Review: Pocket Heroes. No Big Blue Book of Monsters Required

Posted by: dgoldring on Jun 11 2007

I have always been intrigued by strategy games.  Not necessarily any good at them, but intrigued.  Most of the time, I have a lot of fun losing, occasionally getting lucky enough to win once or twice.   I think I like them so much because they remind me of the good old days playing Dungeons and Dragons, where everything you needed could be found in the Big Blue Book.  Today’s offering, Pocket Heroes, actually serves as a double blast from the past.  Not only does it remind me of my old Dungeons and Dragons buddies, but it is also based on one of the one of the most successful computer strategy games from the 1990’s Heroes of Might and Magic.  To this day, many people argue this is one of the best PC-based strategy games ever made, so I was thrilled to learn that a Pocket PC version had been developed.

As Ben Stanley noted in his Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine review, there is some concern over the fact that the original developers were not involved in this latest rendition.  Ben resolved this issue by reasoning that if the original developers had no interest in developing a Pocket PC version, then anyone else was free to do so.  I’m not sure that I agree with Ben’s opinion here.  I do still have some concerns about the fact that the original developer (ie: the owner of the rights to the game) was not involved or necessarily consulted.  Then again, they also say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  So, should the developers of the new game be considered imitators or copiers?  I don’t have an answer to that question, nor, as Ben Stanley correctly noted is this an issue for me to resolve.  My purpose here is simply to tell you my thoughts about Pocket Heroes, the Pocket PC version of Heroes of Might and Magic. 

Installation and Registration: To install Pocket Heroes, simply download the desktop installer and load it onto your device via ActiveSync.  Pocket Heroes includes a great trial which will allow unlimited play of two different maps.  Although you cannot save or load games during the trial, it does give you an excellent opportunity to play and understand the game.  Purchase the game and you will have unlimited access to all of the game’s features, including over 20 maps (with more underway).  To register, simply take your  Device ID (which is assigned to you by the game) to the Pocket Heroes website and a registration code will be generated which will unlock all of the features of the game.

Overview and Gameplay: Pocket Heroes is a turn based strategy game, in which you control a Hero (or several), each of whom is the commander of a small army.  You can fight against enemy heroes in over 30 maps of varying difficulty and size.  To win the game, you must vanquish all of the other players.  Along the way, you will collect artifacts and weapons, learn new skills, and find numerous treasures and resources.  One day of gameplay consists of moving your heroes within the map, battling your adversaries, learning new skills and spells, and building structures and recruiting armies within the castle.  Once you are finished with all of your moves for the day, just tap the hourglass icon, and the next player’s turn will begin.

Graphics: There are two basic views in Pocket Heroes: the map and the battlefield.  Although the graphics in the map view were drawn in QVGA rather than VGA, they still looked superb.  The characters and scenery were crisply drawn and the animation was smooth.  I was not as impressed, however, by the graphics in the battlefield view.  It almost felt as though battles were an afterthought.  The battlefield had the potential to be the best part of the game.  Frequently in strategy games, this is where developers will take the time to show off their animation skills.  In Pocket Heroes, all I found was a missed opportunity.  Although the QVGA graphics were satisfactory in the map view, I found in the battle view, they were functional, but little more.  I was sorely disappointed by the battlefield animation, and hope this will be overhauled in a future version. 

Audio: When I listened to the background audio and music in Pocket Heroes, I was glad that I normally play games with the sound turned off.  There was almost no background music, and even when background music was played, it tended to be short and choppy.  Frankly, in strategy games, I have found background music can be an important element is setting the stage for the worlds you will conquer, the missions you will undertake, and the creatures you will encounter.  Frankly, I am still haunted by the music from the dungeons in Diablo and Diablo II.  Such music can draw you into the fantasy worlds that make up the game.  Without this background music, the game is just images on a screen. 

Likewise, the background audio or sound effects typically help make the game feel more real.  It gives the game a texture which goes well beyond the 2-dimensions of the screen in your hand.  The only consistent sounds in Pocket Heroes were the hoof beats of your horse as it galloped through an otherwise (almost) silent world.  Most importantly, however, I was surprised to find virtually no sounds at all during the battle scenes.  Not even the clanging of iron swords or shouts and whoops of battling or dying soldiers. 

This game is in dire need of a soundtrack and a significant overhaul of the sound effects.  Until that happens, I will keep playing with the sound turned off.

Heroes:Your primary interaction with the game will be through a Hero.  Heroes, who come in six races, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, are the commander of your armies, chief explorer, and lords of your various castles.

In each adventure, you will start the game with at least one hero.  Once you have established control over a castle, however, you can visit the tavern to try to recruit additional heroes.  In most maps, you can control two or more heroes at the same time, which can give you a significant advantage in the game.  Likewise, if your Hero’s army is destroyed, then your hero will abandon the cause.  This could mean certain defeat for you unless you have a castle, in which case you can recruit a new hero to fight for you, and start all over again.

Each Hero has five characteristics which will determine how you progress through the game.  Of course, as you defeat enemies and become stronger, your characteristics will increase.  These characteristics are displayed across the top of the screen when you enter the Hero view (first button on the left from Map View).

The first characteristic is experience, which is represented by a badge.  Earning experience points will allow you to increase to higher levels and develop both your primary and your secondary skills.

Next is Mana, or spell points.  Each time you cast a spell, it will cost Mana.  Except for rare circumstances, your Mana can never reach a level that is more than ten times your knowledge skill.  So, increasing your knowledge will allow you to earn more Mana, thereby casting more and stronger spells.

Travel points determine how far you can move in the map.  One of the things I liked about the game is that your travel points are affected by your environment.  So, if you have 50 travel points, you would be able to travel much further over a road than over a sandy beach or swamp.

Morale determines how your troops will behave in combat.  If you have good morale, then your troops will fight harder for you, even attacking multiple times in a single round of combat.  Bad morale, on the other hand, can result in your troops freezing during combat, and failing to attack at all.

Finally, your luck will also affect how your army reacts to combat.  If you have good luck, your army may be able to land a fortunate blow, causing double the normal damage.  Bad luck, however, will cause a reduced blow and half the damage.

In addition to your characteristics, your hero’s actions will also be affected by his skills.  There are four primary skills and 22 secondary skills which can be learned throughout the game.  The four primary skills: Attack, Defense, Spell, and Knowledge, are displayed on the right hand portion of the screen.  Secondary skills are shown in the 8 box grid in the center of the hero screen.  Of the 22 secondary skills, you can only learn up to eight at a time.  Each secondary skill can be held at the basic, advanced, or expert level.  Secondary skills can help increase your resources, your primary skills, or your characteristics; or allow you to take various other actions during combat or interaction with other heroes.

From the hero screen, you can also examine the armor and artifacts which you have collected (above), or scroll through the spells which you have learned.

Moving on the Map: When you want to move to a new location on the map, simply click the location on the screen.  A green path will show how far you can move before exhausting your travel points.  The rest of the way will be shown in gold.  A red X will indicate that something is blocking your path (note that the obstruction may be out of your view, and will not appear until you are closer).  Once you have selected your destination, tap the horse icon on the bottom of the screen to start moving.

If you encounter a dwelling or other structure, tap on it to enter.  If the building is guarded, you may be forced to battle the guards before entering, however, winning these battles will often result in increased troops, resources, or skills.  If there are no guards, you can step inside and take advantage of whatever is held within.  Different dwellings and buildings may allow you to recruit armies, learn spells, increase your skills or characteristics, or gather resources. 

On the map view, you will also encounter various armies or bands of soldiers and creatures which will block your path.  To attack them, simply click on the character displayed on the map (your horse icon will turn to crossed swords (below) when you are engaging them.)  The characters may ask to join your army, or they may flee at the site of your arsenal.  More likely, however, you will engage you in combat.  One aspect of this which I did not like was that you cannot tell the size of the enemy army from the map view.  It is not until you engage them that you will know whether there are ten enemy combatants or 1000.  I found this to be extremely frustrating when I would stumble upon a creature blocking my path, only to find once the battle began that I was vastly outnumbered.  Had I known this, I would have retreated before beginning the battle.

Finally, as you progress through the map view, you will also find numerous resources scattered along the ground.  Collect these resources, such as gold, wood, crystals, gems, or mercury.  These will help you recruit or purchase an army and obtain valuable equipment later in the game.  The resources available to you are displayed across the top of the screen in map view. 

Armies: The heart of this game, not to mention a great deal of the strategy, lies in the creation of your armies.   As your hero proceeds to discover new lands within each map, he will be confronted with numerous battle situations.  He may attack or be attacked by another army, an enemy hero, or even assault a castle.  For all of these situations, and others which will result in a battle, your hero will need an army (your hero’s troops are shown across the bottom of the hero screen).

Each hero begins with a few lightly armed troops.  There are two ways by which you can increase your army to form a well oiled fighting machine.  The primary method is to purchase soldiers from your castle.  Depending upon which buildings you have added to your castle, different soldiers and creatures will be available to you.  You can also recruit various soldiers and creatures as you capture their dwellings.  Of course, each of the 45 different soldiers and creatures have varying weapons and attributes.  Some even have additional perks, such as double attack, resistance to certain spells, or even regeneration.   

Note that you should pay attention to your hero’s race (knight, barbarian, wizard, warlock, sorcerer, or necromancer), as well as the type of castle you control (citadel, stronghold, tower, dungeon, fortress or necropolis).  These factors will determine which armies and creatures are initially available to you, as well as how they will behave under your control.  Different types of soldiers and creatures can be more or less effective depending upon the race of your hero.  

As an aside, I mentioned that you can control multiple heroes at a time.  Often, there will be times when you want to pass armies from one hero to another.  To do so, simply move the two heroes onto the same space and you will be provided the opportunity to move your armies between the two.

Creating armies, more than any other aspect of this game, really took me back to the days of sitting around the dining room table, exploring imaginary dungeons with my Level 12 Elf and Cloak of Invisibility in Dungeons and Dragons games.  It is the most fun, as well as the most important, aspect of the game.

Castles: Although they are fixed in their location on the map, castles are almost like another character which you control.  Castles allow you to replenish your armies, recruit new troops, build buildings, and even recruit additional heroes.

Tap on the castle, and you will be taken to the main castle screen, which shows a list of buildings.  Those listed in yellow have already been built, those in green are ready to be built.  You do not have enough resources, however, to build any buildings listed in red.  Tap on a building and you will be shown the cost of building it, and what benefits you will obtain from it.  Some buildings allow you to recruit a different member of your army (for example, build the Archer’s Tower to recruit archers).  The Magic Guilds allow you to learn new spells.  Taverns allow you to recruit heroes, while the marketplace is a fantastic way to trade resources.  Other buildings will also help increase your available resources.

The next screen shows what armies are available to be recruited.  Soldiers at your disposal are represented with an icon which shows an image of the character, how many of each are available and how much each one will cost.  Once you build the army, it will be placed in the castle’s defense force.  To move the army from the castle to your hero’s personal army, your hero must be present in the castle.   

The next screen shows what spells are available to be learned at the castle.  These spells are represented by a pyramid of 15 closed scrolls.  As spells become available to learn, these scrolls will be opened for viewing.

Next is the marketplace, where you can trade resources.  This is one of the most important buildings in the game (trading is unavailable until you build a marketplace in the castle).  It allows you to collect unnecessary resources and trade them for the ones you really need.

Finally, once you have built a tavern (many castles will already have one) you can visit it for helpful tips, and to recruit a new hero.  Recruiting a second hero is critical for several reasons.  First, your resources are earned at the same rate per hero.  So, controlling multiple heroes means you will double the rate at which you earn your resources.  Additionally, if all of your heroes forces are killed in battle, then your hero will abandon the cause.  The only way to obtain a new hero is by visiting the tavern and recruiting one. 

One final note, you will not begin every game with a castle.  In many of the maps, you must find a castle and battle your way into it in order to gain control.  I found this to be an excellent twist which helps distinguish many of the maps from one another.  The game can be significantly more complicated if you do not have a castle from which to recruit new heroes and armies.

Battles: Battles are the primary way through which progression is made in the game.  Sure, you can wander the map all day, however, you will not advance in your quest to vanquish your enemies without engaging in battles. 

There are three means by which a battle can commence:

• you may attack another hero or castle, or be attacked by another hero
• you may face a band of creatures blocking your path
• you may attempt to enter a castle, dwelling, or structure which has been guarded by another hero or army.

When you engage in a battle, the view will shift to the battle screen, which consists of a two dimensional game board.  On one end is your army.  On the other end is your opponent’s army.  Under each character is a number representing how many of each creature are represented by that character.  For example, if you have an archer with a 6 under him, then that character represents six archers.  When this number reaches zero, then your character will die.  Obviously, if all of your characters die then you lose the battle.  Kill all of your opponent’s characters and you will win.

This was probably the most disappointing area of the game to me.  I was really expecting significantly more out of the battle sequences.  With all that can be done on the Pocket PC today, the battles were nothing more than a slightly (and I mean slightly) animated board game.  I was expecting far more animation — and sound effects as I mentioned above — in these sequences.

Additionally, I had a hard time following the battles.  Although there is an indication of how many characters you control, there is no indication of how many hit points each has, or how much damage they can inflict.  As a result, many of the battles felt extremely arbitrary to me.

The battles are also turn based, which struck me as odd.  It feels much more like a chess match than a battle, with each character moving or attacking in turn.  This has the bizarre effect of leaving most of the combatants standing still for much of the battle.  One of your characters could be getting slaughtered, and the character in the next space will be powerless to do anything until it is his turn. 

All of these factors made battles appear arbitrary and frustrating to me.  After several aborted attempts to understand what was going on, I simply began clicking auto-combat and awaiting the results.  Additionally, if you find yourself in a truly perilous situation, you can always retreat back to any of your castles.  Doing so, however, will obliterate your remaining army, leaving your hero with only a single peasant under his control. 

Puzzle Map: One of the most unique features of this game are the puzzle maps.  The puzzle map can be accessed from the game menu in the upper right hand corner.  At the beginning of the game, the map is completely concealed.  By finding a series of obelisks, however, you will uncover the entire map.  The map shows the location of a secret artifact.  Once you have revealed the entire map, get ready to start digging, because the artifact is going to be buried in that location.  It will take you an entire day to dig in one location, however, so you will need to remain cognizant of the location of your enemies while you search.

Saving: As any longtime reader knows, the save feature is probably the most important feature to me in any game.  Pocket Heroes has a fantastic save feature, which allows you to save your game at any point, and resume it later.  Additionally, if you quit the game suddenly, the game will autosave at the end of the last turn taken, so the next time you play, it will pick up right where you left off.  Perfect!

Multiplayer Game: This is a game which just screams for head-to-head combat in a multi-player format.  It does offer this, but only through hotswapping (two or more people passing the same device between them).  A search of the Pocket Heroes forums, however, reveals that they are currently hard at work on improving this feature.  Hopefully, a Bluetooth connection, or even an Internet option will be added soon, allowing you to battle players from around the world.

In order to play a multiplayer game, simply start a new game.  You will then be given the option of choosing various difficulty levels.  Additionally, you can select whether each character is controlled by a human player or a computer artificial intelligence.

Building Your Own Maps: One of the great things about strategy games is the ability to construct your own maps, determine for yourself what danger lurks around each corner, where the castles are located, and what treasures are to be found.  At this time, Pocket Heroes does not offer an official map editor.  Again, a quick search of their forums revealed that most of the same tools you may have used to create maps in Heroes of Might and Magic will also work here.  Hopefully, however, an official map generator will be released soon.

Still to Come: One of my biggest pet peeves is a developer who releases a game and then forgets about it.  I am not saying that a game release is no big deal, or that they are not entitled to a rest.  What I am saying, though, is that every game has room for improvement.  So, I love to see developers taking that extra step to keep moving the game forward.  I was most impressed, in this regard, by what I found in the Pocket Heroes forum.  The developers are actively soliciting ideas for future releases, many of which are already being incorporated into the game.  For example, future releases should bring us a campaign mode, not unlike Age of Empires.  Additionally, more armies, monsters, creatures and buildings should be coming soon.  And this is not even to mention the Palm version which should be available later this year.  It is extremely refreshing to see a developer release a game and keep moving, looking toward the next release and striving to make the game even better.  Additionally, I love the fact that the developers have been polling players and listening to their suggestions through the forums. 

Conclusion: Although I was not blown away by Pocket Heroes, I was extremely impressed.  Despite the fact that the graphics were QVGA, it is apparent that a great deal of work was put into the intricate detail and sceneries displayed.  While I would have preferred more animation, I thought the graphics were considerably more than functional.  In one of the forums, a comment was made that graphics, sound effects, and other details are unimportant. What is important is the feeling of the game, the challenge which keeps you engaged.  I definitely think Pocket Heroes achieved this challenge.  It kept me engaged and continues to keep me engaged as I work my way through the 30 maps included in this initial release.  This is a fantastic start to a game which offers the promise of getting even better in future releases.  So, although there is no longer a Big Blue Book of Monsters, Pocket Heroes is certainly a worthy successor to my Dungeons and Dragons days.

Vital Statistics:

Name: Pocket Heroes

Version: 1.01

Platform: WM 2003 SE 

Also Available:  WM5, WM6, Palm (coming soon) 

Developer: iO UPG

Price:          $19.95

Available From: Pocket Heroes

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