Heroes of Mount Dragon is a new, fun “side-scrolling” 2.5D “beat-em-up” game. The developers are the studio RuniQ – founded by veterans from Beenox and Ubisoft. The game is based on the children's literature books of the same name, which were released only in French. We played the PlayStation 5 version, but there is also a PC version available on Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as a Nintendo Switch version, while an Xbox version is in development.
The game's story takes place in a mythical world called Una, which is on the brink of chaos after the disappearance of the Celestial Dragon. We play as Dragon Souls, chosen heroes who in their most powerful form can take on the characters of various invincible dragons and defeat their opponents. Our goal is to defeat all enemies and restore order in Una.
The art style of the game is colorful and reminiscent of cartoons. The game is 2.5D, meaning it combines hand-drawn 2D art with 3D environment textures. The gameplay is fluid and fast, and the controls are simple. At the time of playing, we had 6 heroes available. Each hero has their unique fighting style and unique combinations and powers. We have the “assassin” Ozlow, the “ranger” Eliadora, the “brawler” Grog, the “warrior monk” Fenek, the “barbarian” Tiberius, and the wizard Altazar. I started the game with Tiberius, and when I maxed him out, I switched to Altazar because yes, it is possible to change characters during the game and continue where you left off with the previous one. One of the main mechanics is transforming into a dragon. During battles, we can briefly transform into a dragon that eliminates any opponent in its path with its attack (“dragon breath”). The game has mild RPG elements, meaning a poorly developed and basic progression system, leveling up (the maximum level for each character is 15, which can be reached quite quickly), which unlocks attack combinations and nothing else. The game also features cooperative (Co-op) play for up to 4 players, as well as online co-op play. There is also a competitive mode where we can play against each other locally. The time to complete the main part of the game (Adventure mode) is relatively short. It took me 4-5 hours of gameplay. However, for the platinum trophy, a bit more grinding is needed, as you must max out each character and complete the game on all difficulty levels. Still, despite that, I managed to earn about thirty trophies out of a possible 48. I would say the platinum trophy is not too hard to obtain for a more experienced “trophy hunter.”
The game consists of 5 acts. Each act has quite a few levels through which you defeat opponents, and at the end of each level, there is a "mini boss" battle. We always move to the right, and after short or very short fights with uninspired opponents, we collect apples and chicks that restore our energy. The levels are short, but there are quite a few of them, so the acts can take a while. However, overall it doesn't last too long. The brevity of the main story is not my only complaint about this game. The opponents, although visually diverse, are almost all the same and can be defeated without much knowledge or skill, including the "final boss" in the game, who was, to put it mildly – disappointing. It was easier to defeat him than some weaker "mini bosses" that await you at the end of each level. The game is quite repetitive, and the levels - although aesthetically and color-wise different, are clearly "cut from the same mold." In one level, you fight against red spiders, and in the next against the same type of spider, just in green color. The story is mostly entertaining, with a lot of humor. The narrator has a good, relaxing voice and is one of the positive aspects of this game. Another complaint is that the cut-scenes do not have voiceover, meaning there is no voice, just text and a visual representation of the characters. Don’t think that I consider the game bad; I will move on to the good things. Visually, the game is great, especially if you like similar games. The recent 2D Prince of Persia game comes to mind, which is visually similar. Those who love cartoon-style games will also find enjoyment in this game. The fun in this game seems endless. I can't say that the game isn't addictive because I spent several evenings on it and I don't regret it at all. It has that something that makes you want to play one more level, then another, and so on.
In short, Heroes of Mount Dragon is a fun and visually impressive beat-em-up game with cartoon elements. It is very colorful and has fluid gameplay, but there is a noticeable lack of depth and variety. The enemies are repetitive, but the mini-bosses at the end of each level can be tricky. For trophy hunters on the PlayStation platform looking for a bunch of easy trophies, as well as an easily accessible platinum trophy – this game is the right choice.
A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the publisher indie.io
