Online game "Book of Heroes"

"Book of Heroes" is a free browser-based and client MMORPG. It would seem that there are plenty of such entertainments, but this one has peculiarities. First, it is based on the mechanics of card games - with hundreds of characters that have unique characteristics. Secondly, there is an element of tactics, where fighters can be placed in any place in the ranks and lines at your discretion. Finally, there are the characters from the myths - and about each god, spirit, demon or hero you can read an interesting reference. After getting to know this project, you'll know a little more about the folklore of various nations than you did before. It's time to get to know Esprit Games' novelty better.

Book of Heroes is set in a place called the Continent of the Holy Unions. Once these lands were attacked by evil forces from the Abyss, but people called on the help of the supreme goddess to close the gates through which all kinds of evil things would climb. To accomplish this task, the protector of humanity used elementals (in other words, the elements: fire, earth, air, and so on), but in the end, she herself collapsed. And years later, the seal imposed on the Abyss weakened. Therefore, the heroes must take up arms and defend the fairytale kingdom from another threat. One day the goddess foretold that only a brave man from Outland would be able to defeat the infernal hordes. In the role of such a brave and offer to act as a user.

At the start you have to choose a hero. There aren't too many options: there's a man and a woman, and they come with sets of randomly generated names - "spin the drum" until you find the one you like. At the same setting looks, even a simple, not provided - different avatars appear in the game later, but give them not for free. Determined with the sex of your warrior, you get a temporary adviser to Angel, who helps to learn the local rules. In brief they are simple: battles are automatic, but the fight with the boss must be initiated manually, the loot from the defeated enemies is gathered by itself, but its usage depends on the player.

And the main thing is fighters, that you get as you go through the story. They appear in the form of cards, collected in the manner of a collection in a special section of the menu. At some point they accumulate enormously, and here it's important to properly dispose of them. The story, as it should be, consists of chapters. Each chapter is an area on the map where you have to arrive and defeat all the monsters to challenge the local boss and move on in the story. But the further you advance, the stronger the enemies become. This means that you have to adjust to the increasing complexity: to pump, to change the characters in the squad, to remodel and improve the equipment.

There are a total of five active slots in the squad: two in the front row and three in the rear. Another slot is allocated for relics, an item that strengthens all members of the group. And there is a pet slot. The main fighters are placed in two lines: swordsmen, lances, magical creatures and other melee masters are placed in the vanguard, and wizards, archers, healers and other support group members are placed in the rear. Since after a few hours you have hundreds of cards in your warehouse, you have to think about who to add to your squad slots. Here you can act based on the rarity of the characters (the harder to find them, the more useful they are), or put the one whose special skills will be useful in the upcoming fight. In general, there are a lot of combinations - there is room for lovers of tactics.

All the players are familiar from fairy tales and legends. Here you can meet the god Odin from Scandinavian mythology and read about him in a special section of the atlas. Or learn something about the nymph Thetis, who joined your squad. There are even simpler creatures, such as the Minotaur, whose story will introduce you to such ancient characters as Minos, Pasiphae, Poseidon, and Radamante.

While in a normal location, the squad finds and kills enemies by itself. But after pressing the "Fight" button, a separate window opens with the boss, who performs together with his entourage. It turns out to be a "wall-to-wall" fight, where all the characters take turns using special techniques. That's why before any skirmish it is important to check who and what place in the line is assigned, and then keep the fighting order until the next permutation. In principle, there's nothing difficult here - it's even fun to go through the cards in the collection, assessing the prospects of this or that fighter. But the question arises: if the active members of the squad are constantly getting new experience and pumped up, what is the point of changing them for newcomers, let them be of mythical rarity?

Any partner can be upgraded and armed after being assigned to a squad, so there is no problem with "rotation". As with troop replenishment: a sort of free "lottery" is available to the player every day, where one or more fighters are given. More whole cards are collected from the shards awarded for winning a battle. It is important to remember that all characters have a character development threshold. Breaking Through, a ritual that requires the investment of resources, allows you to surpass this limit. Also, the strength of the fighters depends on their equipment. Whether it is trophy armor and weapons, or items purchased in the store, any item can be forged to improve the quality, transferred from one character to another or taken apart. Cards, by the way, are also recyclable with a surcharge - for example, if you have several of the same creatures in stock.

Like most browser-based MMORPGs, the "Book of Heroes" allows you to upgrade absolutely everything, from the sword of the lancer in the front row to the strength of the protagonist. Upgrades are also available for your personal pet and relic, which occupies a place in the rear of the battle formation. Each of these items is useful in combat. For example, the Hammer of Lightning deals area damage once per battle, wounding all enemies caught in that area.

The game likes to give users different activities - on the left side of the screen there is always a notification of a task worth doing. And the rewards are generous: as a rule, an item of equipment and a portion of some resources. In addition to the story chapters on the Continent of Holy Unions, there is a Tower of Challenges, where you have to go up through the levels, defeating increasingly powerful enemies. But there's also the Test Cave. The rules here are similar, except that the monsters attack in an endless avalanche - and the battle, of course, is fought against time. The longer you hold out, the bigger the prize you're entitled to.

There are other adventures in the "Book of Heroes": in the Chambers of Ruins players are something like the dungeons of the usual MMORPG, no one prevents visit the adventurers' harbor and fight at sea, at the same time rafting to Koko Island. In the Temple of Glory anyone can see the leaders in strength and victories over monsters. Do not neglect the daily tasks, a list of which is always available in the city location. After all, it brings additional rewards. For example, if there is an offer to fight in the Arena three times in a row, it's worth it - so you get prizes for the victories, and a bonus for successfully completed the task.

The first thing you must do is join the guild. This is done simply - after a few hours of the story campaign you will have a dozen invitations in messages. It's enough to answer yes. And then there is a lot of social activities. From those that are easier, we can mention interserver raids on the world boss and the battle in the Arena, where you go one on one against the detachment of another player. There is nothing complicated here, because the outcome of such a duel is determined automatically. The main thing is to see your opponent's level of strength and compare it to your own abilities - if you're even slightly inferior, it's better to stay out of the way.

Each guild has its own location where you can get daily quests, contribute to your faction's development, go for loot in your personal dungeon, and get extra perks for the hero. There are also events just for you and your comrades. Book of Heroes has global quests for a group of gamers to complete - such as the battle for the banner of the City of the Gods or the war of the Holy City. Naturally, the developers did not forget about the friendship: with the inhabitants of the server are allowed to enter into alliances, trade and even declare a romantic relationship in order to get the gifts in this case.

The true highlight of the game is the system of fighter cards, with a reference for each character or creature. This is interesting both from a tactical point of view and just for general development. Otherwise, the "Book of Heroes" is a typical representative of browser-based MMORPG: looks good, does not break the price, allows you to distract for a few days with the preservation of progress and always finds something to entertain the user. If you are looking for something standard in the genre, but "with a twist", the project is definitely worth a try.

Zarium. December 2022