Good news for Hero Academy fans today! As of only an hour or so ago, the popular strategy game of heroes and warriors from Robot Entertainment has quietly snuck its way onto the Google Play Marketplace for Android devices. This is certainly a heroic achievement for the bite-sized turn-based game that's been dominating the iOS charts for longer than any of us can remember, and so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the Android charts soon fall victim to the game's swords and sorcery as well.Now it should also be noted that this Android release of Hero Academy is still being considered as a "soft-launch" of sorts, and so it may take a few hours for some to see the game properly show up in the Google Play Marketplace. Robot Entertainment has also released a list of all the current Android devices that will be compatible with the game, which they have posted for your convenience right over here."You can check out Hero Academy right now on your Android device by clicking this Google Play Marketplace link, or by using the "Play Now" option at the top of this page. And may the academy of heroes be with you!
It wasn't so long ago that smartphone/tablet games were considered a passing phase - not to mention inferior to games on dedicated mobile gaming platforms (which is a shame because that version of Snake on old Nokia phones was awesome). But things have changed a lot since then, and in fact smartphone/tablet games have popped up in the "Best Mobile/Handheld Game" category of the Game Developer's Choice Awards four years in a row now. This year, it's The Room and Hero Academy.
It seems like every single week a new high-profile multiplayer game comes out, begging us all to abandon whichever one we're addicted to and give it a chance. It's difficult keeping up with all of them, but somehow we've managed to pull it off. It's almost like we're a website dedicated to video games or something.
If the app market has redefined games as a service, Robot Entertainment may just be the hardest working mechanic out there. When its flagship mobile strategy title Hero Academy hit iOS, we lauded the game as the "start of something special:" a wonderful asynchronous foundation ripe for further expansion. And expansion we've gotten, with the addition of a Dwarves team, a Team Fortress 2 squad, and a Steam version of the game. Wait a minute, what's that in the shadows?
I don't always agree with everything that goes on here at Gamezebo. Take, for example, our official review of Hero Academy. My opinion falls more closer to the user reviews, which gave it a glowing 4.75. Whether it's Robot Entertainment's excellent approach to freemium, the genius of its five-move-at-a-time asynchronous play, or the lovingly crafted fantasy teams, I don't think I could like the game any more than I do. Or at least I didn't until today.
If there's one thing the mobile platform has done, it's bring about a multiplayer revolution. Gone are the days where I have to suffer through my friends' taunts (or smells!) while going head-to-head. Okay, it's more than that (though let's be honest, we all knew that smelly friend).
Robot Enertainment's Hero Academy has taken off since it launched back in December. Gamers have clearly love playing as both the heroic Council forces and the sinister Dark Elves, but starting next week, the developer has revealed a big new addition: a brand new playable faction.