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About HeroSquare
HeroSquare is an indie adventure game developed by Akseli Virtanen, released on October 6, 2025, for PC. It’s a metroidvania that channels the look and feel of 1980s arcade games, blending side-scrolling combat with exploration. You play as a hero wielding parry and bullet-reflect abilities to survive waves of enemies and take down bosses. The game emphasizes fast-paced action, retro aesthetics, and a nonlinear world to unlock. Think of it as a love letter to classic run-and-gun titles, wrapped in pixel art and chiptune music. If you miss the days of tough-but-fair platformers, this one hits the spot.
Gameplay
The core of HeroSquare revolves around reflexive combat. You’ll spend most sessions dodging projectiles, timing parries, and bouncing enemy fire back with precision. Each level is a maze of platforms, hidden areas, and boss gates that force you to upgrade abilities like dash or double jump to progress. Boss fights are methodical, requiring pattern recognition and memorization. The 16-bit visuals and tight controls mimic old-school arcade titles, but the difficulty spike can be brutal, death resets you to checkpoints, not the start of a level. Combat feels punchy, but the lack of save points in longer sessions might frustrate. Exploration is rewarding, though: secrets often hide behind clever environmental puzzles.
What Players Think
The PlayPile community gave it a 94% approval rating, with 82% of players finishing the main story. Average playtime is 9.5 hours, but 37% of reviews mention the final boss being a “grind fest.” Most players praise the parrying system’s responsiveness and the retro art style, calling it “the most fun since A Link Between Worlds.” However, 18% of ratings are below 4/5, citing unclear level transitions and a lack of save functionality. Critics from Eurogamer and PC Gamer gave it 8.7/10 and 4.5/5 respectively, highlighting its “nostalgic charm” but noting its punishing difficulty. The mood is split: 68% of players felt nostalgic, while 24% called it “frustrating but fair.”
PlayPile's Take
HeroSquare is a must-play for metroidvania fans and retro gaming enthusiasts. Its parry-focused combat is a standout, though the difficulty curve and lack of saves might turn off casual players. At $29.99, it’s reasonably priced for the challenge it offers. With 45 achievements averaging 12 hours to unlock, it rewards persistence. Skip it if you dislike permadeath or linear progression. But if you enjoy tight mechanics and pixel-art nostalgia, this one’s worth the grind.
Game Modes
Single player
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