since most PS Minis that I have played so far have been relatively short. It did feel like that I was playing a full length game.
Story wise, there's nothing phenominal about Hero of Sparta. You play as Argos, a Spartan who finds himself strandened alone after his boat crashes in a mysterious land. An Oracle askes for his assistance in exchange for guiding him back home.
My Breakdown:
What's Good:
- Emulates the source material well in a different visual format
- Pretty good length for a PS Mini
- Impressive visuals for a PS Mini
- Lots of weapons to choose from and plenty of opportunity to upgrade
What's Not-So-Good:
- While funny to watch, the finishers felt very uninspired
What's Bad:
- The game never seems to attempt to establish its own identity.
- The story and the characters never give you much of a reason to care about the outcome.
In all, if you're in to PS Minis and want to see the best they havr to offer then you can't go wrong with Hero of Sparta. However, if you're looking for something unique or have high expectations then don't bother playing this game.