Hero's Spirit

Had it for a few years now and coming back to it after getting me a Steam Deck, I remembered why I couldn't put it down. Hero's Spirit is entirely about exploring, so much so that its combat is as simple as it gets. You bump into hostile creatures and if you've collected enough swords to be of equal or higher level than them, then they're defeated. Otherwise, you can negate damage with a one-time-use shield, kill anything in your path with a one-time-use golden sword (which are rather rare), or even freeze time for a moment to avoid combat altogether. Combat aside, the game revolves entirely around finding keys, unlocking doors, and unearthing secrets to increase that combat level (so you can progress through the 'story') and gather items that'll further help you traverse the labyrinthine maps. And while Hero's Spirit is a fantastic retro exploration game, it's also extremely frustrating. It doesn't help that it didn't manage to find an audience, meaning you're left to your own devices. No guides, little to no help on the forums (no joke, when I asked where to find a specific door, someone game me a jester award), no videos... But then, that's part of why it's so good.

This game is almost like a... Turn based, tile based metroidvania. It very much evokes the sense of discovery and wonder. I beat it in about 8 hours, but there's a LOT of secrets still. Regardless, I think I can recommend the game! It's a very simple game, only requiring use of arrow keys, and it tries to invoke a certain aesthetic of older, more rough-around-the-edges games. No manual, no map, claustrophobic level design, and strange inexplicable bits. I quite like what it does, for the most part! Just beating the game probably will take you about 10 hours at the latest, but for the 100% completion, it seems I may be at this game for many hours yet. The graphics are okay. Standard fare for Retro Games. The soundtrack, however, is very good, although I wish many of the tracks were longer. Still, overall, this is quite the lovely little package. Play it if you love adventuring!

Not even close to finishing the game but so far its been amazing. Amazing soundtrack, amazing exploration, and a massive amount of content. This has to be one of the most underrated games on steam, and it's super worth the price. I can only imagine how insanely good a roguelite spin off of this game would be.

Excellent feeling of exploration! I love it.

This is a really addictive retro exploration RPG. It has secrets within secrets that hide another secret that unlocks another secret behind the first one. There are some tough spots to get past, but there are always other ways to approach a problem, so you are never really stuck.

The lack of automapping or collection logging is an unforgivable sin in a exploration/collection game.

secrets are cool and all but only when you have gameplay to back it up (it does not)

It's an acquired taste hidden gem, kind of game.