Originally released a handful of years ago on PC, One Way Heroics Plus has a unique gimmick with Rogue-style gameplay. From an overworld map that looks like it was taken directly from an early Dragon Quest title, the screen moves to the right with every action the player takes. Touch this incoming darkness coming from the left border and it is game over before you had your chance and taking down the demon lord. Along the way you will fight monsters, collect items, and even party up with some NPCs if you choose.
The player is basically navigating a Dragon Quest map but without any screen transitions. This provides the player with a constant stream of accomplishment as every single action means something. There is a minimap to help guide the player to what lies ahead but never peeks too far into the future. This balance is just enough to let the player decide if it is worth it to try and make it to the town to resupply and talk to NPCs or just keep trucking straight ahead to avoid the ever present incoming darkness.
Unfortunately, as creative as the gameplay is, the overall presentation suffers from a non-wide screen display and text so small that is nearly impossible to read. The lack of optimization is an indicator this was a quick port job from the original PC version. You basically need a magnifying glass if playing in handheld mode or sit close enough to the TV to actually decipher the tiny details.
If One Way Heroics Plus wasn’t so physically difficult to play and was optimized for Switch, then this could have easily been a must-download for fans of rogue gameplay. However, if you can suffer through the unfortunate technical short comings, the gameplay is rather entertaining.
Also Try: Half Minute Hero (PSP)
Not As Good As: buying this game as part of a current PC Humble Bundle for a very low cost
Wait For It: Quest of Dungeons 2
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz