Even though we’re coming up on the SIXTH anniversary of its release, developer HeatPot’s Hero Emblems is still among the very best premium match-3 RPGs around. Perhaps even more shocking than how long ago Hero Emblems released is how long it’s been since HeatPot announced a sequel, initially unveiling their plans for it just over four years ago in the fall of 2016. We went hands on with Hero Emblems 2 at Tokyo Games Show in 2016 just after its announcement, and about a year later in November of 2017 we were treated to a new trailer as well as the unfortunate news that the game would be delayed until sometime in 2018. Oh how optimistic we all were back then.

In February of 2018 we got another new video and a small update, but we wouldn’t hear from Hero Emblems 2 again until all the way in January of 2019 with another new trailer. And then it would be yet another full year until we heard any news again, in January of this year when we got yet another new trailer. I even said at that time “Hopefully it’s not another full year before we get some more details on Hero Emblems 2." Welp! The one year mark of that last update is just around the corner, and HeatPot has just posted an update in our forums on where things are at with Hero Emblems 2. First up though, a new trailer showcasing the party formation UI and flow along with some new gameplay footage.

As has been the case for the past 4+ years, Hero Emblems 2 continues to look fantastic. But what everyone REALLY wants to know is… when!? Well there’s actually some good news on that front. HeatPot says in their update that they’re planning on releasing Hero Emblems 2 in the summer of 2021. Hey, I’ve been waiting for 4 years, what’s another 6 months, eh? One other bit of good news is that the original Hero Emblems ($2.99), which was updated for full screen iPhones a couple of years back and still plays phenomenally, is currently on sale for the first time in nearly 3 years and is just 99¢ until January 3rd. We chose it as our Game of the Week, loved it in our review, and the original Hero Emblems has basically attained legendary status amongst mobile gamers over the years. If you somehow don’t own this one already, it’s a no-brainer pickup for a dollar as a way to kill some time until Hero Emblems 2 arrives (hopefully!) next summer.