Video Game Review: Hero Academy (iOS)

Alright, now everyone do not panic at once, but here you go: 2 days, 2 video game reviews.  This game is something that I've been playing off and on for the past few weeks, and that is Hero Academy, which is a FREE mobile app for iOS (although I've heard rumors of a Android version coming).  The game is sort of a strategy board game, where you and an opponent (either a random player or a friend) take turns moving various people around this "battlefield"; attacking the other player's minions.  The goal of the game is to either eliminate the enemy's forces, or take out the opposing player's "Crystals" which sit on the map.  You can have multiple games going on at once with all of your various friends. "The graphics, how are the graphics?"

Hero Academy has a fantasy theme, with priest and warriors (and even ninjas and wraiths), depending on what team you choose (I'll talk about this later).  The graphics go along with this really well, presenting a very cartoony world.  It melds nicely with the gameplay, and runs very smoothly on my iPhone 4.  The only "lag" or issues I've had is when a game loads, and this is only when I'm in a low 3G area, so that's not really the game's fault.

 So, how many moves do I get?

 The way the gameplay works is that there are 2 teams: the Council and the Dark Elves.  The Council characters come with the app, whil the Dark Elves are a cheap in-app purchase ($0.99 or $1.99, I can't remember).  After choosing your team, you start off placing you characters on the board and then moving them around.  It has a turn-based system, during which you get 5 moves or abilities you can divide amongst your men before you "Submit" your actions and allow the next player to go.  I like this, as you can move pieces around and see how much damage you would do with a specific chain of events, and then "reset" if you are not happy with the turnout.  It's a new gimmick that I haven't seen a whole lot with other games.

CONCLUSION: Try out this game.  It's free, and unless you like elves, you really do not have to buy anything within the app.  I'm having a lot of fun with it, and you'll be able to tell relatively quick whether or not its your thing.

What games are you playing right now?  I'm always on the lookout for new iOS games to play, so post a comment below or send me an email at chris@ocdcast.com