Cup Heroes review

I have a love/hate relationship with mobile phone-style games. On one hand, I enjoyed the simplicity and casual nature. However, on the other hand, I hate the in-game purchases, sense of grind, and lack of depth. Sadly, Cup Heroes suffers from many of the shortcomings, despite its addictive ways.

VOODOO has developed this single-player pixelated affair. It has incorporated an RPG edge and a sense of progression into its relatively straightforward ideas. Additionally, there is an awful sense of grind and gambling as you repeat levels to unlock gold, gems, and tickets to upgrade your gear. This was a shame, as I didn’t want to waste my time or dip my hand into my pocket. As such, it was a bit of a catch-22.

Flip the cups, and save the queen in Cup Heroes.

If you are a fighter and a royalist, you are programmed to keep your Queen safe. Sadly, the hero in Cup Heroes falls short as the Queen is taken, and hundreds of villains stand in your way. The protagonist stops at nothing to clear the path and save his Queen. However, the journey is tough! Consequently, dying and failure are commonplace.

This is a simple title that has a delightful pixelated edge. Yet, the sense of failure, repetition, and grind cannot be ignored. Each world is categorised into easy, medium, and hard levels. As you progress, the monsters become tougher, and the volume of goons increases. However, your strength improves, and your gear becomes legendary. Consequently, there is a sense of balance as you move through the ranks.

Tip the cups.

Each stage is made up of several intervals. During each interval, you must tackle 1, 2, 3, or a handful of goons. As they die, they’ll drop white balls to the ground for you to collect. At the end of each automated round, you have the chance to drop your balls from a white cup. Each ball falls through a multiplier and multiplies. The resulting balls may fall to the goal or through another multiplier, negative path, or trampoline to increase your score.

Once you collect every ball, you can spend it on temporary upgrades. This is the difference between success and failure. Moreover, it adds a slight level of tactical nuance to the otherwise automated affair. If you survive the full run, you are awarded XP, gold, and upgrade tokens. These have a permanent impact on your hero and help you tackle the latter stages.

Sadly, the action is extremely basic, and it will not test anyone. Despite the small tactical moments, Cup Heroes relies on luck, grind, and in-game purchases to drive you to the end. This didn’t impress me, and I’m sure many gamers will find this model to be a little underhanded.

Cup Heroes has a colourful edge.

The developer has done a pleasant job with the visuals. Each world is colourful and vibrant. Moreover, the sprites are clean and pleasant to look at. There are some rinse-and-repeat assets, but this doesn’t impact the quality. Instead, gamers can enjoy a simple game that is free of bugs and glitches. The audio is upbeat and easy to listen to; furthermore, the sound effects are basic but effective. Subsequently, Cup Heroes won’t blow you away, but it is nice to look at.

The controls are extremely simple. The game is automated, and players can sit back and enjoy some food and beer while things kick off. If you like to be more hands-on, this may cause some frustrations. Replay value and longevity are reasonably high commodities. I found the grind to be tedious, but if you enjoy repeating levels while gathering minor resources, this will be the game for you.

Cup Heroes didn’t blow me away.

I enjoyed Cup Heroes, but it lacks depth, and I found the grind to be frustrating. Furthermore, I’m not a fan of in-game purchases. As such, this was an instant turn-off. Yes, you can ignore them, but the game becomes a horrible drag if you take this approach. Accordingly, despite the slim layer of enjoyment, I won’t be recommending this. However, you can get a copy from the Xbox store!