I'm not entirely sure if it's just the genre-fatigue talking, but there really does seem to be too many match-3 RPGs in the mobile market these days. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love the mix of genres as it combines casual combat with the best bits of role-playing and strategic thinking, and I love the way they work so well together.
The thing is that it'll only really be enjoyable if the combination is done well, and with Hero Emblems II, it just feels a little bit off to me, leaving me with mixed feelings. Will your experience be the same, I wonder?
Table of contents:Outside of battle, you can use the gold you earn to buy gear you can equip your characters with. It's a typical fantasy setting as you embark on an adventure with your party's varied classes, and you'll be battling spiders, skeletons and other nasty fiends using your adventurers' unique skills. The narrative is, of course, typical of the fantasy RPG genre as well, and while it's nothing worth writing home about, it does keep you going as you hop from quest to quest to engage in match-3 combat.
The match-3 combat is, of course, the main highlight of the game. It tries to encourage you to switch things up in terms of strategy, but somehow, I found myself using the same skills most of the time without anything that's really too strategically deep. To this day, I still think Million Dungeon's strategic depth is unparalleled when it comes to its match-3 combat, and Hero Emblems II doesn't feel like it shares that same depth.
These little quality of life issues may seem small, but they do add to the overall experience of a game. Thankfully, the visuals of Hero Emblems II do look lovely, with the vibrant colours and the top-notch character art. I also really love the action-packed feel of every battle, as characters' grunts and battle sounds are all voiced, and really well at that. All these add to the exhilaration of each battle.
Still, while there are a few localisation issues, they're nothing too distracting. The music is absolutely lovely too, and is one of the things that really kept me going. If anything, Hero Emblems II is another way to quench your thirst for match-3 RPGs if you're a fan of the genre. Give it a go if you're a fan of the original game as well - at the very least, it'll give you something to keep your fingers busy when you're up for a quick time-waster.