Review: Heroes of Hellas
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:Each player has their own profile for storing their progress. Your game will be saved automatically after a level or whenever you exit the program, but you can't save during a level. To pause the game, click the MENU button in the lower left of the screen. Time needed per session:This game can easily fit into just about anybody's schedule, as none of the levels are vary long.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians The only real issue with this game is that it's themed after Greek/Roman mythology. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/heroes_of_hellas_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/heroes_of_hellas_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/heroes_of_hellas_2.jpg)
Game Overview
The Heroes of Hellas franchise is a fairly large series of Match 3 games themed around Greek mythology. Aside from their unique stories, they are also notable for using a hexagonal grid and chain-matching mechanics instead of the more traditional gem-swapping system you'll see in games like Bejeweled. Combined, this turns the games into a very relaxed and quiet puzzling experience.
In this, the first game of the series, the player is recruited by none other than Zeus himself. Somebody has dared to steal the thunder god's mighty Scepter of Power, and he needs your help to recover it. But, you're not going to be entirely alone in this quest - Zeus will accompany you, and other heroes from Greek mythology will join your party as the story progresses. More on that in a moment.
Gameplay wise, things are fairly straightforward. Each level presents you with a different grid filled with tokens, items, and so on. Your primary goal is to clear all of the colored backgrounds by matching tokens over them. This may take several attempts, as it's not unheard of for there to be multiple background layers. You may also see semiprecious stones mixed in among the tokens. When this happens, you'll need to collect them by moving them to the bottom of the grid and letting them fall.
Of course, there are other obstacles that will get in your way. These include a time limit, ropes and chains that keep tokens from moving, and stone monoliths that prevent matches. The time limit is usually generous enough to be ignorable, and the other obstacles can be removed by either making matches over them or near them. Powerups are also available to aid you - in fact, you can create some yourself by making exceptionally long chains. Making a long chain creates a coin where the last token in the chain previously was. These act like wild cards, and be used to form bridges between groups of similar tokens. Lightning tiles are another common powerup. They also act like wild cards, but their special ability triggers when they are included in a match. Thunderbolts fly out of the lightning tile in the directions indicated by its arrows, clearing tokens, snapping chains and ropes, and destroying monoliths. On the downside, thunderbolts are blocked by the monoliths they destroy.
The heroes in your party will also come to your aid during gameplay. Each hero can be called upon to use a special ability whenever their power has been changed up. To charge their abilities, you'll need to clear tokens of their specific color. Zeus, for example, can shuffle the tokens on the grid for you, and you can charge up his ability by collecting red tokens.
Overall, this entry in Heroes of Hellas series turned out to be a very well polished Match 3 game, despite its age and the fact that it's their very first attempt. If you're a fan of Match 3 games and don't mind playing something a little long in the tooth, this is a great addition to your game library.
In this, the first game of the series, the player is recruited by none other than Zeus himself. Somebody has dared to steal the thunder god's mighty Scepter of Power, and he needs your help to recover it. But, you're not going to be entirely alone in this quest - Zeus will accompany you, and other heroes from Greek mythology will join your party as the story progresses. More on that in a moment.
Gameplay wise, things are fairly straightforward. Each level presents you with a different grid filled with tokens, items, and so on. Your primary goal is to clear all of the colored backgrounds by matching tokens over them. This may take several attempts, as it's not unheard of for there to be multiple background layers. You may also see semiprecious stones mixed in among the tokens. When this happens, you'll need to collect them by moving them to the bottom of the grid and letting them fall.
Of course, there are other obstacles that will get in your way. These include a time limit, ropes and chains that keep tokens from moving, and stone monoliths that prevent matches. The time limit is usually generous enough to be ignorable, and the other obstacles can be removed by either making matches over them or near them. Powerups are also available to aid you - in fact, you can create some yourself by making exceptionally long chains. Making a long chain creates a coin where the last token in the chain previously was. These act like wild cards, and be used to form bridges between groups of similar tokens. Lightning tiles are another common powerup. They also act like wild cards, but their special ability triggers when they are included in a match. Thunderbolts fly out of the lightning tile in the directions indicated by its arrows, clearing tokens, snapping chains and ropes, and destroying monoliths. On the downside, thunderbolts are blocked by the monoliths they destroy.
The heroes in your party will also come to your aid during gameplay. Each hero can be called upon to use a special ability whenever their power has been changed up. To charge their abilities, you'll need to clear tokens of their specific color. Zeus, for example, can shuffle the tokens on the grid for you, and you can charge up his ability by collecting red tokens.
Overall, this entry in Heroes of Hellas series turned out to be a very well polished Match 3 game, despite its age and the fact that it's their very first attempt. If you're a fan of Match 3 games and don't mind playing something a little long in the tooth, this is a great addition to your game library.
Points of Interest
Heroic Goodies
Several things become unlocked when a new hero joins your party, but a few of them don't actually have an effect on the game. As an example, each hero comes with a mosaic that depicts one of the legendary feats they are famous for, and aside from being a playable puzzle, these can also be used as a desktop wallpaper. Another piece of bonus content is a short summary of the hero's story, available for you to read in the "Myths" section of the main menu.
Customize your palace
As you clear tokens from the Match 3 puzzles, you'll accumulate coins. These are not just there for score; once you earn enough of them, you'll be able to pay Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen, to build another section of your personal palace. You have several choices for each step, allowing you to build a customized home away from home.
Trophies
As this game is not available on Steam, it cannot use the achievement system that many of us are familiar with. However, it does provide something similar: instead of achievements, players can earn 20 trophies as awards for their in-game accomplishments. Many are earned by clearing levels without the aid of your allies, though more than a few require some planning.
Mouse glitch
When playing this game in windowed mode, your mouse will occasionally get flung somewhere in the upper left quadrant of the screen. This is an unfortunate side effect of how the game captures the mouse. On the plus side, it tends to only happen when accessing a menu, so it doesn't cause trouble during play.
Concerns and Issues
Greek mythos
The biggest issue with this game lies in the fact that it's set in the realm of Greek mythology, complete with its gods, heroes, and occasionally, monsters. Whether or not this is an issue comes down to how you feel about non-Christian sources in stories; personally, I'm fine with it, as it's no more than light fantasy fiction, but everyone has their own limits.
The most troubling aspect of this comes at the end of the game, where the villain is punished by being chained in Hades for eternity. This seems like overkill considering he's only a thief.
The most troubling aspect of this comes at the end of the game, where the villain is punished by being chained in Hades for eternity. This seems like overkill considering he's only a thief.