Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 25/Dec 01:44

Keep the Heroes Out! – Review

A couple of years ago, at a board game night over at a friend’s house, we were introduced to Keep the Heroes Out!. While we do remember having a good time that night, our memories of the actual game are hazy: playing 3 of 4 different games with a similar setting over the span of one night will do that to you. Still, the title of the game must’ve lingered in our mind, because when we saw that there was now a video game version of Keep the Heroes Out!, it triggered a spark of recognition. Was this indeed that very same game? More importantly, was it as fun as we vaguely remembered? Story Being based on a real-life board game, Keep the Heroes Out! isn’t a story-driven game at all. Granted, there is a premise here that contextualizes things, and the game follows a campaign-like structure, but neither of these are used to deliver a gripping narrative arc. Said premise sees players take on the uncommon role of archetypal fantasy monsters such as skeletons, imps, and even a disgruntled dragon. The task at hand is simple: pesky adventurers are invading the dungeon in an attempt to steal treasure. It’s up to our villainous grunts to stop the heroes from success. While the game’s campaign is structured around individual scenarios, dungeon layouts, and themed objectives, like collecting potion ingredients for a witch, or special event-style challenges, these are mechanical variations, rather than storytelling elements. Graphics The overall presentation of Keep the Heroes Out! is cute and colourful, fitting the playful tone of monsters defending a dungeon rather than grim fantasy. The game fully leans into the source material, adapting a board-game-like aesthetic. Dungeon rooms, monsters, and heroes are visually distinct, although the game’s UI doesn’t share the same fate. Readability, both when it comes to the amount of information thrown at you and text legibility, can be an issue, especially when you’re still familiarising yourself with the game’s core mechanics. From a technical perspective, Keep the Heroes Out! doesn’t push any boundaries, and the game runs smoothly and reliably. Sound When it comes to Keep the Heroes Out!’s soundscape, we can be concise: it’s functional, but not outstanding. There is no voice acting, and the game’s background music is present and fitting but doesn’t stand out. Sound effects and ambience, such as combat noises, monster actions, and UI feedback, are here to provide clarity. There are no glaring issues with the sound design, but it’s also not especially memorable or impressive. Gameplay A straight-up digital adaptation of Brueh Games’ beloved board game, Keep the Heroes Out! is a turn-based strategic dungeon defense game. Its core loop involves planning room defenses, managing monsters, responding to hero actions, and optimizing resource play, rather than direct action combat. In practice, that involves choosing a room layout, filling it with traps and monsters, and then reacting to incoming heroes’ movements with cards and abilities. You’re constantly making strategic decisions and adapting to evolving threats as you make your way through Keep the Heroes Out!’s scenario campaign. The digital version of Keep the Heroes Out! feels very faithful to the physical game, not just in its presentation, but also in how core strategic elements, enemy behaviors, and decision points mirror the tabletop version. Gameplay is definitely more streamlined, as some of the board game’s fiddly bookkeeping is automated. Hero movement is tracked, damage is counted, and initiative is managed by the game itself, making for a game that feels smoother and faster. Setup time in particular is cut down: the physical game requires laying out rooms, shuffling decks, and organizing components, whereas the digital version skips this part altogether. The downside is that you don’t get the tactile satisfaction of moving pieces and handling cards, but ultimately, this digital version of the game feels more than adequate as an adaptation. This inevitably does bring us to Keep the Heroes Out!’s multiplayer aspect. While the game does support a solo experience, any board game aficionado will attest that these kinds of games are meant to be played with multiple people by nature. In Keep the Heroes Out!, you’re working together to keep the dungeon safe from hero infestation. While we didn’t get a chance to try out the online multiplayer, we can tell you that couch co-op is perhaps the most fun you can have with Keep the Heroes Out!. Sessions last between 30 and 60 minutes, and with no setup or cleanup required, this is a perfect game to fit in as a palate cleanser between those sessions of Mario Kart World. With an RRP of €19.99, which is about a third of the physical game, Keep the Heroes Out! might just be the star of your next game night. Conclusion The digital version of Keep the Heroes Out! succeeds in faithfully bringing the co-op chaos of the original board game from your tabletop to the comfort of your couch. While we wouldn’t go as far as to say that this is the definitive way to go, as we do prefer the tactility of the original, the port comes pretty close, especially if you can rope some friends into joining you. There definitely are some shortcomings here, mostly when it comes to the lack of a narrative and a lackluster soundscape, but those stem from this being a board game adaptation rather than something that was designed to be a video game from the ground up.