Big Helmet Heroes review

After a strenuous workday, I often do not have the energy to trudge through another interactive dystopia. Instead, I’ll delve into a game that’s uncomplicated, lighthearted, and likely colorful – all in a desperate hope of reviving my fatigued retinas. Lately, Exalted Studios’ Big Helmet Heroes has been my digital rejuvenation of choice. Sure, it has a few faults, but I don’t think I’ve had this much fun with a 3D brawler since 2020’s Shing!

Unquestionably, Heroes’ biggest enticement is the Unreal Engine 5-powered visuals. While both the titular heroes and their opponents shroud their faces under headgear, the chibi-fied proportions and fluid animations give the game a cartoonish ambiance.

Meanwhile, environments are rich with detail across the game’s twenty-stage campaign. From the individual stalks in bushels of hay, simulated rain that beads on the screen like you are looking through a window, to the majestic monuments of heroes in the backdrop, expect your eyes to be lured away from the pugnacious action on hand. The sole issue is that occasionally your character can get stuck in the mix of destructible and non-destructible objects along some of Heroes’ pathways.

Unlocking New Heroes from Their Cells

Each of the game’s 29 playable heroes fall into four basic classes: sword-and-shield wielding Warrior, two-handed weapon carrying Brute, speedy Rogue, and the aerial-dominating Monk. For better or worse, they share a basic moveset that allows for light and heavy attacks, dodges, and the ability to grab opponents.

Naturally, there’s difference in speed and weaponry but a bigger distinction is found in each character’s Supers. Once a gauge is filled by thrashing foes, your heroes can let loose with a signature ability that does things like transforms you into a stomping giant, slows enemy movement to a crawl or even activates a Dragon Ball Z-style ki blast. Sure, sone of these are vastly overpowered, but Heroes favors fun over any sense of balance. That said, a larger pool of enemy types could definitely escalate the enjoyment.

Feel the Sting of this Guitar Chord

The inclusion of various kinds of weapons also adds to the enjoyment. From ranged armaments like crossbows and dart guns, throwables like bombs and anvils, to melee-based tools like swords, electric flyswatters, canoe paddles, each stage is littered with mayhem-manufacturing hardware. Sure, Heroes is a bit sloppy when it comes to aiming, but since opponents can accidently harm each other it doesn’t feel too unfair. A bigger issue is a crowd of foes repetitively knocking you down across the last few stages.

Big Helmet Heroes lets you take down mobs with a local partner or via Steam’s Remote Play Together functionality. Alternatively, individuals can freely swap out their playables with a button press. Characters on the sidelines recover health with every successful combo, encouraging you to make full use of your selected squad. And if you are craving some portable pugnacious, know that the game offers a silky, sixty frame-per-second output on the Steam Deck and ROG Ally.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Big Helmet Heroes supplies superficial fun as you conquer foes, survive attack waves, and make your way through labyrinthine stages where the camera shifts toward an overhead view. But the occasional crash can diminish the game’s carefree spirit. Across a seven-hour playthrough, I experienced two soft locks and a Windows crash, demonstrating that these Heroes still need refinement.

Big Helmet Heroes was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.