"If I wanted to read a book, I would have bought one."

Introduction - The Plot
In the post-Gagharv era, the land of El Phildin is consumed by a bitter war. As its citizens fight to survive, one will be taken by the darkness.

As time passes and the light returns... etc, etc, etc... you get the picture, right?

I'll just sum it up. You want to find your sister, but there's a whole heap of cliche story lines, and bad gameplay in the way.

Gameplay - 4/10
If you enjoy walking around a lot, reading a lot, and fighting a lot of awfully monotonous battles, then this game is for you.

Movement is a little awkward at first, but you'll easily get used to it. Helping you get used to moving around is all the walking you'll be doing, and trust me, you'll be doing a lot of walking! All the going from point A to B, back to A, back to B.. well, you get the picture, there's a lot of walking. Which is bad, because it makes what you're doing feel like a chore.

The menu system it's very intuitive either. Yes, there aren't many menus, but I found myself pressing the wrong buttons to access menus each and every time I started the game up.

You'll also being doing a lot of reading, no, a grotesque amount of reading. This is where all the "gameplay" is going to come from. Expect to spend a lot of time reading a bland, boring story.

That actual gameplay part, and (I think) the meat of any good RPG, combat, just down right sucks. It goes something like this: "X, X, X, X, X, X... you win!" There is hardly any strategy involved at all, as all you need to do is the very basic attack to win most battles. Even later in the game, when magic is used more heavily, the combat doesn't get anymore deep.

You also get a cute little pet to follow you around. Other then dealing a little damage, providing a buff, or some items (which you already have a million of), it does nothing of use any use. So much for the "Unique Pet System", eh?

Story - 5/10
You would think, that in a game where you spend half your time reading, that there might be an interesting story, right? Well, you're wrong. I found the story in The Legend of Heroes to be quite bland, and uninteresting. This, being an RPG, obviously is a bad thing. The farther you progress, the more (seemingly random) story lines you'll run into, all requiring a fair amount of reading. At a certain point you're just going to want the reading to stop. Again, this is an RPG, and it's not like having a story is a bad thing, it's just that the story downright stinks. Also, I didn't care much for the characters, main and secondary alike, as the game gives you no good reason too.

Graphics/Sound - 8/10
Ah, something good! The graphics are very nicely done. I really enjoyed all of the interesting character sprites. The world itself is in 3D, which is nice, but it does seem pretty repetitive in most areas.

On the other hand there's nothing special about the sound. The sound effects are repetitive and the music is very forgettable. Very average.

Play Time/Replayability - 5/10
I basically forced myself to play though the game, so I wouldn't feel like I wasted my money on it. That being said, I won't be playing it again. It'll take you quite a while to play though, 40+ hours, but all you're doing is walking, reading, and fighting. All of which are outrageously boring.

Final Recommendation - 5/10
Bottom line, don't buy this game. I wouldn't even recommend renting it.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/06