Hero’s Land - Four reasons to try this endlessly funny, open world roguelike

If you’re craving a light-hearted, roguelike game that mashes together classic fantasy fiction with fast-paced, hack-n-slash style action then Hero’s Land might be exactly what you’re looking for. Having launched Hero’s Land today on Steam, developer Orienjoy is inviting players the worldover to experience its endlessly funny, multiplayer, survival game where you’ll get to battle tremendous beasts, build formidable bases, and generally avoid getting squashed, shot, burned, or blown up.

As with most releases by smaller indie studios, Hero’s Land has flown somewhat under the radar thus far but, if you’ve kept up with our coverage of Moonlighter or Brotato, you’ll know that we have a special fondness for hack-n-slash style roguelikes - especially those that feature exquisite top-down cartoon graphics and playful, tongue-in-cheek gameplay. Hero’s Land’s off-beat sense of humour lends even further charm to its cartoony visuals, which really come into their own when you see your pet go from cuddly companion to beast mode. But if the visuals alone aren’t enough to hook you in, here are a few more reasons for you to give Hero’s Land a try.

Multiplayer adventure on an open world map

Upon beginning your adventure in Hero’s Land, you’ll find yourself spawn on a mysterious island where the inhabitants don’t seem to take too kindly to new arrivals. More or less from the get-go you’ll find yourself relentlessly battling NPCs and building up the defences of what will become your base.

As you explore the game’s vast open world map encounter plenty more baddies lying in wait, but once in a while you can enjoy some respite at a number of fun locations. Travelling over land and water, you’ll discover whimsical spots such as the Giant’s Village and Witch’s Mushroom Hut, as well as regions rich in resources which you can gather and use to upgrade your base.

Now the choice is yours whether you wish to go it alone, but you’ll find a lot more fun to be had by banding together with fellow players to take down bosses, trade goods, and stealthily invade enemy settlements. You’ll be especially grateful for having a few friends alongside you when you stumble across elite enemies like the cyclops.

Adorable Heroes with serious firepower

Hero’s Land features dozens of distinctive heroes to unlock and, depending on the hero you’re playing as, you’ll be treated to a very unique set of skills and attributes, such as the ability to morph into savage beasts, summon creatures to your aid, or simply go on an unstoppable, sword-wielding, arrow bombarding rampage.

The range of heroes available and the differing skills they possess adds plenty of potential for replayability, as well as intrigue wondering what new abilities the next level-up will unlock.

The developers of Hero’s Land haven’t just invested in diversifying the game’s heroes though; you’ll also find a huge arsenal of weapons, including swords, scythes, bows, and magic wands, contained in chests littered throughout the map. You can carry multiple weapons with you too, so you can switch to whichever weapon suits the situation best.

Pets you can both love and fear

In many RPGs, the pet system can feel like something of an afterthought, offering very little in the way of actual assistance in the game. That’s not the case with Hero’s Land however; the devs have made a point of allowing pets to make a real impact during battle, not least because you’ll be able to unleash up to three pets at once!

Just like your Hero, pets can also level-up, improving their HP, ATK, and other skills with each jump in level. They’ll also come with their own unique sets of skills, such as the ability to freeze enemies in battle or use storm attacks.

A better way to grind and receive rewards

Thanks to its unique synthesis mechanic, grinding in Hero’s Land is both a lot smoother and rewarding than many similar RPGs. Essentially it boils down to the fact that whenever you slay an enemy you’ll be rewarded with random gear, and any identical gear you receive will automatically synthesise and upgrade, without the hassle of having to manually go through the process yourself. There are also numerous tournaments and achievements available, providing extra opportunities to gather rewards without having to endlessly explore the map in search of enemies.

So if you enjoy your RPGs with a strong emphasis on “fun”, then Hero’s Land is definitely one to check out. You can find it available to play for free right now on Steam.