Game Title: A Hero’s Rest: An RPG Town Simulator

Developer & Publisher: Vanargand Games

Release date: 18^th October 2024

OS: Windows 7 or higher - 64-bit 

Platform: Steam 

Price: £20.99/ $24.99

“In a  world abounding with monsters, His Majesty The King tasks you with warding off  the threats that surround the land. For this, you are given the role of the  proprietor of a fantasy town where you will recruit Heroes, manage your  resources and supply your shops with the wares that your Heroes need for their  adventures”

What Is It-

Hero’s Rest is an independent game developed by solo developer Vanargard, located in Germany, which is owned and operated by Alan Kilzi. In it you build and manage a medieval fantasy town, which is not all that unusual,  except your job is to not only support the King (basically you need to pay taxes constantly so he can keep up his lavish lifestyle), but to provide lodging and gear for new starry eyed adventurers that come wandering through the town. You are tasked with this by George, the King’s good buddy who has no sense of humor and definitely wants you to fail.

In addition to equipping adventurers, you, yes you, send them off on quests for the good of King and country. These are created either by the innkeeper or by the quest board, which happens to be set up outside of the inn. Feed them, clothe them, then send them out there to bring back materials used to feed them, clothe them, and send them back out on another quest. Unless they die horribly brutal deaths, that is.

The Good 

Visuals-

I like the visuals. While I may not for a different genre, I think they work very well for A Hero’s Rest. They harken back to that time so long ago…in the early 2000s when graphics did not need make your head swim to spin a good yarn. They are cutesy but not overly so; just enough for the player to not take things too seriously. There will be failure but in a cute yet not overly so manner.

Audio-

The audio is another facet of the game that is reminiscent of the days of yore, perhaps even going back to the time before the long ago, the 90s!!! Egad man. There is nothing fancy here. Just the simple pleasing and melodic sounds one would expect to hear when visiting a medieval fantasy village. The music complemented the game world very well and I feel it would benefit by having a soundtrack available when purchasing the game.

Not All Is Well 

A Little Help Here-

There is a play tutorial, which is always a plus. However, after covering the initial basics, the player is left hanging. There is much more to learn and I would have loved if there had been more to the tutorial. What happens when a hero dies? How do I change what items my village can produce? How long before the King gets irritated and George comes and mocks me? George seems very judgy. He pops in, gives me some reluctance guidance, and leaves me in confusion.

Build a Crooked Wall-

Constructing buildings is wonky. Setting flooring and walls can be a bit of a challenge. I placed flooring/walls slightly off at first because I thought it was even with the others I had placed. They were not. I now have a crooked wall, which hides the uneven tile behind it. Who is going to walk out behind the Inn anyways? My suggestion is to zoom right in when constructing buildings so the perspective is not skewed. It helps to properly see where you are placing items. Or don’t. You could enjoy crooked buildings for all I know. I am sure there are some crooked building enthusiasts out there.

Another issue I have with constructing buildings is that roofs do not seem to be a thing. All my buildings are open to the elements from the top down. This is designed to ensure the player can interact easily with each station but I would still appreciate being able to build a roof. I want my buildings to look like buildings and I see no reason not to provide this small detail. There could be an option to view each floor by clicking on it. Is it a minor nuisance? Yes, it is. Is it something that disrupts the setting of the game? Also, yes, very much so.

Conclusion

Concept vs Execution

I love the concept of A Hero’s Rest: An RPG Town Simulator. However, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I do not hate the game but it can often be confusing in regards to how to proceed. There are also fetch quests that George issues, by order of the King, that have to be completed within a certain time or the town loses gold and prestige. If it falls too low, you can say goodbye to that town you worked so hard building up. I am more and more convinced George is pulling a long con and none of this is by the King’s order. He just wants me to fail. I hate that guy.

The game world is beautiful. The music is a perfect accompaniment for the setting. The beginning of the game is fun when learning to play. However, as it progresses things begin to slow down. There is much down time in the game, even though there is an option to fast-forward. I am a micromanager and I worried that I would miss an event or merchant traveling through so I preferred the normal game speed.

The idea of managing adventurers without having direct control over them is a novel idea. However, I do not feel as if I have much control over anything else other than setting up different shops and quests. The quests tend to be very basic. The choice is to send the adventurers to kill something or to fetch something and hope they come back with what you need.

Building mechanics could be much better. At this time, they are unintuitive and require a very keen eye to line everything up properly. There are few choices for floors and walls. The missing rooftops made it seem as if I was making dioramas instead of a game village.

And do not get me started on George.

YAY OR NAY 

Maybeish. The game is unbalanced and lacks in building (see what I did there) a proper foundation for players. It can also be slow and tedious much of the time, which can be off-putting. I found my mind wandering after two hours of play. Not because the game does not hold value but because there was not enough interaction to keep my attention. A Hero’s Rest is not for me. I feel the allure of managing a medieval game town is likely to draw players in, it certainly worked in my case, but the game’s shortcomings might drive them away.

Hero’s Rest is not for those who need nonstop action. This is for those who have the patience and wherewithal to spend time learning every aspect of the game; those who have time to build their little town and outfit and train their little adventurers, all while fulfilling the King’s requests.

I wanted to love the game. I certainly love aspects of the game. I do not love the game as a whole. What I especially do not like is George and his judgmental attitude. If this was a certain life management game, I would wall George up without indoor plumbing and food, or I would invite him over to swim and remove the ladder. Does that sound evil? Maybe. If you decide to meet George for yourself, tell him I said to go ahead and lock his door. It’s not like he has a roof to keep me from finding him. Be afraid George, be very afraid.    

C+

For me A Hero’s Rest: An RPG Town Simulator is a solid C +. Nothing more or less. Just Ok.