A Wacky and Wonderful Beat ‘Em Up Adventure
From the talented folk over at Exalted Studios and Dear Villagers comes a wacky new 3D beat ‘em up called Big Helmet Heroes. Now, obviously, with this being a family website, there will be no sniggering about the name at the back, okay? We’re going to be all grown up and stuff.
With a promised plethora of heroes to find and choose from, it’s time to grab your helmet and sally forth. Who’s with me?
We’re going to start today with the presentation of the game, and here the news is good, with a pleasing art style running through the whole game.
There is a real kind of slapstick humour that brings together the whole story and the action that we find ourselves in, and even the cutscenes that pop up have a pleasing silliness to them. The graphics of the levels that we find ourselves in, as well as the heroes and enemies all look great too; very well designed and nicely animated. Further to that are the special attacks, ranging from a whirling dervish type spin attack to a hero who puts bubbles all over the screen.
And in Big Helmet Heroes the audio is equally good, with a nice line in music, the requisite beat ‘em up sound effects, and some lovely dialogue, even if it is limited to the occasional “Huh?” type sound. All in all, this is a game that looks great, sounds great and moves at a good pace, so it’s a big three out of three for the presentation side of the game.
The story is pretty straightforward, working as a bit of a rescue mission at heart. See, at the beginning of the game, our princess is kidnapped, and while we get her back early doors, we still end up with a lot more fighting to do. With wacky challenges and bosses every few levels to fight against, there is no shortage of things to hit with lumps of metal. While it isn’t the deepest story that I have ever come across, that found in Big Helmet Heroes does suffice to get us fired up to go and fight.
Heroic Brawls and Boss Battles
But what about that fighting? The basic set up is that of a side scrolling beat ‘em up, with our heroes starting off at the left hand side of a stage, then fighting their way all the way to the right, with maybe a detour or two along the way. Moving through the levels sees us happen upon new heroes, adding them to the character roster. Helpfully, when we do find a new hero in a level, they are made available straight away, switchable on the fly via the press of the LB button. Choosing the right hero, with the right set of moves can make a big difference to the boss fights in particular, and so having as wide a range of heroes to choose from is a good thing.
Another big part of Big Helmet Heroes is the swapping of weapons, helped by the fact that any starting loadout is bolstered by the picking up of various weapons that are found dotted about the place, or that are dropped by the enemies we defeat; all in melee or ranged flavours. Just note, if you do choose to play this game in local co-op (and you should, as it is even more fun with two people) one thing to bear in mind is that melee attacks don’t hurt your partner, but ranged attacks do.
Wacky Weapons and Steampunk Shenanigans
When fighting, the combat system is solid and responsive, and best of all it comes with a real sense of heft, as if you actually were swinging a lump of metal around, or throwing bombs at foes. Another string to the combat bow is the picking up of enemies: once you have hold of them, a quick saunter to a cliff edge and a stab of the X button gets rid of the problem. Again, this is something that you can do with the co-op partner you’ve dragged along, and while this can be hilarious, it can also be a bit dangerous…
Running through the levels, picking up weird and wonderful weapons (a stop sign, a gun that fires electricity, a lump of stinky cheese that poisons the enemies) and finally taking in a huge boss fight is all par for the course. They are a varied bunch, with a real kind of steampunk machinery vibe to them. A mechanical fire breathing dragon is just the start, but from there, the imagination that has gone into creating these creatures is top notch.
A Hilarious and Action-Packed Beat ‘Em Up for All Ages
Big Helmet Heroes is a lot of fun, either in co-op or single player. There is a great thread of humour running through the game, and the combat action builds the enjoyment. It isn’t perfect, but if you want a laugh and a ton of action, it can be found here.
It even got my son off Destiny 2 for a while…
Links
Big Helmet Heroes: A Zany Beat ‘Em Up Adventure Coming to PC and Consoles – https://www.thexboxhub.com/big-helmet-heroes-a-zany-beat-em-up-adventure-coming-to-pc-and-consoles/
Embark on a Whimsical Adventure with the Big Helmet Heroes – https://www.thexboxhub.com/embark-on-a-whimsical-adventure-with-the-big-helmet-heroes/
Buy Big Helmet Heroes on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/big-helmet-heroes/9n6jfwvmm7cm
