Loop Hero was a surprise hit when it released on PC earlier this year. Combining a variety of genres together, players are tasked with exploring a procedurally generated loop that allows them to control the environment, enemies, and terrain with a deck of cards. Instead of controlling the hero, players build around the hero to help them progress and gain resources to escape the loop.
At the latest Indie World Showcase, Loop Hero was revealed to be releasing for the Nintendo Switch this holiday season. Although it's quite impressive to play for the PC, the game does feel like it was tailor made for the Nintendo Switch in a number of ways. With the ability to play on the go, a game like Loop Hero that depends on repeating gameplay loops could benefit a lot from the portability of the Nintendo Switch.
How Loop Hero Differentiates Itself
Loop Hero is a game that excels due to addicting gameplay which encourages the player to slowly discover and learn about the mechanics. However, unlike most roguelikes, Loop Hero feels a little different since players are essentially dungeon masters and in charge of anything that happens to the hero. The basic concept revolves around the hero looping around the road while players setup cards to create buildings, enemies, and terrains to explore. Of course, players can't make the trip too easy, as they need to make the journey difficult enough for the hero to gain XP and items to face the boss.
Combining the mechanics of roguelikes, reverse tower defense, and deck-building, players slowly build up resources in Loop Hero over many attempts until they can clear the boss. Similar to other roguelike games, the story progresses if the player successfully defeats the boss, but a death will result in losing 70% of the resources and having to restart from scratch. Gambling between risk and reward is not a new concept for roguelikes, but Loop Hero feels distinct as players are effectively in charge of the challenges they place on themselves.
Loop Hero is Perfect For the Nintendo Switch
Loop Hero arriving on the Nintendo Switch is an exciting prospect, as fans know that the platform is fantastic for the concept of roguelikes in general. The massive success of games like Hades have proven that the repeating gameplay loop found in roguelikes and rogue-lites can benefit greatly from the Nintendo Switch's portability. With each run lasting a minimal amount of time, it's the perfect way for players to progress the game during their commutes or breaks.
In particular, Loop Hero also feels tailor made for a handheld console given its simple interface. There's nothing wrong with the PC version, but it does feel a little bit like overkill for a game that's fairly idle in comparison to other roguelikes. On the other hand, it'll be interesting to see how the control scheme on the Nintendo Switch plays out. Loop Hero does seem to be designed with PC controls in mind, as the game involves quite a bit of dragging and dropping for the tiles and equipment. As a result, there's a possibility that Loop Hero will make use of the Nintendo Switch's touchscreen a lot more than other games. Regardless, the game's core concept works incredibly well with the Switch.
Loop Hero is available now on PC and releases this holiday season for Switch.
