Universal Unlikely Heroes (by Cyberlodge Interactive)

Well, I’m a big Downgeon fan so I gave this a shot. My early take, after a few levels, is that this is a very similar game with a remixed presentation.

I do like the hex in terms of taking the “neighbor block” mechanic further, but the larger playfield is annoying on my phone as it doesn’t fit on one screen and you can’t(?) scroll without moving and exposing more squares (and blocking existing ones with monsters).

I think one very clear improvement is that crafting materials don’t take up inventory space. The inventory space is pretty small, though, with a $2 of gems upgrade to add only 2 more spaces if I read it correctly (says it gives you 10—not 10 more—inventory, and you start with 8).

One thing I didn’t like at all was the intro behavior. I *think* it was only one screen full of comic panels, but then it just sort of froze. I had to tap twice to “skip the intro”, and I’m still wondering what I skipped.

Also, on iPhone X, the home bar stays bright white. I think dimming that is tied to the same API that suppresses control center/multitasking swipes in full screen games and encourage the dev to look into that.

Re: the f2p I haven’t run into timers yet but I’m worried. I really like Downgeon’s premium/no-BS. I’m annoyed that I can’t pay to eliminate timers and other f2p aspects—you can pay $4 worth of gems to reduce them 90%, but that’s still too much. And on a side note, finding the screen to do that was a pain.

My inclination right now is that I’d continue to play Downgeon instead of this, since the games are so similar and this one has potential hassle. That said, I’m keeping an eye on it. I buried a lot of hours into Downgeon.

 

I like this game and I'm a big fan of Downgeon and Dungelot which both have some similarities with this game.
I actually prefer the larger play area in this game, though admittedly I am playing on the big iPad Pro.

The iaps are there but are not intrusive so far.
Though I admit I forked out the $1.49AUD for the "special" purchase that gave me another character, x2 gold and 100 diamonds.
I have been playing for a couple of hours and haven't yet felt a real need to use up the 100 diamonds due to the fairly regular diamonds, and gold, that the game gives you during playing.

It's a shame that the game isn't a premium game (and I hate what I am about to say) but I'm a realist and I now pretty much accept that free games are the future with iOS.
I'm not going to say that there might be a paywall later on in the game, but so far I am very happy with the game.
It is a good casual game to jump in and out of.

Well done devs! #

 

Game stops on chapter 3 at beginning of 5/5

Hi I'm obsesssed with this game!!!! Played it alll afternoon. But it freezes on chapter 3 at the beginning of 5/5. I've restarted it many times and and tried different characters in hopes to figure out a loophole but it's a blank screen every time. Just letting you guys know! I cannot reallly advance in the game at this point lol. I have an iPad Air 2 if that helps thanks

 

Wow!
Thats a really great response. #
Very encouraging to see such an active developer.
And because you did that I am now going to give a positive review in the Aussie App Store.
I hope it helps. #

 

Yeah, don't let my comments put you off too much. The game is similarly high quality to Downgeon, I just kind of wish it'd been switched up more than just having somewhat richer hero powers.

Re: model, I'm a pretty big fan of the "$5 to eliminate all timers and double your gold/gems" type of unlock, similar to Rogue Wizards and others who made the transition to mobile/f2p. If I think I'm going to have to pay money ongoing, I'm much more likely to wander away.

The very concrete suggestions I'd make so far, distilled from my previous message:

* If the intro is only one screen, you need a "tap to continue" message at the end. If not, it's broken on my phone.

* You should allow scrolling the playfield if you can't show the whole thing, maybe with a two finger swipe or something. It really is annoying to have a broken cart or other treasure item in the bottom left and not be able to see it because I'm in the upper right, especially since you've intentionally crafted the gameplay so that matching treasure/keys spread across the level.

* The home bar needs to be requested disabled in the game (this is equivalent to requesting a disable for control center swipes on regular iPhones). It's not just that it's white, it's that I stumble into it and close the game because it overlaps your UI heavily in landscape mode. The disable not only grays it, it makes you swipe twice, just like control center. Note that Downgeon does this correctly, so whatever you're doing there you need to do here too.

FWIW, I'm still playing it, so there you go. You should think about that pseudo-premium unlock though. I'd probably buy it on the spot to not have to worry about any f2p issues going forward. At least consider making that timer reduce a 100% instead of 90%.

 

It is intuitive and easy to enjoy.
I like the bright atmosphere.

I think the completion of the game will be higher with the additional updates that are coming up.

 

Is it me or do unresolvable items spawn on the first stage, i.e. Big Chest, but no Big Key, etc?

 

Can happen any time during all stages. #

 

The dog with the shovel spawns random items at the cost of 5 energy each. Pretty sweet for stocking your inventory with stuff.

But yeah, sometimes it’s just a matter of luck.

 

How can i switch language? The german translation isn‘t quite perfect #

 

One other observation: I really wish uncraftable items were dimmed. Since crafting supplies aren’t shown up front anymore I find myself having to go throw every item every time to see what’s craftable or not.

 

There are forced ads in this game?