Loop Hero nintendo switch. Loop Hero Nintendo Switch | REVIEW

Loop Hero [Nintendo Switch] | REVIEW

When I saw that Loop Hero was coming to the Nintendo Switch, I wondered how good of a transition it would make. Whilst there was no doubting that the looping-gameplay would prove just as satisfying on Nintendo’s platform, the reliance on mouse and keyboard controls on PC did seem like something that could make it a little bit more fiddly to play on console.

Fortunately, the team at Four Quarters have done a more than adequate job of making Loop Hero work on the Nintendo Switch, with it easily standing out as one of the most addictive and unique roguelikes I’ve played in some time.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

Loop Hero puts players in a world that has been eerily eradicated by the Lich, a mighty dead mage that brought destruction and despair across the land. He did leave something behind though: a looping path that constantly comes back on itself. You’re put in the role of a Hero who must follow that path, all whilst defeating the many monsters that plague it as you try to gather the resources required to re-build the world. If you fail? You get to go again, albeit this time with an all-new looping path to follow. How’s that for procedural generation?

Reading that back, it might not sound like that satisfying of a gameplay loop, especially since you don’t actually control your character’s movements but instead follow them along and only really manage your resources and place different tiles across the map. Despite this, everything about Loop Hero is incredibly addictive, with it proving satisfying to place tiles around to enhance the world and improve your chances of success, or, in some cases, bring more threats to take down. I know, I know, more threats might sound like a bad idea, but the nastier the monster, the better the reward…

Your character will enter battles along the loop which will reward you with cards and resources if victorious, with these cards allowing you to place different structures and landscapes across the world. Some of these are simple, such as Mountains to surround the loop that give the player enhancements, whilst others might bring more enemies to the loop, such as the Cemetery that will spawn a skeleton every three days. Placing specific tiles next to others will often boost their effects too, whilst other times they’ll transform them into whole new objects that bring with them completely different enhancements. There’s plenty of room for experimentation in the game, with surprises aplenty as you try out all-new combinations.

“Everything about Loop Hero is incredibly addictive, with it proving satisfying to place tiles around to enhance the world and improve your chances of success, or, in some cases, bring more threats to take down.”

It adds a strategic aspect to the game where you essentially have to try and manage the land, with the placement of individual tiles proving significant in your success. It takes some clever planning and a lot of tinkering to perfect, and honestly, it’ll probably take players a good few runs before they get a real sense of shape and structure to their surroundings. When things do begin to work out though? It can be really satisfying and gives the player some ambitious goals to work towards.

Alongside the land cards, players will also find equipment that can be used to strengthen their character’s stats in varying ways, ensuring they’re that bit tougher for when more difficult situations arise in the loop. Whilst Loop Hero might sound easy enough to play on paper (especially since you don’t actually interact within battles), the enemies can be incredibly tough and it’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed. Being ill-prepared for battle as the loops go on will end in defeat on a VERY regular basis, with each of the game’s four chapters getting tougher and tougher as you go on.

Fortunately, there are ways to make life easier for yourself. Players gather additional resources as they go on their adventure which can be taken back to their base when ending a run, with said resources then used to unlock additional upgrades, new character classes, special abilities, and the chance to use new cards. Heading back to the base and making some upgrades was actually one of the most rewarding aspects of Loop Hero for me, especially since it made subsequent playthroughs all the more easier. Having an upgraded Cemetery would allow you to revive once during a run, for example, whilst the War Camp gives a permanent boost to your character’s strength. It’s things like this that make a hell of a lot of difference in the tougher later chapters of the game, though also having access to new cards, equipment, or cool classes like the Necromancer and Rogue is a real treat too.

“With a good variety of enemies and cards to use (as well as the thrill of simply going on runs around the loop) though, there’s more than enough here to keep players entertained for hours on end.”

There is an element of risk-and-reward when heading back to your base: do you head back early and ensure that you take all the resources you’ve gathered, or do you risk another loop around the map to try and earn more? There were countless times where my greed got the better of me and I suffered as a consequence, but the longer you play, the more luxurious the rewards… when it pays off, it can make a heck of a difference to your final loot count. Ending a loop means starting all over again with a blank canvas of a map to work with though, which can be a little disheartening after investing a lot of effort in. It makes that ‘one more run’ feel all the more appealing. It all adds to the thrill of the experience and helped make Loop Hero enthralling to play. On the flip-side, some of the better upgrades can take a long time to unlock, which could be a little bit of a shame – whilst I don’t mind EARNING my rewards, it could make the process of doing so feel a little bit more repetitive than it needed to be.

It is also worth noting that you’ll be doing a lot of the same things on a regular basis in the game. I’ve spent close to twenty hours going through loop after loop now, with some runs constantly feeling the same as I worked towards additional upgrades for my base. It’s not a bad thing, especially since it’s a hallmark of the roguelike genre anyway, but Loop Hero’s strategy-over-action approach might leave some players feeling a little bored of its repetitive nature. Personally, I loved it and still find myself coming back for more now, but it might not be for everyone – especially since most of your interactions will be spent simply placing tiles and making decisions. With a good variety of enemies and cards to use (as well as the thrill of simply going on runs around the loop) though, there’s more than enough here to keep players entertained for hours on end.

Oh, and before you worry about it, you can pause the game when you’re deciding where to place tiles. Whilst there’s a lot of tricky decision-making to be done in the game, Loop Hero never pressures the player, ensuring that it remains accessible despite its heavy FOCUS on strategic play.

“Thankfully, it’s easy enough to switch between each aspect of the HUD on the Nintendo Switch, whilst placing tiles is intuitive and simple too.”

One of the earlier points I mentioned was that Loop Hero is played with a mouse and keyboard on PC, with it a menu-heavy game with a lot of resource management. Thankfully, it’s easy enough to switch between each aspect of the HUD on the Nintendo Switch, whilst placing tiles is intuitive and simple too. Don’t get me wrong, it will take a bit of getting used to early on and it’s not as easy as using a mouse, but there was nothing problematic or frustrating about the controls. There are touch screen controls available too, which makes a heck of a difference playing handheld.

Visually, Loop Hero looks decent enough, though it’s a far way from being the prettiest game I’ve played. There’s plenty of old-school 8-bit pixel art on show that does fit the style of gameplay and also reminded me a lot of the older strategy-style games I played back in the day, but I do prefer pixel art with a bit more detail and vibrancy. But hey, that’s just me, and there’s no denying that Loop Hero’s aesthetic manages to capture the vibe of the forlorn world perfectly.

Loop Hero Review

Loop Hero is an addictively unique roguelike experience that blends together strategy, base-building, and battling in a mighty fun way. I got completely hooked into its satisfying loop quite quickly, whilst gathering resources, improving your home base, and progressing that bit further through the adventure each time never stopped feeling rewarding. It’s just an expertly crafted game that balances out all aspects of its gameplay sublimely.

It can be a little bit guilty of being repetitive in places (especially when working towards some upgrades) and there’s no doubting that it won’t be for everyone, but those who give Loop Hero a try will quickly find that its one of the more creative and enjoyable roguelikes out there. Being able to play it on the go on the Nintendo Switch is a REAL treat.

Loop Hero Nintendo Switch Review

Games like this really bury themselves into my veins. Loot-driven randomly generated games with addictive gameplay loops really please me. Loop Hero takes this to another level though with its weird, eclectic mix of systems and anomalous compound of genres. Loop Hero is split into two main parts, a base builder, which you build new buildings on, and an expedition section where most of the action takes place. The base building acts as a way to unlock new features, gain new buffs and bonuses and it is where use all the materials you get from your expeditions.

These expeditions are a strange thing too but I will do my best to explain them to you. You start each expedition on a randomly generated ‘loop’ that looks a bit like a go-kart track. Your Hero will walk around this loop until you decide to exit or you beat the boss. The loop starts basic, with a few slimes dotting the area and this is where the game gets intriguing. The loop is malleable, the loop is yours to bend to your will, the loop is what you make of it. When you hit the part of the loop that has an enemy on it, you will enter a very simplistic battle screen.

Idle Battling

During these battles, you and the enemies involved will just duke it out automatically. I know, it’s weird but the rewards you get from these battles completely guide how the rest of the loop will unfurl. You will get both cards, from a deck you have created, more on that later, and loot for your Hero to equip. This loot will vary depending on your class but it is the usual stuff: weapons, helmets, armours, rings, shields, yada yada yada. While your Hero is walking by himself and battling bravely by himself it is up to you to gear him accordingly. All the loot you gain, which can even be swapped out while your Hero is fighting, will change his stats in many different ways.

All Loop Hero’s loot has skills that change the way your battles pan out. From more HP to vampirism and from attack speed to defence, equipping the correct items will massively affect each battle. Not only that but each time you loop around, the enemies get stronger and better items are required to proceed. The cards you gain allow you to place new buildings, scenery, and environmental tiles on your loop drastically changing what spawns, relative bonuses and this system in itself is a game all of its own, it at times, feels alive.

Your Cards Will Determine What Happens In Your Loop

You may have a card for a Vampire Mansion, this will spawn vampires in the adjacent squares around it. You get mountains that increase your base HP and Meadows that heal you each day. What’s fascinating about these loop-building activities is that over the course of many laps of the loop you see the map getting busier and busier. When you also factor in that the tiles change when they interact with each other it’s a massively complex thing for something that looks, on the surface, so simple. It’s a wonderful, fascinating system that rewards experimentation.

So, deep breath, while you are lapping your loop there is a daytime counter that spawns enemies, along with a cheery cockrel sound when the day is over. This spawns new monsters on your loop depending on your placement of cards, design choices, and tile placement, you also get HP back from various elements in your loop like meadows. Loop Hero is a constant juggling act between keeping enough enemies about to progress but not getting overwhelmed by pesky critters and monsters.

Make Sure You take The Right Cards With You

So the deck-building. Before you get into an expedition you can choose what cards make up your deck. A bit like Hearthstone, Slay the Spire, and other games of that ilk. These cards are unlocked in your home base by building or upgrading the buildings with the resources you get during expeditions. These resources come from when your character automatically scraps loot and cards you can no longer hold. Be careful though, if you die or decide to leave the loop before you hit your camp you will only take a small percentage of your resources.

The thing I really like about Loop Hero, like really like, is that fact it requires very little interaction. I can play it while watching TV, listening to a podcast, or just get a few loops dusted in bed. Don’t get me wrong there is plenty of game here, it is just that your small interactions make a massive difference on what is happening and your minute-to-minute decisions are massively influential. It is like your driving an out-of-control bus but the only thing you can do is decide what shady part of town it drives through.

Beautiful, Retro Presentation To The Core

If you looked briefly at Loop Hero your first thoughts would be “What the hell is that?” and probably shortly after, “Why does it look like something I played on my Spectrum?” both are valid questions. Loop Hero has this lovely aesthetic. Classic, like the games from my youth. Most people will turn their noses up at it but not me, I think it’s quaint and gives Loop Hero a vivid personality of its own. It’s the same with the basic chiptune music and crunchy sound bites, traditional, beautiful and they remind me of gaming times of old.

My only issue with Loop Hero is that it crashed a few times on me, mainly when using the touchscreen and it was a bit irksome, thank god for auto-save. Hopefully, they can be ironed out with a few patches down the line. I must say though since I stopped using the touchscreen I have not had a crash. I just wish the game had not shipped with these quirky software issues. It is the only negative thing I have to say really. Maybe some players will find the game a bit grindy but not me. I like this kind of grinding, where I am constantly working towards a goal.

A Unique, Quirky Game That I Am So Glad Exists

Loop Hero has its claws in me, it’s retrograde, addictive, roguelike claws. While some may scoff at its presentation and music style, I adore it. I adore its addictive gameplay loop, I adore its mesh of weird systems and I adore that it can be taken anywhere, be played anytime, and in short bursts. Games like Loop Hero should be applauded, they are unique, push the envelope and mean we get less recycled cut and paste games. I am so glad it exists.

If you want to buy Loop Hero on the Nintendo Switch, you can here.

You can find and read our reviews on OpenCritic.

Loop Hero

Loop Hero’s cleverly stripped-down RPG concept demands attention for as long as it takes you to work out the clear best way to guide each Hero class, and its fantastically dark story setup stands out as one of the best in years.

Summary

In the strategic RPG Loop Hero, strategically place building, terrain, and enemy cards along each loop to create your own dangerous path.

Loop Hero News

4:14

Feb 11, 2022. Before Your Eyes, Unpacking, Back 4 Blood, and Ratchet and Clank also received multiple nominations.

0:48

0:56

20:05

Aug 28, 2021. Watch along with Loop Hero developers Alexandr blinch Goreslavets (Composer, Game Designer) and Alexander Finlal Vartazarian (Artist, Programmer) as they watch and react to an incredibly fast playthrough of their game by speedrunner DohjokLP. We’ve broken it up into chapter segments with the Warrior class. Enjoy! Check out more from speedrunner DohjokLP here: https://www.speedrun.com/user/DohjokLP https://www.twitch.TV/dohjoklp https://.com/DohjokLP https://www.YouTube.com/user/dohjoklp

0:44

Aug 11, 2021. Save this doomed world by walking in circles in Loop Hero, coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2022.

8

The meta progression is a little frustrating and it felt like once I knew what was good, I just needed to be a little lucky. Fun though

Loop Hero (now on Nintendo Switch)

Loop Hero first released on PC back in March. Today, it’s finally out on Nintendo Switch. I remember hearing so many great things about Loop Hero, and how so many people were obsessed with it.

Loop Hero is a tactical deckbuilding roguelike. The world has been turned into a timeless loop, and you must learn how to maneuver it. Every day you walk through the same path, facing different enemies and items along your journey.

Even though you are playing through the same time loop over and over, it feels different each time. The path is procedurally generated at the start of each run. The cards you receive are used to spawn more enemies, gain new abilities and add new lands to the map.

I was given a code about a week ago from Devolver Digital to get some hours in before the release of Loop Hero on Nintendo Switch today.

Gimme the Loop. Gimme the Loop

After receiving my review code, I jumped straight into Loop Hero with no previous knowledge about the game. My mistake was first jumping into the game in handheld mode on my [Original] Nintendo Switch — the game works great in handheld mode, once you have an idea of what you’re doing.

There’s a lot of information all over the screen in Loop Hero, but once you get a better understanding of it all it makes more sense. It wasn’t until I finally played the game on my TV in the Switch dock that I started getting a better idea of what I was doing.

After playing a few rounds on the big screen I can now handle handheld mode, and it works great. I was able to study what’s going on in all areas of the screen. How to pause, control speed, change items and weapons, where to use certain cards. These are all things I became familiar with thanks to docked mode.

The gameplay in Loop Hero can be broken into three phases, although the first and third sort of roll into each other.

Phase I: Pre-Loop

Before beginning a round in Loop Hero (or after completing one) there is a lot you can do. First, you can expand your camp. By adding new areas to your camp you can gain new skills and advantages.

From here you may also build your deck. You can choose which cards to include and not to include in your deck for the next phase (The Loop). After defeating enemies in the game you may gain new cards. While some cards help you with abilities, others may spawn new enemies.

Something I’ve seen in a couple of roguelikes/lites lately is the addition of an “outside world.” A world outside of the normal grind and gameplay where you could level up, learn skills, and sometimes explore the lore.

Dreamscaper is a recent game where you continue playing through a loop like this, but outside of the loop there is a whole other narrative-focused game. Another title is Boyfriend Dungeon, where you have the “dungeon” (aka Loop) in the mall, but also this whole town to explore, full of people to date.

Phase II: The Loop

The Loop phase is the main gameplay phase in Loop Hero. This is where your character goes to battle in the endless loop (endless until death or you decide to go back to camp). This phase is the tactical phase where you make your way through the loop and defeat enemies. You collect cards, weapons, items and new loot along the way.

The gameplay sort of reminds me of games like Sid Meier’s Civilization series (which I’ve never played). Loop Hero makes me think of those games where you control a bunch of characters and send them off to automatically carry out their tasks. You’re basically just planning and getting your character ready to continue fighting different enemies.

In the Loop phase you can control the speed at which your character travels through the loop. A way to make time move a bit faster.

Another recent game that came to mind was Mini Motorways, where you’re directing traffic by building roads. Each level always begins slow and easy, so I would make time speed up. Once everything got too crazy, the game would end much quicker than if I had been playing at normal speed.

Phase III: Post-Loop

After being killed in a Loop phase you return to your base camp, going back to the pre-phase before starting another loop. You only get to keep a certain amount of materials and items found in the loop after death.

You may also go back to the camp at almost any moment during the Loop phase (except for mid-combat). Doing so should allow you to bring back all of your goodies.

The Post-Loop phase is like that in Deathloop and many other “Loop” games (Roguelikes/lites). It’s a time to assess the knowledge you’ve learned and certain items you’ve gained. From there you can decide how to use these to your advantage in your next attempt at the loop.

The Post-Loop phase then morphs back into the pre-loop phase and it’s time to start rearranging your deck and building your base up.

The Good

I’m a huge fan of Roguelikes, but what I really like is that it’s a genre full of many different types of games. I’m currently playing a few Roguelikes right now (Rogue Legacy, Spelunky 1 2, Deathloop). It always surprises me how developers keep finding ways to expand on certain genres.

Loop Hero has a lot going on, in the best way possible. I’m sure there’s even some things I haven’t figured out yet. Even though I love combat in games, I’m really enjoying worrying about planning the combat instead of the actual battle.

The deck-building component is also appreciated since you have to include both helpful and hurtful cards in your deck. While mountains and meadows will improve your overall health, Vampire houses and graveyards will bring new enemies to the battlefield.

Changes.

If there was one thing I’d change about Loop Hero — and I’m not even sure this is really a problem — it would be the weapons and items. I don’t think that they receive damage, but there comes a point where I have mostly the best gear I can get at the moment — all equipped. I don’t want the weaker gear to go to waste though or my inventory to become full, so I end up using the crappy gear instead.

Perhaps the weapons and items take a bit longer than I expect to become damaged. I think that this would have been a nice addition to the game if it’s not in there, mainly because you pick up so many weapons, armor, rings and other items. I hate making them all go to waste.

Who’s it for?

I would say Loop Hero is for fans of roguelikes who are looking for a completely different experience from a roguelike. It’s also for Nintendo Switch owners who missed this game on the PC.

I’m really enjoying Loop Hero and can see myself playing this game for months and months. I can treat it like my other ongoing roguelikes, which I jump in and out of from time to time. Many of which I become obsessed with for long periods of time.

Loop Hero is now out on the Nintendo Switch. It was also released on PC back in March 2021.

A review code for Loop Hero was provided for me by the publisher for the Nintendo Switch.