Academy: Become a Hero

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This is an incredibly tough platformer designed for speedrunners and anyone who enjoys repeating the same course over and over until they get it just right. And even that is not enough, because the game demands perfection right from the get go. There are achievements for beating a course on your first try, while certain bonuses disappear after you attempt a track too many times. Restarting does not reset your attempts either. The only way to get a completely fresh start is to wipe your entire save file and begin again. Fortunately, the first stage is enough to show whether this is the kind of game for you. There are 20 stages that you complete in order, starting with Easy difficulty. You have to beat each stage with at least a bronze medal to unlock Normal, and then Hard difficulty. The stages themselves remain the same, but the time requirements become increasingly strict. Strict is honestly an understatement, because even Easy can be tough and will likely require several attempts. Even a perfect run can leave you with only a few deciseconds of breathing room. Speed is not the only thing you need to worry about either. You also have to be precise with your jumps and, later on, with additional moves such as dashing, sprinting, and the annoying button mashing required to open gates. The platforming itself is incredibly unforgiving, and you often need to jump at the very last possible moment to clear a gap and land on a platform. Jumping is also pressure sensitive, so quickly tapping the button results in a small hop, while holding it for longer gives you more height. You also have to collect enough collectibles to successfully finish each course. Therefore, even if you manage to complete a stage quickly, you will still fail if you have not collected enough. The collectibles are scattered throughout the courses. While some are placed along the ideal path, most require you waste precious time with extra jumps, and take additional risks around hazards. To make things even more challenging, each course features green platforms that are safe to walk on, while most of the others, particularly the red ones, follow a classic “floor is lava” mechanic. Touching one costs you a heart, and losing all three hearts means failing the stage. It makes every jump feel that much more important, especially when you are already pushing for a faster time. If you manage to beat a few stages, the medals you earn grant upgrade points that can be invested into several different stats. You can reduce the stun caused by hitting red platforms, increase your health, give yourself a few extra seconds, improve your speed and acceleration, and more. These upgrades help you improve your medals on stages you have already completed, and that is pretty much a requirement. Without investing in upgrades, reaching a good score on the harder difficulties becomes virtually impossible. Climbing through the ranks also unlocks different armor sets and colors. These do not affect gameplay and are purely cosmetic. Overall, the game knows exactly what it wants from you. It wants patience, precision, and a willingness to repeat the same section dozens of times until every movement becomes second nature. If that sounds satisfying, you can give it a go, but for anyone else, you won’t find any enjoyment here.