Already released on Xbox One, the fighting game from independent studio Rimlight Studios (located in Catania, Sicily) has been available since February 15 on Steam.
And I had the opportunity to test it!
At the start of a new game, you will be able to choose the difficulty. For my part, I opted for the easy level where the enemies do not represent a great challenge. If you are bored, you can opt for normal or hard mode. Then you will have to choose a member of the ZHEROS team. Two heroes are offered: Mike, strong but clumsy, and Captain Dorian, agile, intelligent and ready for anything.
The fat boy seems more fun to me and I choose him! Forward!
The intro cutscene introduces me to the story's big bad, Doctor Vendetta, a psychopath who turns everything he finds into a robot, with the ultimate goal of enslaving the world with his robotic army.
The first level serves as a tutorial and learning shortcuts. All of these shortcuts can be found from the pause menu.
Obviously, at first, it seems a lot, even if I opted for joystick control. I advance cautiously and discover a living and colorful science-fiction world where multiple details invite you to lose sight of the main objective which is located on the road in the foreground. Crates are destructible to accumulate points which will be converted into RP at the end of the level.
I mainly use the X and Y keys at the beginning which allow me to perform melee attacks. Pressing the Y key then destroys the shields of certain protected enemies.
I also have the option of using my energy (in blue under the classic green life bar at the top right) to activate two special abilities: a shield and a shot. The shield is very useful for taking damage but also, with the right timing, for returning shots in the nose of attackers.
This use of the shield to reflect damage is a difficult technique to master but necessary to kill some robots that are tougher than others. On the other hand, the majority of the enemies do not require a special strategy, simply to type!
Here and there, tougher mini-bosses require good coordination, and especially a good punch, to get by.
The levels are embellished with small platform components. There are lasers to dodge and you have to jump from platform to platform (or from conveyor belt to conveyor belt). Hint: remember that you can make the character run! This is not very practical on the controller (you have to click with the left joystick, this same joystick which is used for movement) but after a few tries, I still succeeded (so nothing insurmountable for most players) .
Many combos exist to launch very special attacks with the character. It is better to have a second screen here to display them or a good memory because there are many ... many!
At the end of each level, a summary gives the achievement statistics. Depending on the number of crates destroyed and coins recovered, I earn points allowing me to unlock new abilities (RP).
With Mike, I can improve the power of his shield, shot and fist.
Eighteen levels are available, which can be played in co-op or solo. Note that randomly in the levels a mechanical armor appears, allowing to smash even more everything in its path!
Pleasant and well-designed, ZHEROS is a good, unpretentious escape, set in a rich and fun sci-fi world. Not taking itself seriously, the game hides jokes everywhere, the hero is clumsy, the monsters are ridiculous and it works really well!
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ZHEROS is available on Xbox One for € 19.99 and on Steam for € 14.99 (it will arrive on Playstation 4 this spring).
