12 Labours of Hercules

Developer: Jetdogs Studios, Zoom Out Games
Steam Release: Mar 2015
Hours Played: 5.3
Similar To: Gnomes Garden / Northern Tale / Royal Envoy
Rating: 2/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
All levels in 12 Labours of Hercules follow the same general principle: covering one screen in isometric / top-down view, you begin with a house inhabited by a slave. Springing outwards are paths littered with one of three resources: food, wood and gold. At the cost of these resources, there are also plots with structures that need to be built or repaired plus monsters that'll need to be vanquished. Clicking a resource or structure triggers a reaction in the slave who promptly scurries out of his house. If it's a resource he collects it and brings it back, if a structure he'll build or repair it. Some structures add a vital influx of resources to your coffers which in turn help you repair things such as broken bridges or cracks in the road. Monsters can only be killed by other mythical creatures whose help can only be called upon once their own dwelling place has been built.

BALANCE & PACE
The game is therefore a mad, click-fest ridden dash to clear away the path to reach ultimate objectives and thus proceed to the next level. It's not completely mindless though, like Pizza Frenzy, as there will be times when you'll need to weigh up priorities and reject one action over another. When or if to upgrade resource-gathering buildings such as your farm (for extra food) or mill (for extra wood) also plays an important part. Standing idle while not being able to do anything due to lack of resources is usually a bad sign. From time to time you'll also need to enlist the assistance of Hercules himself for tasks requiring super-human strength like lifting massive boulders or building temples. Finally, special abilities on cooldown like bursts of speed get introduced as you go. Up to three stars are awarded depending on how fast the job gets done.
        

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
To be honest a lot of these time-attack type resource-management games have sprung up on Steam so with gameplay being similar, 12 Labours shades it due to its more fluid animations, superior presentation and all-round polish. It's the crystal clear clarity (and frankly higher production values) behind 12 Labours' presentation that clinches the deal. Little touches in animation like the way Hercules lazes around on his hammock as slaves beaver away, and the way monsters succumb to Medusa's stare are the details that matter... and let's face it, it's hard to resist those high-definition graphics. Jolly tunes bounce along as well. In 12 Labours, you may also queue up workers to gather unreachable resources that lie behind others as well; something you cannot do in Northern Tale for example.     

PROGRESS SYSTEM
The 12 Labours of Hercules features a map system to track progress. The path follows a series of mountain ranges with 40 flags lining the way representing levels. These are divided into four chapters with the final level in each chapter being a mini game involving a type of boss. A banner with one, two or three stars emblazoned upon it replaces the flag on completion. Hovering over these banners will highlight a pop-up which will tell you your best time and the accompanying score. Personally I found that you had to complete a level optimally, with little margin for error, if you wanted to hit the three-star award. From around Level 7 onwards, I abandoned the hope of trying and had to be content with the two-star banner. There are additionally 22 achievements to hit. 

CONCLUSION

This entry was either going to be 12 Labours of Hercules or Northern Tale - two games that play out in almost identical ways. Realore, the developer who made the latter, practically specialize in this type of game. (Viking Saga and the Roads of Rome series look like one and the the same but with different skins while Island Tribe is another.) Even Playrix get in on the act with a worthy contender in the Royal Envoy series and I'm sure there are dozens more like it. Unfortunately, the excellent Royal Envoy is not available on Steam but can be purchased over at Big Fish Games. Northern Tale still plays much the same with a more forgiving star-system but the main reason to opt for this over Northern Tale would be down to its production and polish... and with four sequels it must be doing something right.