Review after finishing version 0.3
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Astounding. Few games found for free profess good writing, and although Hero Party Must Fall is not a finished experience, what does fill in after v0.3 will have the benefit of a titanic foundation.
My complements to creator nithrolith.
On Graphics:
Before playing, I didn’t have high hopes for the art style with how spoiled I’ve become on top-tier 3D offerings, but I was incorrect. The visual aspect of this Visual Novel are unique, stylized, and hand-crafted with intent. There is a masterful amount of emphasis on erotic, exaggerated, fleshy detail. Everything is sweaty and sopping. Working in such a restricting medium takes a true artist to pull off the visual aesthetic presented in Hero Party Must Fall. There are sections of the screen that show close ups to highlight different activities and although I can see some are still a work in progress, the UI groundwork laid before me only inspires anticipation for the finished product.
On Story:
Again, masterful. Some typos but capitalization rules are out the window. To be honest, it wasn’t a problem in any way. It somehow fit the style of the experience. And what an experience. If you ignore the “under construction” parts of this work-in-progress, the underlying characters, worldbuilding, and plot are woven with forethought and care. Despite how I praised the pixel art above, there is still no comparison to other games with endless locations and professionally rendered animations. Yet, during the hours I sat going thought this iteration of Hero Party Must Fall, the dialogue and plot of the story was enough to keep me hooked. There’s no “Wake up, little childhood friend! It’s time for school! Oh, and don’t forget to obligatorily [Peek/Not Peak] at our landlady in the shower through a crack in the bathroom door!”
It is refreshing to find something so both unique and well-crafted.
On Minigames/gameplay:
It’s all clearly unfinished- and that’s okay. The only seemingly functional minigames are the Training Sessions. The way it’s set up now, there is no real reason to think or use strategy. Just doing nothing with the most recent unlocked position selected seems to earn max “points”. If the game elements come together and are as well-done as the rest of what I’ve seen, great. I do worry that if they become too complex or challenging, it will detract from the experience. I kind of enjoy directing the scene through the many positions and it is interesting to exert some control over what I’m seeing by holding or not holding down a button, but again, its incomplete at version 0.3.
On Incompleteness:
First and foremost, I want to be clear that I recommend his game at v.0.3. There was enough here for me to enjoy the time spent. This version can get repetitive as the sandbox is small and the choices are very limited. Skipping large amounts of time is mandatory as there is nothing really to do but Train, most of the time. I encountered a game-breaking bug that sent me into an inescapable loop, but I was so invested in the characters/story, finding a solution wasn’t even in question.
Lucky the developer responded quickly. Search this itch.io comment section for terms like “peephole” and you’ll find the solution if you're stuck in the same place.
Conclusion:
[v0.3] Worth experiencing. Unique, loaded with style, well-written/believable/non-cringe dialogue (rare!), and dripping wet pixel artistry. Yet, go in knowing it’s an unfinished experience.