Review: Archero

Archero is a fast paced action game available on iOS and Android mobile devices. Ever heard of the “bullet hell” genre? I’d say this game fits in that genre quite well. Think shoot ’em up but with swarms of projectiles.

If you try this game the first thing you will notice is the controls (or should I say control). It’s super simple. You can play the entire game with just your thumb. Just move your character with the in-game joystick. That’s it!

Gameplay

Stop to shoot. Move to evade. The character movement feels super smooth and the targeting system is very intuitive. An absolute joy to play.

Fight through stages to complete chapters. Each chapter is filled with new enemies, bosses and attack patterns to learn.

Chapters & Abilities

You’ll find yourself replaying chapters to complete them. Now this would typically be terribly boring. However Archero’s ability (power up) system helps make each attempt feel fresh.

Your character levels as you progress through the chapter. Each level grants you with a choice from three random abilities. Thus providing your character with a unique projectile each play through.

One favourite combination of mine is multi-directional attack combined with wall bounce.

Character Progression

Of course having to start chapters over and over again would get quite frustrating.

However even if you fail your attempt (and you will fail a lot) credits are rewarded after each run. These can be spent on talents (passive skills) and upgrades (character, armor, weapon and pets).

Impression

Quick to start
Archero is quick and easy to pick up. The ability system makes each run fresh and its always exciting to see your projectiles evolve throughout each play through.

More Action than RPG
Whilst there is a character progression system it is not as in depth as some more traditional action RPGs out there. If you’re looking for a game with extensive character progression (armor, skills, stats etc) then Archero may not be fore you.

The Ability System
Whilst this concept helps keep subsequent play through feel fresh. Its randomness does have a downside.

Some power ups (eg Double Attack) are simply much more useful than others. You may quickly feel that passing chapters can be heavily dependent on the abilities you roll.

Is it for you?
Archero is no doubt a solid game. Beautiful graphics, excellent controls and exciting game play. Most notably, its ability system is very effective solution to maintaining interest on repeat play through.

In fact its so successful that you may have noticed other games starting to feature the same function. Perhaps the start of a new sub-genre.