12 Labours of Hercules (video game series)
| 12 Labours of Hercules | |
|---|---|
 12 Labours of Hercules logo | |
| Genres | Strategy, Time Management |
| Developers | Zoom Out Games |
| Publishers | Jetdogs Studio, Big Fish Games |
| Platforms |
Microsoft Windows OS X iOS Android |
| First release |
12 Labours of Hercules October 30, 2013 |
| Latest release |
12 Labours of Hercules IV: Mother Nature Collector's Edition August 23, 2015 |
12 Labours of Hercules is a series of casual strategy / time management games developed by Zoom Out Games and published by Jetdogs Studio. It shows a humorous and loose variation on the ancient Greek mythology, in particular some of the 12 labours of Hercules. Contrary to the common perception of the myth, Hercules is depicted in a light-hearted way as not only heroic, but also a lazy and simple-minded man, while Cerberus, Hydra, and Scylla look almost as cute as pets.
Gameplay
The player’s main objective in these games is to clean up the roads of obstacles, and erect (or repair) buildings as well as other infrastructure objects like road signs and farms. This is done by sending the actors (general workers and special characters) to the objects that are within their reach (i.e. path to them is not blocked with obstacles).
Special characters are Hercules, his wife Megara, Cerberus and others from the myth. Each of them is used to perform their special task. E.g. Hercules removes heavy obstacles, like huge rocks, and Megara revives fruit-bearing bushes.
The obstacles block the roads, and some of them are piles of resources that can be picked up, while the others are debris and wreckages. On the sides of the roads, there are buildings (often broken or unbuilt), trees, bushes and other interactive objects. It costs resources to remove debris, fix wreckages and repair buildings.
The buildings yield resources when built. Sometimes they can be upgraded to generate more resources.
The main challenge is to collect all the objects and clear the road in the most time-effective order. The efficiency of the player's actions is measured by the time spent to complete a level. The player is awarded more points for spending less time to complete the objectives.
On some levels, the player can activate special power-ups that give various bonuses, such as enabling the actors to move or work faster for a limited time.
The games of the series feature various mini-games at the end of each stage.
The series
Each game in the series features a take on some of the labours of Hercules.
12 Labours of Hercules
Released on October 30, 2013
The first game in the series depicts the following labours: Lernaean Hydra, capture of Cerberus, Prometheus and Chiron the Centaur.
Plot of this game: Hercules’ wife, Megara, is kidnapped by Hades, and the player’s objective is to help Hercules retrieve her.
12 Labours of Hercules II: The Cretan Bull
Released on July 22, 2014
The second game in the series depicts the following labours: Nemean Lion, Cretan Bull, Stymphalian Birds, Augean Stables, and the Golden Apples of Hesperides.
Plot of this game: Hercules is ploughing a field, but it is going too slow, so he decides to try the enormous Cretan Bull as the prime mover. Hera frightens the Bull with a lightning bolt, causing it to run away and crush everything in its path. The player's objective is to help Hercules bring back the Bull while fixing the crushed buildings and roads.
12 Labours of Hercules III: Girl Power
Released on January 4, 2015
The third game in the series depicts the following labours: Scylla, Charybdis, and the Amazon Queen.
Plot of this game: While fighting Scylla and Charybdis, Hercules gets disarmed, and then captured along with Cerberus. His wife Megara takes on a quest to retrieve him.
12 Labours of Hercules IV: Mother Nature
Plot of this game: the evil gods of Olympus summon Anti-Hercules.
The game refers to Epeius and Trojan Horse, as well as Midas.
The Collector's Edition also features the step-by-step Strategy Guide.
Released on August 23, 2015
12 Labours of Hercules V: Kids of Hellas
This game tells you a story about Hercules' and his friends fight agains the god of war Ares, who had turned the children of Hellas into zombies. The new features include two-positional switches and gift boxes. Unwrapping gift boxes gives you extra bonus power.
The 5th part has been published as a Collector's Edition. Strategy Guide is included.
Released on January 23, 2016
References
- Review of the first game in the series by All about Casual Game (Archived 2015-03-28)
- Review of the second game in the series by All about Casual Game
- Review of the third game in the series by All about Casual Game
- Mobile version stats at AppAnnie site
External links
- Official website
- 12 Labours of Hercules at Big Fish Games site
- 12 Labours of Hercules II at GameHouse site