Heroes of Hellas 2 Olympia Review

Casual games right now dominate the PC market in terms of wasting time at work, pretending to be writing out that all important proposal to only be caught playing a round of Bejeweled. Heroes of Hellas 2 is one of those games. The developers combined city micromanagement, puzzle solving, and Greek mythology to create a unique spin on the casual puzzle genre. But is it enough to keep players distracted from work or playing another game?

The story begins as one day you are tending to your flock when suddenly Zeus appears to you. He makes a request of you to rebuild the city of Olympia after the countryside has fallen into chaos. He wants you to make the city a beacon of hope and light in a time of darkness and despair. Along the way he and other Greek gods and heroes will come to assist in your journey in rebuilding the city and transforming it to a great civilization. Hellas 2 attempts to flesh out a pretty decent story, but it’s a bit lacking, being that this is a casual puzzle game. But this does not take away from the fun of the gameplay.

Heroes of Hellas 2 is a casual puzzle game along the lines of Bejeweled. The goal is to rebuild the city and make it a great and thriving metropolis. Gameplay takes place in a jeweled filled board ranging in size. Each of the boards/levels has certain objectives and goals to complete. In order to clear each one, you would have to match three or more of the same colored jewels to score points and earn gold. Complete the level in the fastest time and an extra gold bonus will be awarded. With such a simple control, this is one highly addictive game. In addition to scoring points and gold, there are also other jewels that help multiply the score, destroy nearby jewels, and blocking stones. Along the way there are pieces of heroes’ amulets, which once gathered, a hero or god will be available to help by leaning their powers. After a level is completed, your are given the chance to upgrade the city, thus making the people happy.

For being a casual game, Hellas 2 is very colorful and bright. From the levels to the main menu where the city can be seen, there is color everywhere. The city is full with life, citizens walking around minding their daily comings and goings. During game play, the back grounds have a cartoon feel, making me feel like I was in that picture. Also each of the jewels each has their own individual look to them. As for the sound and music, it was very enjoyable and peaceful. Each time scoring a big multiplier or finishing a level and hearing that victory jingle made me feel good inside.

There is no online or multiplayer mode in Hellas 2, but there is a leader board that players can post their high scores and brag. As for replay value there are plenty of puzzles to play and complete, being there are over 90 levels. Also 8 different mini games are available to play and four additional game modes. Like I said for having such a simple concept and game play, Heros of Hellas 2 is very addictive and will have you playing for long periods of time.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of casual games; they are either too easy, too kid friendly, or just look plain stupid. The most casual I do go for is some online Tetris. But after playing this game, Heroes of Hellas 2 made me lose track of time and my surroundings, like any other big named game that I’ve played. This really is one of the better casual games out there and is worth the download.

- Mike V.

article id: 892 | poster: OG