On 8/08/88 the evil Dr. H brought the whole entire world to the brink of destruction. He wants 88 octillion dollars within 88 minutes. This is where the heroes would come in, but instead, 88 B-rated comical heroes come to save the world. In this action/platformer you play as 88 different, so-called heroes to save the world.
General Gameplay
Playing as each of the 88 Heroes, you have 88 seconds to complete each level. There is no health bar and if your hero is defeated, you immediately start to play as another hero; the computer will pick one for you, and you then go through the game. The charm of this game is that the heroes are all unique in their own way and funny.
Audio
The game has some sound bites for both the heroes and the main villain. This is where the charm of the game comes in. Both of them deliver some wise cracks and they are actually funny. The game does a great job of keeping all of the heroes fresh while the background music and sound effects are also top-notch. The game has audio dialogue, but there is nothing said that is offensive whatsoever, so parents, it is ok for members in your gaming family to hear the game’s audio. 88 Heroes does not support 5.1 surround sound, but the 2-channel stereo sounds are more than enough for the game. Gamers who use a headset should not have any issues; parents, please take caution of how long is your gamer using their headset.
Visuals
88 Heroes is in a pixel-based, 2D style of layout. Similar to what you would find in a late 80’s, early 90’s type of platformer game. The game is very vivid and colorful, but the game looks more like something like a platformer from the early 90’s. During our playtest, we did not see anything offensive for anyone of any age in your gaming family. The game has very minimal “fantasy violence” in it, being a shooter, and there is some “fantasy death” animation but it is not too graphic at all. If anything, even this was designed to be comical. The game does not support a colorblind mode, but there is no need of any. The only thing we did notice that was a distraction is that in the game screen, there are large silhouettes of robots walking that may distract the gamer – but this was a minimal issue. Although the game is a shooter in nature, we did not experience anything that would be offensive to any gamers out there… so parents, there is no concern for anything inappropriate in 88 Heroes.
Controls
88 Heroes’ controls are a very easy setup. A jump button, shoot button and movement with the left thumbstick are the only controls. Some of the heroes do not have the ability to use a weapon, but the game will give you instructions on what the hero can do (some heroes do not have any abilities at all…LOL!) As with many console games, the controls can be changed, but we found it to be easy to play the game with the default controls. The game does not need any type of special controller to play the game. During our playtesting we did not run into any issues with the controls or general gameplay, however, some of our gamers found it easier to play the game with the directional pad instead of the left thumb stick. To be honest, it was more of a gamer preference than anything of concern with respect to the game’s controls; they’re just fine.
“A game with 88 heroes that are fun to play, as well to see them in action. A must have for any 80s/90s fans out there.”
Delivery
One thing about this game is that it’s a challenging action/platformer; do not allow the looks of the game fool you. On the surface, 88 Heroes is a fun looking game that will have you on the floor laughing, but this is also a challenging game that will test your skills on all action/platform titles. This is a great game to have in your digital library, but keep in mind that this is a challenging one also. When playtesting the game, everyone in our gaming family had a blast playing the game but some of our younger and older gamers (around 5 and 55 years old) had a harder time playing the game because of the “one hit deaths” of the characters. However, after playing the game for several hours and gaining a better understanding how the game works, they were able to enjoy the game much more. In the main portion of the game there are other modes that you can play, but they are similar to the main mode; one of them even allows you to pick 8 of the 88 heroes and play the game. In our playtest, the other modes play the same as the main mode but were still fun to explore. Our best advice? This is a must-have for anyone who likes challenging games, but a great title to have for those who love games that have a comical tone to them as well.
Family Friendly
As mentioned in the delivery, the game gets challenging. This may turn off some gamers in your gaming family, but if you let them play the game for a while and learn the basic, core mechanics of 88 Heroes, they will love the game. In our playtesting, some of the characters were just outright funny. There were some that we loved to play as and some that we just hated with a passion (The Paperclip from Office 98 will have you hate Microsoft Office…LOL) The game is a fun, challenging game that will keep you and your gaming family busy and laughing for hours. One part of the charm of the game that may fall flat with younger gamers is the references of the characters from the 80’s/90’s, but still, once they see them in action that will change. From a special needs aspect, 88 Heroes is a great game for anyone in your gaming family that has special needs. The game play, controls, sound and overall feel of the game are very special needs-friendly. We highly recommend the game for the whole family. Do not allow the fact that the game is a shooter deter you; it is a fun shooter that has no “realistic violence” at all.
Closing
88 Heroes is a game that will have you laughing and challenging your skills, and it’s a fun game for the whole family – a must-have for your digital library!
