Hero Survival Review (PlayStation 5)

by Jim Smale · Published October 16, 2023 · Updated October 13, 2023

For our Hero Survival Review, we play an action-rogue-lite where you have to shoot down hordes of monsters from classic horror movies one by one to please the Mad Time God. Choose from a variety of skills, weapons, and items to create a unique build for every bizarre character.

Hero Survival Review Pros:

Nice pixel art graphics.
Download size.
Platinum trophy.
Action roguelike gameplay.
The game loop is you move around avoiding enemies and kill them for exp to then get new weapons to kill them.
Each location has a big boss battle around the tenth time you level up which works most like ten waves.
Plays a lot like Vampire Survivors.
One unique mechanic is the waves are timed and if you survive until the timer runs out all the enemies disappear and you choose one of four weapons/items that affect stats as a reward.
Enemies can drop coins.
You can have up to four weapons at once, you can also save a new weapon over an old one to change it out.
Earn exp from killing enemies and once you level up you pick one of three random buffs that are generally good until you next level up.
Buff rewards vary from faster movement to stronger attacks or the ability to shoot through enemies.
Coins are used to buy new characters who each have unique stats and starting weapons.
You see the four weapons you have equipped all the time as they float around you.
The only control you have is movement except when selecting a reward/level-up buff.
You see damage numbers.
It plays well and has little in the way of slowdown.
Easy trophies.
Has famous characters from history and film.

Hero Survival Review Cons:

No tutorials.
The game is very slow to get started each Wave as you lose buffs each time bonus.
The areas you play in are small and full of annoying little obstacles.
Getting gold for new characters is a huge grind.
Unlocking levels is not as clear as it needs to be.
After beating a boss of an area it just cold cuts straight back to the main screen.
Not a lot of variety in builds, enemies, etc. You feel like you’ve seen everything after a few hours.
The timer gets very long and it drains enthusiasm.
No real game settings.
The guns around you obscure your view.

Hero Survival:

Official website.

Developer: PigeonDev

Publisher: Sometimes You

Store Links –

PlayStation

7/10
Graphics - 7/10
6/10
Sound - 6/10
7/10
Accessibility - 7/10
7/10
Length - 7/10
7/10
Fun Factor - 7/10

6.8/10

Summary

Hero Survival is a game with nice pixel art graphics and action roguelike gameplay. The game loop involves moving around, avoiding enemies, and killing them for experience points to get new weapons. Each location has a big boss battle around the tenth time you level up, which works most like ten waves. The game plays a lot like Vampire Survivors.

One unique mechanic is the timed waves; if you survive until the timer runs out, all the enemies disappear and you choose one of four weapons/items that affect stats as a reward. You can have up to four weapons at once, and you can also save a new weapon over an old one to change it out. Coins are used to buy new characters who each have unique stats and starting weapons.

However, the game has some drawbacks. The areas you play in are small and full of annoying little obstacles. Getting gold for new characters is a huge grind, and unlocking levels is not as clear as it needs to be. After beating a boss of an area, it just cold cuts straight back to the main screen. There’s not a lot of variety in builds, enemies, etc., and you feel like you’ve seen everything after a few hours. The timer gets very long and it drains enthusiasm. The guns around you can obscure your view.

Overall, Hero Survival offers an engaging experience but it is a much more watered-down version of games like Vampire Saviours but it does also at least try to change it up a bit.