Hero of Sparta
Hero of Sparta is an action-adventure game developed and published by Gameloft for the iOS, Nintendo DS, Android and PlayStation Portable. It was first released on December 9, 2008. The game follows a storyline set in ancient Greece, wherein the player controls the protagonist throughout multiple landscapes while fighting mythical beasts.
The game was generally well-received by critics, and it received an IGN Editors' Choice Award.
Story
The story starts with the player regaining consciousness on a beach after his entire fleet of ships had been wiped out by a violent storm. He progresses inland while fighting various mythical beasts across multiple landscapes. The Spartan, Argos, must free the oracle, who will lead him home. Play progresses across various legendary areas, such as Atlantis and the Underworld.
Gameplay
The game consists of 8 levels where the player controls a Spartan king wielding a sword and fighting various mythical beasts. The Spartan collects "orbs" from his fallen enemies, green orbs for health, blue for magical energy, and red for experience which can be used to upgrade his weapons' damage and special powers. When upgraded to full damage, weapons take on a new "ultimate" form.[1] When certain enemies are weakened, the player may perform a finishing move on them, executed by tapping a series of buttons that appear on-screen. This will kill the enemy and grant the player more orbs than a regular elimination
Weapons
- The sword and shield of Hephaestus. Received in the Oracle's Island level.
- The sword of Damocles. Received after defeating the Keeper.
- The Bow Of Apollo. Received upon completing Garden City level.
- The Axe of Ajax. Received upon completing Descent level.
- Ishtar's twin swords. Found in the mouth of Cerberus after defeating it, in Hound's Lair.
Equipment
- The cape of Arachne. Received before entering Hound's Lair on the island of the Sun.
- The Helmet of Perseus. Received after completing the Steam Rock level.
- Pantheon Armor. Received before confronting Cerberus, in Hound's Lair level.
Enemies
In the game, Argos encounters numerous types of enemies which he must kill. Below is a list of enemies as they appear. These names have been conceived by a fan. They have no official names, so call them what you will.
- Zombie: A blue-skinned, zombie-like enemy. These bear swords too large for them to carry, so they drag them on the ground. They are seen during the intro movie.
- Zombie Warrior: A large, red zombie in bulkier armor. They are tougher and do more damage than the regular zombie.
- Minotaur: Enormous, brown, half-human bulls, similar to the Minotaur from myths. They wield axes and are the first enemy to be introduced that have a Focused Kill pattern.
- Scorpion: Small black scorpions. The weakest and least deadly enemy in the game.
- Centaur: Centaurs with purple skin. They carry bows that shoot flaming arrows. A centaur drops Hephaestus' shield, which is then added to the weapon 'Hephaestus's Arsenal'.
- Fury: A bird-like enemy that can shoot fireballs.
- Scorpion Fighter: Enormous red scorpions that wield axes in their right pincer. They walk semi-upright.
- Minotaur Warrior: Armor-clad, blue-skinned Minotaurs that wield spiked clubs. Four of them must be killed to complete the Garden City level.
- Naga: Green, human-like creatures that have lizard-like tails instead of feet. They bear swords.
- Scorpion Warrior: Blue, stronger variations of Scorpion Fighters. They have green blood instead of red.
- Naga Guardsman: Purple variations of the Naga. They are clad in armor and have a special attack which turns Argos grey and slows his movement and attacking speed.
- Centaur Warrior: Red-skinned centaurs. They wear helmets and can fire two flaming arrows which home in on Argos.
- Reaper: A green, faceless soul-like creature that has purple blood. They wear blackish-green cloaks, appear to be made completely of transparent energy and attack with their claws. When killed, they dissipate into a flack of black bird forms that fly away.
- Hell-bound Zombie: Red Zombies that are even tougher and stronger than the Zombie Warrior. They are exactly like the Warrior but do not have the larger armor.
- Reaper Warrior: A larger, orange variation of the Reaper. They are armor-clad, have larger, metal claws and, unlike the Reaper, have a face.
- Hades: The final boss. Hades is completely clad in armor, wields an enormous blue scythe and has a completely black face, aside from two glowing blue eyes. He also has a large helmet and is almost twice as tall as Argos.
During the battle with Hades, black versions of the Zombie and Zombie Warrior appear to fight you. These variations are completely silhouetted and have blue and green auras around them.
Reception
| Reception |
| Review scores |
| Publication |
Score |
| IGN |
9/10 [2] |
| Slide To Play |
4/4[3] |
| UGO |
B+[4] |
| PSP Minis |
6/10[5] |
| Awards |
| Entity |
Award |
| IGN |
Editors' Choice Award |
|
IGN rated Hero of Sparta 9.0 and highly praised the game for its cinematic quality and its sharp controls. The game has been directly compared to the God of War franchise,[6] even being called "a shameless God of War rip-off."[5]
References
External links