Big Helmet Heroes is a new side-scrolling beat ’em up action game that I had the pleasure of playing through in recent weeks. While at first I expected this to be a Castle Crashers clone, mainly due to the similar setting and combat styles, it was actually far from it – in a good way at least.
Big Helmet Heroes is quite streamlined when it comes to its gameplay. So much so that you can easily pick up and play it with anyone around. You run around various levels smacking enemies around using a range of different heroes that have their own cool designs.
There are 29 Big Helmet Heroes in total; however, most of them are unlocked as you progress through the game. The majority of them are also a secret, meaning you’ll need to track them down somewhere in the stage to unlock them. I played the game twice, and even after the second play-through, I was missing a couple of heroes.
The heroes may look different, but they are quite similar in many regards. They can all perform unique combat combos using their basic weapon while at the same time picking up various items and tools around the stage and using them as weapons too.
Essentially, every weapon has a unique combo attack that is performed by spamming a series of buttons. However, stuff that I collected throughout the stage has limited use. Meaning everything broke or deleted in ammo after a while. This is where the heroes come in. These heroes each have their own weapons which don’t break, and often, these weapons are matched by some of those scattered around the level.
So if you end up enjoying one weapon but you hate that it breaks after a few hits, you can simply find the hero that has that weapon as their “basic” equipment and enjoy using it all the time.
Each hero also has their own unique super ability that is pulled off once the super attack bar is maxed out by attacking and collecting super attack potions. These supers are pretty wild and can fell a group of enemies within a few seconds. They came in handy when I was overwhelmed by mass waves of enemies, and were incredibly helpful during boss fights.
Combat this all together and you have a basic but entertaining combat system. I spent my time in Big Helmet Heroes running across levels, picking up crazy weapons like a marshmallow on fire to whack enemies with, setting them ablaze. There are also some ranged weapons such as crossbows and water guns, and even wands that can turn enemies into sheep.
Some weapons feel really out of place in the game given its medieval setting, but the comic direction of the game makes complete sense here.
If you have played any beat ’em ups in the past, Big Helmet Heroes will feel right at home. Levels last a few minutes and you’ll run around whacking enemies around, breaking barrels to collect points, picking up weapons, scrolling to the next screen, and eventually fight a boss every now and then.
Some stages mix things up with a top-down camera angle, but the general experience is the same here. I did enjoy the varied level designs and especially, trying to find all the hidden heroes by exploring every corner of each stage.
Big Helmet Heroes is also a good-looking game. The unique environmental stylings of each level resulted in remarkably detailed landscapes that added depth to the experience. So much so that some of these levels didn’t even warrant the amount of sheer attention to detail put in by Exalted Studios.
Of course, this game is meant to be an arcade-like experience, and as a result, it plays out like one. There isn’t much more to do here other than using a bunch of different heroes to mindlessly beat around enemies and progress to the next stage. The whole couch co-op approach makes it even better with a friend nearby as the action intensifies throughout the game.
If you’re playing solo, you can then take two heroes into each level with you and easily swap between the two. I enjoyed playing the game alone just as much as I did playing with a friend. However, I do wish we had an online co-op mode here as it would mean getting other friends to purchase the game so we could play it without them being nearby.
Apart from finding the additional heroes, there isn’t much happening in terms of replayability. There are three difficulties that rev up enemy density and damage output. You can then try and get the highest score across each level, which revolves around attacking wisely to rack up combos and collecting points by picking up flowers.
It is simple, but I think that’s what Big Helmet Heroes wants to be. It is sort of taking us back to the old-school gaming days of enjoying an hour or two of pick-up-and-play games without the mechanics bogging things down and the online world getting in the way. I respect what this game is trying to do.
I also think Big Helmet Heroes is exactly what you’d expect for its price tag. I wouldn’t pay more for it, and its general scope fits this R250 asking price. If you’re looking for something lighthearted and approachable to play either alone or with a partner, I definitely recommend Big Helmet Heroes.
This review of Big Helmet Heroes is based on a PS5 code sent to us by Dear Villagers. The game is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC and Switch.
Summary
Big Helmet Heroes is a simple beat ’em up that took me back to the old days of simple gaming. It is packed with personality and best of all, approachable.
