Heroes Rise: HeroFall Review

HeroFall is the third installment in the Heroes Rise trilogy of interactive novels by experts in the genre, Choice of Games. Save data can be carried over from the previous games - preserving character names, stats, and of course, the decisions that will have repercussions in this story. New players (such as myself) need not worry though, because they'll quickly be brought up to speed thanks to a helpful recap upon starting the story, as the game goes about randomizing decisions they've missed thus far.

The story takes place in a society filled with superheroes and superhero wannabes who want to make a name for themselves. As the offspring of two disgraced heroes, players will fight to become a legend among the super-powered community while opposing the anti-Powered sanctions put in place by the US government.

Those familiar with Choice of Games' back catalog, or even just one or two of their titles, will recognize and feel at home with the game screen: namely a basic text screen with multiple choice tabs at the bottom of certain pages, and a stats menu that can be accessed with a swipe to the right. The menu contains statistics on everything from public perception, to strategy, to the strength of personal relationships. These are all variable depending on how players react to a dilemma. Want to be an anti-hero? Not interested in earning public favor? It's possible thanks to the thorough, multi-faceted approach to the writing, reflecting the often fantastical language and flamboyant characters of Silver Age comics. It's a tone that might not please everyone, but it's definitely true to the genre.

It would have been nice for new players to have been given a few standout choices from the first 2 books to ponder over at the beginning - much like Mass Effect does for newcomers on console - rather than having them decided for us, but still, in a narrative sense it moves things along nicely and gets players up to speed in time for the ride ahead of them. Some background information or archives might have been helpful though, since there are still certain characters that new players won't have a clue about.

HeroFall is an engaging entry into the series, delivering the suspense, surprises, and tough decisions that make interactive reading so much fun. The possibilities for character identity and customization are great, the relationships are believable, and the repercussions of life and death decisions can be felt throughout - right up until one of the many alternate endings.