Game Review: Heroes of Loot (PS Vita)

Do you remember that time I reviewed LEAP Game Studios’ “Squares” and said it was the perfect arcade experience for a dedicated portable gaming device?

Well, having played “Heroes of Loot”, I can tell you that I think Peru’s top dev team has found its match: frantic action, lighthearted jokes about gaming and the RPG genre, excellent, simple gameplay and short dungeons make this game a fantastic contender for one of the best portable-oriented games I’ve played in a long, long time.

And that’s the thing: when it comes to portable games, you have to understand your medium. That’s something Nintendo does really, really well, but it’s something that Playstation sometimes struggles with. A portable device means gaming on the go, and that in turn means short bursts of gaming. Grand experiences and sweeping vistas are all well and good, but if you can’t learn the “Flappy Bird” lesson and apply it to your portable project in some way, then you’re not seeing the big picture.

While a lot of people turn their noses up at what we, older farts gamers, would call “arcade-type games”, I for one welcome their get-in-get-out nature.

“Heroes of Loot” is a no-frills, stripped-down dungeon crawling RPG-lite with rogue-like elements. If you are not well versed in gamespeak (I see you rejoice, Orwellians), what this basically means is: choose a class, enter a dungeon, collect loot and try not to die.

You have one button to attack (any button), and move with the left analog stick. You have one “main” attack, and one “special” attack, which uses Mana points. Regular RPG fair. But it’s all automatic: you gain special powers with runes, they activate on the spot, and disappear once your Mana is depleted.

The level design is clever, too. Dungeons never overstay their welcome, and new monsters are constantly showing up. In later stages, you’ll need to think fast and use strategy to find cover from the baddies. That’s no mean feat, however, as the further you progress, the more hectic the action gets.

Graphics are your standard 8-bit retro inspired fair, nothing too fancy. But I do love that the game doesn’t seem to want to run out of new types of enemies. The music goes well with the fast-paced action, too.

“Heroes of Loot” is all about having a no-frills portable dungeon crawler, and it excels at it. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s frantic, and surprisingly, it’s quite cheap: a launch price of $3 makes this one hell of a bargain.

And just because the good news gotta keep on coming: It’s PSTV compatible.

Did I mentioned I liked the game? Because I did. And I’m sure that, leaving prejudice aside, so would you.

Don’t want to spend $3? Stay tuned for our “Heroes of Loot” giveaway! 2 US codes and 2 EU codes, coming your way soon.

  • Title: Heroes of Loot
  • Publisher: Abstraction Games
  • Developer: Orange Pixel
  • System: PS Vita
  • Format: Digital Download
  • Cross Buy: No
  • Cross Play: No
  • PSTV Compatible: Yes
  • Memory Card Space Needed: 41Mb

Vita Player Rating - 09

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About Marcos Codas 384 Articles
Lover of portable gaming and horror cinema. Indie filmmaker and game developer. Multimedia producer. Born in Paraguay, raised in Canada. Huge fan of "The Blair Witch Project", and "Sonic 3D Blast". Deputy head at Vita Player and its parent organization, Infinite Frontiers. Like what I do? Donate a coffee: https://www.paypal.me/marcoscodas

3 Comments

  1. What are u guys talking about? The 3ds is AAA gaming. It’s Zelda and more. None of the big 3ds games are flappy birds. I want my portable device to be a PS3 in my pocket. I want long games like persona or souls.
    I hate when people like review tech try to speak for other gamers and say we want angry birds and flappy wankers for the vita!
    No I want killzone and fucking resistance. I want AAA vita games like ninja gaiden sigma. I don’t want squares and angry birds. I game laying in bed. I game at work. I visit my sister and take my vita. I spend the night and play ninja gaiden until I fall asleep.
    If all iOS games were on vita that would be fine but I would be playing brothers in arms, not flappy wankers.
    We need a vita two with triggers. A vita that is a ps4 controller split in half with a 7 inch screen. That is as powerful as the ps4! We went to the moon so let’s champion this shit.
    A device so powerful I can play ALL OF MY SONY GAMES.

    • Hi PapaPico!

      I think you’ve misunderstood what I meant.

      What I said about the 3DS: “And that’s the thing: when it comes to portable games, you have to understand your medium. That’s something Nintendo does really, really well, but it’s something that Playstation sometimes struggles with.”

      What I meant by it: I own a 3DS and am very familiar with the ecosystem, and they’ve found a great balance between games that feel big, and the ability to jump in and out of those worlds quickly.

      What follows is in regards to Playstation, not Nintendo: “Grand experiences and sweeping vistas are all well and good, but if you can’t learn the “Flappy Bird” lesson and apply it to your portable project in some way, then you’re not seeing the big picture”.

      I was referring to the fact that you should not try to recreate the home console experience (i.e. long missions) on a portable with every game, as the medium is different.

      Also, when I mentioned “Flappy Bird”, I was not talking about literal clones. I was talking about design philosophy: “whip out the device and play” is a fantastic design philosophy for portable games, and one that Playstation games should have focused on within the Vita environment from the beginning.

      They are greatly implemented in game mechanics from the Pokemon series (just one more battle, one more trainer, one more try to get that shiny Poke), to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (which allowed players to play in short bursts).

      Brother in Arms, which you mentioned, is another great example, as the game mechanics were modified to fit the portable medium. That’s what I meant.

      In regards to reviewers “trying to speak for everyone”: we can’t, nor do we want to. It’s understood that a review is an subjective point of view. At least, we assume it is. It’s what we think about a particular issue. Nothing more.

      People don’t come to review sites looking for “truth”. They come because they want an opinion, something that is, by nature, subjective. They come (or don’t come) because they feel identified with our voice, they seek validation for their own opinions, or want to disagree with ours.

      Thanks for your comment, and I hope I’ve cleared up the issue for you. We’re on the same page. We both want AAA titles and such on Vita. The fact of the matter is, though, that it won’t happen again. And AA titles and ports should take notice of adapting to a medium in such a way that allows players to be more flexible.

      Have a great weekend!

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