Loop Hero is a game that has its origins from the famous game jam Ludum Dare. Loop hero is a mix between an idle game and a roguelike that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, it is a game that deserves the attention it has received.

Idle games rose to popularity in the 2010s with games like Adventure Capitalist reaching into the several millions of downloads since its release. This is similar to the rise of roguelikes in the same period of time with games like Hades, Binding of Issac, and Slay the Spire all reaching both commercial and critical success. Loop Hero did the seemingly impossible task of merging the genres.

Loop Hero follows a hero who awakens after the apocalypse, and tries to rebuild the world around him. This involves meeting new survivors and collecting resources in order to build new structures. The game is extremely hard to explain without a visual explanation, and I would advise you to watch a quick gameplay loop. It is a mix of turn-based auto-attacking, and resource management. Outside of allocating where resources go, you have very little interactivity.

Innovation but at what cost

Loop Hero is a game that has no counterparts that I can think of. It isn’t a normal roguelike, but it isn’t a true idle game. Loop Hero is one of the most innovative games I have played in 2021. However, it brings a lot of baggage from both genres.

Loop Hero is one of the games I have played that has very little respect for my time. If you play this game you have to expect to go loop after loop in order to grind more resources. This is normal in an idle game, and long playtime is a staple of the roguelike genre.

The problem with Loop Hero is that it feels like an RPG over a roguelike. The story has a definite start and finish with planned story beats. However, the pacing is really off as you can take long periods of time in between making progress in the story. This caused me to become uninterested in the story.

Emergent gameplay and worldbuilding

People who love Loop Hero will talk about how much they love world-building, and how the gameplay evolves in each act. While I am not as sold on the game as they are I have to agree that Loop Hero does this well. So much of Loop Hero is about learning, and the developers made a game that rewards inquisitive players. Different tiles interact with other tiles in unique ways.

Loop Hero can feel like a puzzle at times, as you try to figure out what is the optimal tile combinations in order to beat the boss. However, with each failed combination you learn a little more and add that to your next strategy.

Everything feels like it has a consequence, and that forces the player to be incredibly intentional in their actions. Everything in the game feels intentional which is something I love in a game.

In conclusion

Loop Hero is a hard recommendation to people who are not a fan of the roguelike genre, but if you love the genre as I do then it is hard to not try. Loop Hero is one of the games that feels like a fresh view of the genre, but it isn’t going to be a hit for everyone.

7.6

Innovation and complex. However, I would recommend you understand what you are getting into before starting