ZeReviews
Games of the Year 2018
Another year has passed and with it many great games have been released. Some I haven’t had the chance to play myself, such as Marvel’s Spider Man, but from those I did play I can say I played quite a few excellent games in 2018. To put it in another perspective, these awards reflect how I spent my time playing video games in 2018, be it with brand new games or catching up with games from 2017 or even earlier.
For the awards distribution, this year I decided to change the format by separating games into three tiers:
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Gold: reserved for the very best games released in 2018 (as long as the version I played was released in 2018);
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Silver: good games that I enjoyed playing and were released in 2018;
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Bronze: reserved for games I played in 2018 that were released in 2017 or earlier.
So, before reading the awards, keep in mind some things: (1) I only included games I played, (2) games that I played in 2018 but were released before 2018 are only qualified for the Bronze Tier, (3) in each tier, games are ordered by the date I played them and (4) games I did not finish (namely story/campaign/etc.) are not eligible for an award (I’m sorry Monster Hunter World). To clarify, games like Hollow Knight whose original release is prior to 2018, are still qualified for all Tiers given that the platform in which I played received the game in 2018 (in this case, Hollow Knight released on PC in 2017 but I played the Nintendo Switch version, which released in 2018).
Without any further ado, enjoy the ZeReviews 2018 Games of the Year!
Note: use the buttons below to navigate the tiers.
Released on February 6th 2018, played on PS4
Shadow of the Colossus is a game which had me intrigued for a long time without even playing it. Naturally, the release of a remake with updated graphics on current hardware was the perfect chance for me to finally visit this world. What I found was an ancient land that, while almost devoid of life, somehow remained captivating from beginning to end. In large part thanks to the mysterious and epic encounters with the Colossi, this game kept hitting higher and higher notes at each twist and turn. While I don’t like to say “if you like games then you need to play this”, in this case, I highly encourage you to go try this game if you’re already considering it. It’s short, but every moment passed in this game is captivating, engaging, epic and I would go as far as to say timeless.
Released on April 20th 2018, played on PS4
God of War (2018) is one of the best games I’ve played in 2018 without any doubt, excelling in all areas: storytelling, world design, character development, gameplay, … This is clearly a case that shows how far a game can go when a platform holder gives a developer all the support it needs to fulfill their own artistic vision without any compromises because, let’s be honest, at the end of the day a platform-exclusive game like this clearly makes PlayStation 4s fly off the shelves. Back to the game itself, it offers one of the most memorable stories in recent times, thanks to the complex individual evolution of Kratos and Atreus, along with their father-son relationship and a rich cast of supporting characters. On the other hand, uncovering the world little by little retained my genuine curiosity until the very end, not just because of its fantastic design but in large part due to the weighty and satisfying over the shoulder combat. Watching Kratos rip his enemies to shreds with his brand-new Leviathan Axe both in close combat or by throwing it from a distance felt good from the very first kill until the end, leaving me with a want for more.
Released on July 13th, played on the Nintendo Switch
Thanks to what I call the Octopath Trinity, this game has an amazing foundation upon which it builds the entire experience: the presentation, the storytelling and the battle system. Visually, the game got my attention from the first moments of footage with its so-called “2D-HD” graphics or, in other words, HD pixel art that creates a pop-up book-like presentation. On the storytelling front, while the characters barely interacted with each other, their own stories were good enough to fuel my interest and see all eight stories through. The third and last element of the trinity, the battle system, was truly genius, good enough to make one hour-battles keep me glued to the screen until I dealt the last blow to the boss in front of me. The “hit the enemy weaknesses enough times to break its shield and leave them vulnerable” never got old and trying to overcome my previous damage record was always a fun way to bring down enemies as quickly as possible. Lastly, the mix and maxing of parties between the eight playable characters was highly varied, resulting in plenty of chances to play with whatever characters I wanted instead of being locked to certain choices because the rest is just not a viable option. To put it simply, Octopath Traveler has everything that makes turn-based JRPG games memorable, and some more.
Released on August 7th 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
In the same year that I played two excellent roguelikes on the Switch, Binding of Isaac and Enter The Gungeon, a third addition arrived to my library. If the first two were already fairly distinct, then Dead Cells is the odd one in the bunch, first with the introduction of MetroidVania aspects and second due to the 2D side-scrolling gameplay. The moment to moment action remains as intense, if not more than before, with the MetroidVania aspects allowing the developers to include some hand-crafted moments to the usual procedurally generated level design. Combat is fast-paced, with weapon and equipment drops being frequent, to upgrade your arsenal as you go along in your runs. In general, and to keep the primary genre’s tradition, this is a hard game, no doubt about it. However, the learning curve is not as steep as in some of its peers, with each run marking some permanent progress towards unlocking a new weapon that is added to the loot drop pool and, overall, allowing the player to understand what is going on in the environment and what are the consequences of each action. If you still have a craving for games that can leave you playing for hours and hours thanks to the “one more run” lie we all tell ourselves, then Dead Cells is an easy recommendation.
Released on June 12th 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
Hollow Knight is definitely one of the games I will remember most fondly from 2018. With its tight combat and rewarding exploration, playing Hollow Knight is a matter of always looking forward to what will happen or what you’ll obtain next. New abilities and spells completely change what you can do in combat and what areas/secrets you can access. The game’s tense atmosphere and the way Team Cherry handled using bugs as the population of this world is proof of the developers’ talent. Nonetheless, even if the game is such a brilliant piece of software, I still can’t say “I recommend everyone to go play this game” because I know it won’t click for everyone. The difficulty curve is quite tangible, and it requires some effort to get into it. However, if you’re looking for a challenging 2D side-scroller with solid combat, environmental storytelling and genius level design, then I can promise you won’t be disappointed with this one. From the objectively large amount of content to play through to the variety and, most importantly, quality of said content, Hollow Knight is, by all means, an excellent game.
Released on August 28th 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
In the year that saw two Monster Hunter games released, Monster Hunter World, on the PS4 and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, a port to the Switch from the last Nintendo 3DS entry, with a substantial amount of content not found in the original release, I still chose the latter option, with zero regrets. Why, you ask? That’s pretty easy: Generations Ultimate is, as the name says, an ultimate Monster Hunter experience. It has over 90 monsters to slay, dozens and dozens of quests to dig through and, most importantly, it is all about the hunt, the game’s primary focus is to provide an epic encounter against a beast double or triple your size. On the other hand, World is a brand-new entry, with a clear focus: being a game as a service. Back to the topic at hand, Generations Ultimate has everything to be the better choice: it’s available on the Switch, it’s the more mature game (in the context of the series) and the more you play it the more you’ll have to play. First there’s the story, then there’s the hub quests which you can play either in single player or in multiplayer and then there’s the endgame: G Rank, where you’ll fight against the most vicious monsters you can find. If there’s something I want you to keep about Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, it’s that this is an immensely fun game where you face off against giant monsters of all kinds to later craft weapons and armor using their parts. The best thing is that you can do it for literally hundreds of hours and fight against tougher and tougher monsters.
Released on December 7th 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
If Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate was an ultimate game, then here’s a game that’s somehow even more ultimate: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. All the playable characters and the large majority of stages available at some point in the series’ history are now all in the same package, with a couple of brand-new additions, adding up to a whopping 74 playable characters and 103 stages. The traditional gameplay is as good as it has ever been and the story mode, World of Light, is a surprisingly fun single player mode that will keep you entertained for a long while. The Spirits are also a great way of representing even more characters and series in the game, in the form of sticker-like collectibles, obtained through the completion of battles that recreate those character’s environments with tailored battle conditions. Playing this game is always fun, be it in World of Light and its short battles or in normal Smash battles, experimenting characters and rulesets. The potential for this game is very high, with it being able to satisfy all types of players, from the person that will never play it with someone else to the person that is always playing online trying to rise in the ranks. All in all, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is exactly that: the ultimate Super Smash Bros. experience.
Released on January 26th 2018, played on PS4
As someone that is both a fan of Dragon Ball and a super casual fighting game fan, nay, someone that tries to avoid the genre altogether, this game managed to exceed my expectations. Between the accessibility of the combat to the variety of game modes (both in single and multiplayer), I found a lot to sink my teeth into. The roster of playable characters strikes a good balance between staple characters and brand-new ones, such as Goku Black and Hit. Beyond the roster’s quantity, each character controls and acts like itself, and that shows in the different ways you can approach a battle depending on who you choose. Goku is an agile melee fighter, Hit is a tactical character that avoids incoming attacks and then strikes with precision, Kid Buu is a hyper-aggressive pink bundle of energy, etc. However, at least for me, it still felt like other fighting games: once the novelty wore off, I never touched it again. Still, there’s something to be said about how faithful this game was to the original manga, with each tiny movement of the characters being the exact same one found in a manga panel or even a frame from the anime, all the while keeping an extremely attractive graphical presentation.
Released on May 25th 2018, played on PS4
Now this is a game that doesn’t need any introductions, the game that started the legendary trilogy: Dark Souls, this time available with remastered graphics, sounds and assets (partly) for current hardware. The experience is almost identical to what it was in 2011, except this time the Artorias of the Abyss DLC is also included in the disc, so you can travel back in time to find out what happened to the consumed knight. Along with all these, at least on the PS4, which is where I played, there’s an upgrade to a consistent 60 fps throughout the whole experience, always a nice bonus to have. Overall, if you liked Dark Souls there’s absolutely no way you won’t like this remaster; if you’re new to the series, well, this could be your ticket to get lost in the absolutely enchanting world and lore of Dark Souls.
Released on September 14th 2018 (for season pass owners, September 21st standalone), played on the Nintendo Switch
Torna The Golden Country is an excellent expansion for an already amazing game. While combat is a simplified version of what is available in the original Xenoblade Chronicles 2, turns out this is how it should have been originally. Combat is more fun, faster and takes out of the equation a large chunk of the time wasted staring at the auto-attack animations. On the other hand, the cast of characters is quite good, and finally seeing how characters like Mythra and Jin were during the Aegis War is something players of the main game should have a big interest in. Unfortunately, the stupid Community system requirements bring the action to an unnecessary halt, which should have never been introduced. At least what comes after makes up for it, even if you’re more or less expecting what to see from having played the main game. If you end up buying it standalone, you’ll get a twenty hour-ish single player experience that, at the end the day, is memorable, fun to play through and might even be enough to convince you to buy the original game; if you already own the original game, the price asked for the season pass is actually more than fair to get access to this expansion, not to mention all the other content it covers for the main game.
Released on September 4th 2018, played on PS4 (while it's an expansion, in the context of Destiny 2 it serves almost as a new base game)
Thanks to all the ups and downs Destiny 2 had in its first year, I ended up quitting the game completely. However, Forsaken still caught my interest enough to, ultimately, make me buy it and enjoy what I played quite a lot. To put it simply, Forsaken finally put the sequel where it needs to be. On a personal level, I finally started looking to Destiny 2 as a de facto sequel instead of constantly wishing I was still playing the original game. About how big this expansion is, it is quite meaty, giving players plenty of content to dig through and serving as the base of what’s to come in Year 2. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time required to play a game like this, and there’s still no solution to having to go online on your phone or computer and look up a team to complete activities. Yes, it’s somewhat expected from an MMO-like game, but my point is that I don’t have the time nor the energy to do so. Thus, I quit playing Destiny 2 once I finished the new campaign and saw most of the content on offer to a solo player. I do wish the best for this game as it seems to be finally on track to be a good game!
Released on May 18th 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
In a year where I played a handful of games with content to satisfy me for at least a hundred hours each, this is another one of those! At its third release, I finally got to play Hyrule Warriors, at its best, nonetheless. This Definitive Edition released on the Switch includes all content made available across its previous releases, with better performance and with some graphical improvements. Gameplay is more than fine, it most certainly ranks at the top of the list of Warriors games I’ve played, with no two characters playing the same. No, seriously, the difference in movesets between any two characters is like night and day, which means you don’t end up at the crossroads of “I have two sword-wielding characters, but I can only play with one” which is something I ended up thinking more times than I should in, say, Fire Emblem Warriors (although the Fire Emblem series is largely at fault for that). On the content front, the story mode alone can last dozens of hours, between the main story, Linkle’s story, Cia’s journey and what were once DLC stories. Even further, there’s Adventure Mode, which, in short, is just a lot more maps to be completed in order to unlock the rest of the playable characters, costumes, weapons and a couple extra rewards. All in all, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition stands at the top of the Warriors games on the Nintendo Switch, waiting for a new challenger to dethrone it (get it?).
Released on September 12th 2017, played on the Nintendo Switch
Rayman Legends is, by all means, the best 2D platformer I’ve played in 2018 and one of the best in a long time, competing toe-to-toe with Shovel Knight! This is a true Definitive Edition shock-full of content waiting to be played and, most importantly, doing everything it can to make sure that you will enjoy your time with it. In other words, Legends stands out so much because of how well it manages to make every second you spend with it special. From its simple but delightful gameplay to the brilliant level design, not to mention the large amount of content available, this is a game that can be played by anyone, specifically this Nintendo Switch edition that includes all the content once separated across its multiple releases in a single package. As I’ve said in my review of the game, thank you Rayman Legends for reminding me of how good it is to have in-game unlockable character skins! Oh, and I hope Rayman is announced as a DLC character for Smash soon!
Released on December 1st 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is another one of those epic JRPG that take 80+ hours to see the story through. What more does Xenoblade have in common with those games? This one also makes the time you spend with it very much worth it. The cast, both main and supporting characters, is memorable (even if I do hate the main character Rex), so much so that I still remember each and every one of the blades and drivers that accompany Rex, Pyra and Mythra in their journey to Elysium. Of course, gameplay plays a huge part in keeping the experience engaging, with its real-time combat which allows the action to start at any time in the overworld without the need for loading screens or anything that interrupts the action really. Unlocking new blades as I went along was also another aspect that I enjoyed quite a bit, both those that were acquired as a reward from side-quests or by opening blade cores. Oh yeah, this game has loot boxes, but they are completely integrated in the game without any type of microtransactions attached. Surprisingly, the idea of farming cores to then open a bunch to try my luck was quite fun, although frustrating at times due to the randomness of the process. All in all, if you’re looking for a good JRPG that will last a long time, then Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is one the best options on the Switch, along with the already mentioned Octopath Traveler.
Released on August 25th 2017, played on PS4 (includes the NSUNS Trilogy plus NSUNS4: Road to Boruto)
As I grew up, I always had a soft spot for the Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm series, which adapted the story of Naruto to the medium of video games. What always captivated me the most were the boss battles, epic battles filled with set pieces that take the action to an extreme. Now that the complete series is available as a bundle, I finally decided to play through all of them and I have absolutely no regrets about it. It was incredible to see the series evolve as I finished one game and started the next until, ultimately (no pun intended this time), I arrived at Storm 4, the last entry in the series. Finally, the gameplay reached its prime, in part because this one was originally released on the PS4, while the others are now available as ports, but specially because it is clear to long-time fans of the series how much time and iterations were needed to arrive at this result. Combat is extremely fast and exciting, with the possibility to change characters mid-combo and the attacks being, overall, more over the top. While these games don’t offer much more besides the retelling of Naruto’s story through a video game and the fun combat, the games excel at doing just that. If you’re looking to go through the story of Naruto from the time when Team 7 was formed up to the end of the manga, then you’ll be plenty satisfied with this package.
Released on February 1st 2018, played on the Nintendo Switch
What started as a mere curiosity turned into a small obsession. At least in recent history, besides Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight, there are not that many indie games that got a grip on me as fast and as tight as this one. To think that a game originally released in 2013 can still stand on its own against recent MetroidVania games and make me devour its six or so hours of playtime was simply mind-blowing. Never had I thought that what began as genuine curiosity would turn out to be one of my favorite indie games (series) ever. The raw fun of digging through the underground to find new minerals to sell and upgrade my equipment or encountering caves with a brand-new ability at the end built a solid foundation for SteamWorld Dig to improve upon as the adventure progressed. Reaching the end of the game to see Rusty become an all-powerful miner that could deal with any threat in his way without breaking a sweat was amazing to see, specially given that he starts the game as a humble robot with an objective but can only mine a few blocks at a time with his pickaxe before having to return to town. To wrap this up, I enjoyed this game so much that as soon as I saw the credits roll I bought the sequel.
Released on September 21st 1017, played on the Nintendo Switch
SteamWorld Dig 2 is another fantastic game that I honestly wish everyone with a Switch could try at some point. The more I played this game the more I could tell how much the developers, Image and Form International AB, had matured since the previous release. Most importantly, it was great to see many ideas popping up and evolving throughout the adventure, converging into a cohesive experience, chockful of easter eggs, secret areas and new gear and tools to find and play with. The core gameplay still revolves around the same loop of “dig deeper, get loot, sell loot, improve gear, find new power-ups to progress further”, but the puzzles were more intricate and even the pacing felt like it was more under control of the developers. While the game is incredibly fun on its own, I can’t deny it is even better for the people that play this after having enjoyed Rusty’s adventure in the first game. Still, if you’re looking for a short indie game with which you can have a good time, then you can’t get much better than this.
Released on September 16th 2016, played on PS4 (includes Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinite)
The Bioshock series, as a whole, always intrigued me: its games seem like they are on its own bubble in the industry, as few other games manage to reach such a level of uniqueness, not only in presentation but also in the environment it creates. In 2018, I finally got my chance to dig into the series and play through the trilogy: Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinite. Putting Infinite to the side for a moment, since it’s the odd one in the bunch, the first two games gave me a unique experience that I had never had before in this medium. From the first steps I took in Rapture, the 1960s environment captured my attention, along with its dystopian elements. Somehow, Rapture manages to keep a cool façade while everything is coming down little by little: the citizens going crazy and the city being filled to the brim with Big Daddies, hunks of metal ready to hunt you down when you least need them to, raising the tension in a room just by being there, not to mention the rest of the enemy Splicers ready to kill you. The gameplay mix of shooting and plasmids (superpowers), such as freezing or slowing down enemies, created an interesting mixture, aided by the survival elements, namely the scavenging for ammo and items to recover health and energy. The second puts a twist on itself, as this time you’re put in control of a Big Daddy. As expected, the game was still challenging, with enemies rising up to the challenge. Lastly, there’s Bioshock Infinite, where the gameplay shifts towards action. There’s a much bigger emphasis in agility and shooting down enemies with guns, with plasmids being relegated to a support-oriented tool. All in all, I ended up thinking all three games were excellent and deserving of the praise given throughout the years. However, if I think Bioshock 1 is the clear winner, then Infinite is the clear loser, with its shift to action not helping the series at all. Bioshock 2, in my opinion, is an excellent game in its own merit that will forever live in the shadow of its brilliant prequel.
Released on October 20th 2017, played on the Nintendo Switch
During a time that I was starting to get obsessed with Fire Emblem (which you won’t be able to tell because there’s only three Fire Emblem games in this list), I decided to buy Warriors adaptation since it was available on the Switch and I hadn’t played a Warriors game in a while (I only played Hyrule Warriors at the end of 2018). Most certainly, I enjoyed my time with the game, playing through the story was fun, as I was constantly looking forward to the next set of characters to appear, and the content available is more than plenty. Even now I still have way too much extra content to play through, not to mention I still have two playable characters to unlock. However, my problem with this game stemmed from the Fire Emblem series itself: most of the protagonists from each entry are sword wielders (Marth, Chrom, Lucina, Corrin, …), with variety coming only from the supporting characters (Cordelia, Takumi, Caeda, Camilla, …). Thus, this raises a huge problem, where almost half of the roster fights with a sword, and the rest is divided between lance, axe, bows, tomes and dragon stones (lest me forget Tiki). While the developers managed to create some variety in the movesets, there’s only so much you can do to make ten sword-wielders play differently and so, ultimately, it comes down to picking only two or three of those characters since it reaches a point where it’s almost like choosing a skin for a character. One thing this game did to distinguish itself was to incorporate the weapon advantage mechanic from the Fire Emblem games, which turns out, it’s a good mechanic that forces the player to think strategically about where to send its troops during combat, instead of hacking and slashing mindlessly. All in all, Fire Emblem Warriors is a pretty good game, specifically a pretty good Warriors game, with plenty of content to keep you entertained for a long while. It’s just a shame the lack of variety in the playable characters undermines what makes the gameplay in this game distinct from its peers. To end on a happier note, as a fan of both Fire Emblem and Warrior games, I can say with certainty that I like this game.
Released on September 7th 2017, played on the Nintendo Switch (the award is for the game released on the Switch as a whole, not just the expansion of the same name)
Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ is an incredible game. Ignoring how the game was originally and whatever content was added or what it went through to reach what it is today, the version that you can play today on the Nintendo Switch, which includes everything released so far, is brilliant. The roguelike and dungeon crawling elements are extremely addictive, and every time I lose I want to start a new run right away because, before dying, I managed to learn something that will allow me to play better next time. Personally, the way the game is able to portray themes such as bible-related characters is super interesting, injecting its own personality into topics that have been analyzed and saturated across different types of media. While hard as nails, the game is able to provide a fair learning curve that allows the players to feel rewarded for their investment and skills. Last but not least, the game is packed with content, so if you decide to sink your teeth into it you’ll be playing Binding of Isaac for a while. To summarize, even if roguelikes, dungeon crawlers, bullet-hell and the like are not usually your cup of tea, I can still recommend this game to most people, provided you’re fine with the topics that this game works with. As a game, its way too fun and filled with plenty of content and, as a form of art, it’s more than enough for the artists involved to earn my respect and admiration.
Released on December 18th 2017, played on the Nintendo Switch
Enter The Gungeon is the third and last pick up and play title I will bring up on this list. Along with the excellent Dead Cells and Binding of Isaac, Enter The Gungeon is one of those games that I can always rely on to turn on and have fun for a couple of hours no matter how much I suck. Compared to the other two, the variety of weapons to play with is just astronomical, from simple revolvers to pea shooters and guns that shoot blankets. Gameplay is fast, and you should always be focused on the action, the game itself takes your attention away from it the least possible. Specifically after the release of the free Advanced Gungeons & Draguns free update (when I bought the game for the Switch), the game started feeling even more fluid, in parts thanks to the addition of a couple new animations that reduced even further the time you spend still. Not only that, this update brought with it a bunch of new weapons, items, room layouts (which is especially important given that floors are procedurally generated), etc. While I will probably never be able to finish a single story in Enter The Gungeon, it will remain a game that I can always start and know for a fact that I will have a good time with it.
Released on April 19th 2013, played on the Nintendo 3DS
Here’s the second of three Fire Emblem games in the list. This time it’s the most highly-acclaimed entry in recent times and one of the few games that can make me turn on my 3DS. After having enjoyed Fates and the Warriors rendition of the series, I finally got around to playing Awakening. As I played this game in awe because of how good it is, I could only ask myself why I didn’t do it earlier. Seriously, people love this game and there’s a very good reason for it, well not one, a lot of them: the storytelling, Chrom, character development, Lucina, the level design, Robin, the gameplay systems in general, … you get the idea, there’s plenty of reasons to love Fire Emblem Awakening and few to not like it. From beginning to end its story kept surprising me, always throwing off my predictions, and the way characters evolved throughout the battles fought was incredible to watch. Fire Emblem Awakening definitely remains one of my highlights from 2018 and is still the quality standard which Fire Emblem: Three Houses needs to beat when it releases.
Released on April 2nd 2015, played on PS4
Dark Souls II (Scholar of the First Sin) is an excellent game, period. It built upon the great foundations laid by the first game but unfortunately took some of it too far, specially the “Prepare to Die” mentality which it tried to execute by throwing multiple enemies at the player in small areas to increase the difficulty. Indeed, this mentality led to some frustrating encounters in the game, that made me both grit my teeth in anger and adapt my playstyle to suit the challenge. Even if the game threw plenty of curve balls that, at the end of the day, make me feel like this is the inferior game of the trilogy, Dark Souls II is an incredible experience through and through. With its challenging encounters, great storytelling, varied environments and stellar soundtrack, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is an amazing game that should not be sneered at. Just like with other rereleases, this includes all three DLCs, which means there’s still plenty to do between defeating Nashandra and starting a New Game+. If you like Dark Souls, you should play through this game because it gives a perspective of the world long after the events of the original game and, of course, it’s a great excuse to play more Dark Souls.
Released on February 2nd 2017, smartphone game
Fire Emblem Heroes, while being a free-to-play mobile game, it is also a highly polished Nintendo product, no doubt about it. The pull rates are not that bad for what is, fundamentaly, a gacha-type and, given that it is a Fire Emblem title, it has plenty to attract me. Gameplay is of a much smaller scale than that of the main games, reduced to battles between armies (teams) of four characters. While the powercreep has been stupidly evident in the last couple of months, it still entertains me on a daily basis. If you’re a new player, you’ll have plenty to do between the story mode (which is currently on the third story and receives a new chapter each month), the monthly Tempest Trials, Special Maps, Events in general, etc. While at the moment there’s not much for me to do, I still enjoy logging in everyday and complete a couple of battles or do my daily activities if there’s an event ongoing. Of course, to play the game you need to rely on acquiring new units and that remains a game of luck. Like I said, compared to its peers, Heroes offers generous pull rates but, as any game of luck, you can spend 100+ orbs and not get the unit you want or pull it first try with the free pull. Still, for this past year I’ve played, I didn’t spend a single cent (which in a way makes me ashamed since I’ve enjoyed this game quite a lot) and gotten most of the units I wanted (though to be honest I am quite lucky in this game). At the end of the day, I do like this game a lot, mostly because I don’t care at all for the competitive aspect and play largely to collect the units I like and form teams with said units. I really enjoy opening this game once per day and do my daily activities with my team composed by Marth, Azura, Surtr and Veronica. Oh, one last very important note to Intelligent Systems: please add another Alm to the game soon.