E3 2011: Heroes of Ruin Impressions
Time between appointments at E3 2011 was pretty damn limited, and so the amount of time I got to spend with Heroes of Ruin at E3 2011 wasn't quite as much as I'd have liked before writing a full-on preview - so you're going to get this shorter, bite-sized look at how the game is shaping up instead.
Only pictured before then in a few screenshots and a trailer that consisted entirely of CGI and text, Heroes of Ruin was something of an anomaly to me before getting my hands on with it at the show - but the 3DS has been in severe need of some RPGs, so I wasn't about to pass this unknown up.
At E3 only two of the four character classes were on option - the up close and personal Warrior and the range-focused Shooter who carries dual pistols. In the final game there'll of course be two others - presumably a brawler and a mage - who'll fill the remaining RPG class tropes and gameplay roles.
Heroes of Ruin is essentially based around hacking and slashing your way through enemies and collecting loot from an isometric perspective. So far, so Diablo, but the twist with this game is set to be the manner in which it utilizes 3DS features like SpotPass and StreetPass - which sadly weren't on show at E3.
In the base gameplay everything will be familiar to fans of this particular type of RPG - each class has a selection of unique abilities that perform in different ways and will be more useful in certain situations against certain enemies than others.
When enemies dropped loot it could be equipped without hitting menus if you wanted, and stats on exactly how useful that loot would be was displayed right there in the environment too. That's handy, and the controls seemed tight and responsive, another glowing recommendation for the excellent 'circle pad' that the Nintendo 3DS uses in lieu of an analog stick.
It's all very traditional action RPG and very familiar. The 3D effect was of course there but didn't really seem to add anything to the experience unlike some other 3DS titles, and while the graphics aren't going to blow you away they're certainly on par with the majority of the early games for the machine.
Heroes of Ruin at E3 2-11 was a hard title to walk away from with a solid opinion - what we saw was extremely limited in scope and we heard rumblings at the show that it had only been in production for around six months. If true, the game has a long way to go before it's at a point where we can judge it - which is a good job, as the demo I had also froze!
What we can say is that even if they're a little uninspired and heavily reliant on tropes of the isometric action RPG genre the foundations behind this title are solid. Here's hoping that some of those online and social connectivity features that weren't on show help to raise it above the rest of the pack in this genre and give it something truly unique to offer.
Either way, we'll have a fair while to wait - Heroes of Ruin isn't set to launch until Early 2012. You can find all the Screenshots, Artwork and Videos from the game over in the Media Vault.