In platformer Random Heroes: Gold Edition from Ratalaika Games and Woblyware, you must defend Earth. Check our Random Heroes: Gold Edition review.

 

The Earth is being invaded by terrifying aliens! It’s up to you and a bunch of random heroes to save the day and stop the invasion! Shoot and jump your way through over 108 levels to stop the alien menace and bring peace to the planet. Will you be able to survive?

As the game begins, we are introduced to the game’s context: Earth has been invaded by aliens, and you are told that you’ll receive a “bunch of random heroes” to take care of them before it’s too late. There isn’t anything more as far as the story goes, so you’ll be thrown into the gameplay right after.

You move from left to right, destroying every zombie on your path using the action button to fire. As you begin, you’ll notice how resistant to your bullets the enemies are, since it takes way too many hits to down even the first zombie type. Luckily, pressing the pause button offers the Shop menu in which you can purchase better weapons. But since collecting money is a slow process, you’ll mostly spend 10 to 15 minutes collecting enough money for your first weapon upgrade.

Each level contains three stars that can be obtained: by completing a level without getting hit, by getting every coin the level has, and of course, for getting rid of every single zombie out there. Earning stars allows you to unlock new playable characters, each one with different stats that can change how you approach other stages.

The gameplay is pretty basic, but for me, the level design broke the experience. There are platforms everywhere, and getting from point A to point B is easy, but you’ll most likely require to use an elevator (there are a ton in each level) to get to your destination. The elevators in this game are slow. And I want to emphasize how slow they are. A good part of the time spent in a level is waiting for an elevator to get to the next platform.

 

There is a good variety of enemies, but sadly most of them are just plain annoying. Even with upgraded firepower from the Shop, getting rid of them still takes a lot of hits. Plus, a few of them have some patterns that made me lose my temper. For instance, there are green worms that are hidden, popping up when you go near them. Some of them are hidden in water spots, meaning that if you’re not paying attention, you’ll most likely walk into them. When they’re active, they’ll fall on a small platform in which it becomes harder to protect yourself. This means that you’ll likely get hit, so you’ll have to choose to either lose the “Don’t Get Hit” Star, or the “Kill All Enemies” Star.

Another metallic monster gets in his shell when you fire at him. When you stop, it gets out of his shell and instantly fires two beams that can be avoided, but this whole thing makes the fight take too long. There are also some jumps that require more precision, but right above your head, there is some slime goo that drops onto the ground, which also hurts you. It’s like these enemies were specifically made to annoy gamers.

As for the game’s presentation, it does look good with its early 16- bits theme and the soundtrack is surprisingly upbeat, but as you progress through the levels, the music eventually felt old. Trophies are awarded for getting rid of every species of zombie and are also awarded for unlocking a lot of the different characters that are part of the Random Heroes group.

 

Final Thoughts
Random Heroes: Gold Edition wasn’t for me. If it wasn’t for its Platinum trophy, I would have abandoned this game before the fifth level was over. The visual presentation is great, though, and I actually did like the 16-bits look and feel. The incredibly slow elevators and the annoying patterns of the different monsters broke the experience for me. I’d recommend this game only for trophy hunters.

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PSN Price: $4.99
PSN Game size: 120MB

 

Disclaimer
This Random Heroes: Gold Edition review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Ratalaika Games.